Suresh Khairnar
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The title of the post is: The Crisis Looming Over Our Country's Republic
Tomorrow marks 76 years since our country began celebrating Republic Day. Parliamentary democracy in India started with the first parliamentary session on May 13, 1952, following the completion of the first general elections in 1951-52. Over these 74 years of journey, the country faced a crisis to its parliamentary democracy during the Emergency period (June 25, 1975 – March 21, 1977), lasting 21 months. However, the crisis was resolved with the defeat of Congress in the 1977 elections.
But since the BJP government assumed power on May 26, 2014, under the influence of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) principle of 'Ek Chalak Anuvartitva' (leadership and control by one person), the current government has been moving in the direction of an undeclared Emergency for the past 12 years. To achieve this, the government has begun altering the Constitution—from attempting to remove the words "socialist" and "secular" from the Preamble to changing the process of appointing members of the Election Commission of India (ECI), which is essential for running democratic processes, to suit its convenience.
In December 2023, during the winter session of Parliament, more than 100 opposition MPs were suspended from the Lok Sabha, and over 20 parliamentary bills were passed with audacity. At that time, it felt like the beginning of running parliamentary democracy according to one's whims. By amending the ECI selection process (originally established in 1991 with a committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, and the Chief Justice of India), the Chief Justice was removed and replaced with a Cabinet Minister, giving the ruling party a majority in the committee. Furthermore, through amendments in the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 (often referred to as CEC & EC Bill - 2023), provisions were added that no legal action can be taken against any ECI member without the President's permission, effectively protecting them from accountability throughout their tenure.
Looking at these changes, it seems that future elections will become a mere formality. The "Republic of India" is being turned from a constitutional democracy (Democratic) into a party-centric system, effectively eliminating the democratic essence. But what is the justification for the Leader of the Opposition (from Congress) still being included in this one-sided committee? It means being complicit in the RSS's century-long effort to govern the country according to the 'Ek Chalak Anuvartitva' principle.
Why didn't opposition leaders strongly protest such one-sided changes aimed at creating such a powerful Election Commission? After that, the opposition's chorus of merely shouting "vote theft - vote theft" over the hasty Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by this controversial ECI is like being a "fool at someone else's wedding" (a Hindi idiom for unnecessary involvement). Fundamentally, the RSS, the mother organization of the BJP, has never accepted the Indian Constitution.
When Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar presented the Constitution to the nation on November 26, 1949, the RSS's English mouthpiece Organiser rejected it in an editorial, stating that even thousands of years before Spartacus and Solon, Rishi Manu had written the Manusmriti, a superb constitution. It called the newly made Constitution a "patchwork quilt" copied from foreign constitutions, lacking any element of Indianness. It also criticized the tricolor national flag as inauspicious due to its three colors and demanded the saffron flag of Hinduism in its place.
The BJP, the political arm of the RSS that rejects both the Constitution and the national flag, formed the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (NCRWC) under Justice M.N. Venkatachaliah on February 1, 2000, during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's first tenure as Prime Minister. The commission was asked to submit recommendations within a year, but after three extensions, it submitted its two-volume, 1,979-page report on March 31, 2002. Law Minister Arun Jaitley accepted it, but due to opposition protests, Vajpayee kept it hidden.
The current government has cleverly begun altering the Constitution under the guise of amendments—like a mouse nibbling away at it—changing provisions from the Indian Penal Code to forest laws, farmers' issues, labor laws, environmental protection, land acquisition, employment guarantee, health, education, and even the ECI appointment process. This is to promote crony capitalism by reshaping the Constitution according to its whims.
The parliamentary democracy handed over by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar on November 26, 1949, is being turned into the RSS's dream of 'Ek Chalak Anuvartitva'. The intentions behind changing the ECI selection process were clearly visible before the recent assembly and local body elections in Maharashtra and Bihar. The same pattern will likely be seen in upcoming elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, etc.
The most serious concern is that the Constitution's framers provided special protections for tribal rights through the Fifth and Sixth Schedules. Therefore, the RSS never accepts the term "Adivasi" (original inhabitants) and uses "Vanvasi" (forest dwellers) instead. These provisions protect the rights of nearly 10% of India's tribal population over water, forests, and land (Jal-Jangal-Zameen). However, ignoring these, the BJP is handing over remaining forests to favored capitalists in the name of the Forest Conservation Act (amended in 2023) and the Biodiversity Act—like coating poison with sugar syrup. By undoing the rights given to tribals since the 1980 Forest Act, it is following the saying "no bamboo left, no flute will play." Ignoring climate change warnings from Madhav Gadgil and over 200 global scientists about melting Himalayan glaciers, Antarctic ice, rising temperatures, disrupted seasons, and catastrophic natural disasters, the government is blindly chasing "development" and claiming to be the world's largest economy (which is hollow). By misleading the people of our republic, it is promoting a capitalist economy and altering the Constitution.
Stopping this process of changing the Constitution would be the true respect for our country's 76th Republic Day. Because on the historic occasion when the Constitution declared India a democratic republic on January 26, 1950, it committed to securing justice (social, economic, and political), liberty, equality, and fraternity for all citizens. That is why we have been celebrating Republic Day continuously for the past 76 years.
The Preamble to the Constitution of India is an introductory statement outlining the guiding purpose, principles, and philosophy of the document. Adopted on November 26, 1949, and effective January 26, 1950, it declares India a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic aiming to secure justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity for all citizens.
Does the current government's actions, character, and conduct truly reflect the Constitution handed over by its framers 76 years ago?
Dr. Suresh Khairnar, January 25, 2026.