The robustness of a democratic polity is measured by noise, not by silence. Arguments, counter-arguments, debates and so on between those shepherding an elected government and their political opponents have been the traditional hallmarks of a functioning democracy. It appears that the ‘mother of democracy’ abhors such boisterous clamour. Why else would the prime minister, Narendra Modi, who had accused — mocked — his predecessor for being taciturn, seek refuge behind a grey silence? Mr Modi’s recourse to muteness is selective. The prime minister is his usual loquacious self when it comes to canvassing or claiming, justly or otherwise, credit for public welfare. But in the event of failures in governance, of which there have been many instances in the last nine years, he retreats behind his wall of silence. So India is yet to hear him speak on, say, the border crisis with China or, in more recent times, on the horrors unfolding in Manipur. Mr Modi’s refusal to speak on the latter has now forced the Opposition alliance to do something novel: it has brought a no-trust motion in the hope of forcing the prime minister to speak on Manipur. The outcome of the motion is irrelevant: Mr Modi’s government has the numbers to pass the test. The objective, evidently, is to score a moral point and the Opposition has succeeded in this. The irony, however, is palpable. That the Opposition has to rely on innovative strategies to make the prime minister speak, a prerequisite in any democracy, would surely count as a novel feature of the mother of democracy.
Mr Modi’s party is equally complicit in the violation of the democratic ethic. It panders to, indeed endorses, the prime minister’s strategic silence. Even on a matter as urgent as Manipur, the Union home minister agreed to a discussion but demands for a statement from its tallest leader were ignored. The reason for this chicanery is perhaps the unwillingness of Mr Modi and his party to respect accountability, one of the foundational tenets of democracy. There is no doubting the Bharatiya Janata Party’s numerical superiority in Parliament. But an unambiguous mandate cannot be an excuse to dodge scrutiny. This spirit of inquiry is a manifestation of the supreme will of the people. No prime minister can claim immunity from it. Unless of course, Mr Modi makes it clear that he, like a colossus, towers above the rituals and the regulations of democracy. Would the prime minister speak his mind on this, at least?