Volume-XII, Special Issue, April 2026 |
বৈচিত্র্যে ঐক্য ও গণতন্ত্র: বিভক্ত বিশ্বে ভারতের প্রাতিষ্ঠানিক পথপ্রদর্শক চণ্ডী চরণ লেট, গবেষক, আন্তর্জাতিক সম্পর্ক বিভাগ, যাদবপুর বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, কলকাতা, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
Received: 05.04.2026 | Accepted: 06.04.2026 | Published Online: 10.04.2026 | Page No: 142-153 | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.12.issue.specialW.277 | |||||||
Unity in Diversity and Democracy: India’s Institutional Leadership in a Divided World Chandi Charan Let, Research Scholar, Department of International Relations, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
In the contemporary global order, democracy is passing through a complex and crisis-ridden phase. Although regular elections are held in many countries, the fundamental elements of democracy—rule of law, institutional balance, minority rights, and civil liberties—are gradually weakening. In this context, India emerges as an important comparative example. Despite its deep diversity based on language, religion, caste, region, and class, India has sustained a democratic system of governance continuously since independence.
This paper argues that India’s democratic resilience is not the result of social homogeneity; rather, it is grounded in a set of multidimensional institutional arrangements, including an inclusive Constitution, a federal structure, reservation policies, multi-party political competition, and an independent judiciary. At the same time, the paper critically examines contemporary challenges such as majoritarianism, centralization of power, social inequality, and concerns over civil rights. | ||
Keywords: Pluralism, democratic resilience, Constitution, federal structure, reservation policy, judiciary |