Is India the Mother of Democracy?
What is democracy?
1.Democracy is the form of government which is governed by the people, for the people and of the people. This definition is given by the U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.
2.According to P. B. Shelley, democracy is a form of government in which everyone has a share. It means the people have a share in the governance and the economic resources of the country. It also implies that there must be equitable distribution of resources among the people of a country.
3. According to United Nations Human Right commission, the essential features of democracy are
Holding of periodic free and fair elections by universal suffrage and by secret ballot to determine the will of the people.
Respect for fundamental freedom of expression and opinion.
Respect for Human rights
A pluralistic system of political parties and organisations
4.The evolution of the modern concept of democracy and its development are linked to two important revolutions. They are the American revolution (1776) and the French revolution (1789). The American revolution was the harbinger of constitutionalism and the government based upon the free and voluntary consent of all people. The French revolution reinforced the principle of popular sovereignty, the universal manhood suffrage and the idea of liberty, equality and fraternity.
5.In Athens, universal suffrage was not the norm. Only elite adult males with Athenian parentage on both sides were considered citizens eligible to vote. Women and slaves were disqualified.
Republics of ancient India 600 BC to 400 AD
1.We have no direct evidence regarding the Indus state. We do not have evidence to suggest as to what kind of government was being run by the Indus people. Some scholars argue that the government was run by a class of merchants while some others contend that the Government was run by the priest.
2.In the Vedic Period, Sabha and Samiti were two powerful and popular assemblies to assist and advise the king. The king was hereditary. However, his power was very much limited because of the popular influence of Sabha, a council of elders and Samiti, an elected body. But in Vedic period, the state was not republic because the head of the government was not elected.
Later on, the Gana and Sangha are cited as the two popular examples of ancient democracy. They have been translated as republic, oligarchy, democracy and confederacy. These tribal republics existed between 500 BC to 400 AD.
3.The important ancient republics were
The Shakyas of Kapilvastu
The Licchavis of Vaishali
The Mallas of Pava
The Mallas of Kusinara
The Koliya of Ramgram
The Bhagya of Sun-Samagri
The Mauryas of Piphalaivana
The Kalama of Suputa
The Videhas of Mithila
4.In the Republics, the real power lay in the hands of Tribal oligarchies. In the Republics of Sakyas and Licchavis the ruling class belonged to the same clan and same varna. In the case of Licchavis of Vaishali, 7707 Raja (King) sat in the assembly hall. Slaves and hired labourers were not made the part of these assemblies in the republics of areas lying around the Beas river in Punjab, membership was restricted to those who could supply at least one elephant to Raja. Each Raja maintained his own store house and apparatus of administration. They have a separate regular army. Although Brahmins exercised great power in monarchies, they have no place in the early republics. The republic functioned under the leadership of oligarchies assemblies. Thus, the people in the republic did not share political power equally.
5.According to A. S. Altekar, these tribal oligarchies flourished as long as there was harmony and concord among the members of their assemblies. These members were generally the senior elite males within the tribe. They were not elected, instead they were selected on the basis of their popularity and social prestige. Within these assemblies various subgroups formed which would often come in conflict with each other and that led to their downfall. Moreover, the rising power of Magadh destroyed the republican states of ancient India. Chandragupta Maurya conquered all these states one by one.
6.After the downfall of the Mauryan Empire, Republican states again sprang up in western India. The important republics in the post Mauryan period were the Malavas, the Arjunayans, the Yodheys and the Madrakas. These republics were defeated by Sakas and thereafter by the Guptas.
Was the Republics of ancient India the epitome of democracy of democratic spirit?
It is clear from the above discussion that the governance of the ancient republics of India was vastly different from the democracy which is being understood and conceptualised these days. The republics of ancient India lacked many of the essential features by which modern day democracy functions. It is clear that in the ancient republic of India there was limited participation in the decision making process. There was no universal adult suffrage. Instead it was the group of elites that ultimately held political power.
Conclusion
The republics of ancient India were virtually the tribal oligarchies. These were run by a selected few prestigious and high class varnas. In most of the cases, it was Kshatriyas who ruled republics. Brahmins, slaves, hired labourers and lower varnas had no role in the decision making process of republics. Since, the decision making process was very much limited, the ancient republics can not be construed as democracy or proto democratic government. Thus it is wrong to say that India was the mother of democracy. The Nationalist historians claimed India as the cradle of democracy to instil nationalistic feelings and glorious past among the subjugated people who were seething with discontents and difficulties during the British rule.
