SPLIT WIDE OPEN

Corruption, safety of women and law & order remain prime concerns for MOTN respondents. Opinion is divided on the state of Indian democracy, and differs along religious lines on ‘love jihad’ laws

- Amarnath K. Menon

Is democracy safe or under siege in India? According to the India Today Mood of the Nation (MOTN) survey, the country is divided on the issue. While a large chunk believes our democracy is not under any threat, many others are apprehensive. This is despite the positive image Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoys as an exceptional leader and a tough negotiator with a nativist governing philosophy catering to a populist and nationalist sentiment—all fitting the mould of an elected autocrat.

This has increasingly become a worldwide trend. According to the Global Populism Database—a tracker of populist discourse—some two billion people today are governed by somewhat moderately populist, populist or very populist leaders; an increase from 130 million at the turn of the millennium. The research puts Modi in the populist camp. Analysts feel that a lack of trust in democratic institutions is giving rise to illiberal tendencies.

Corruption continues

What is perhaps most disconcerting is that an overwhelming 76 per cent feel that corruption has increased in the country, even though the Modi government has, so far, managed to avoid the mega corruption scandals that rocked the earlier UPA regime. According to the respondents, politicians are among the most corrupt (39 per cent), followed by the police (20 per cent), government officials (14 per cent) and doctors (5 per cent). At 4 per cent each, journalists and lawyers don’t fare any better. However, for 88 per cent of the respondents, newspapers, magazines and television remain the most trusted mediums for news and information, way above social media.