‘Indian politics is at the cusp of a profound transformation’

The Indian democratic experiment had not been spectacularly responsive to the needs of citizens,said Jayal. In India,“a reasonably robust democracy has not yielded a reasonably egalitarian,let alone just,social order”. Applauding the editors for taking on Indian politics “in its historical context,thematic context and narrative context”,Kapil Sibal took on Jayal’s statement to deliver an expansive take on India’s achievements. “When colonial rule ended,we were left with a command economy,no enterprise worth its name,no industrial economy,and rain-fed agriculture — how could you have served an egalitarian agenda?” As a minister formulating education policy,Sibal said he was constantly confronted with India’s staggering diversity,and the awareness that one model would never fit all. He also discussed the Constitution — “one of the most democratic documents in the history of mankind”.

“Despite all the problems and challenges of Indian democracy,we are on the cusp of a profound transformation,” said Pratap Bhanu Mehta. The challenge of describing these momentous times lies in telling the difference between what is structural and necessary,and what is contingent about these changes. Mehta said it was exhilarating to be reminded of “the stakes of what it is we are studying”,and “what an extraordinary subject the study of Indian politics is”.