BJP MP Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi on Wednesday described India as the world’s only “vibrant living democracy” in the vast stretch from Eastern Europe to Japan. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha during a debate on election reforms, Trivedi said that while Australia and Japan also qualify as democracies, India stands apart for the depth and vitality of its democratic practice.
To underline his point, Trivedi cited a Freedom House report which, he claimed, demonstrated a historical link between Hinduism and democratic traditions. He argued that India’s civilisational ethos had nurtured democratic values long before modern institutions took shape.
Tracing the history of electoral contests, Trivedi recalled that the first election petition was filed by Dr B.R. Ambedkar after losing in his constituency. He said Jawaharlal Nehru had written to Lord Mountbatten acknowledging the Congress victory in Bombay, and reportedly remarked that Ambedkar was “joining hands with Hindu communists”.
The BJP MP went on to highlight lapses in electoral processes across decades, pointing to the Emergency era when Indira Gandhi’s election victory was challenged in court. He noted that electronic voting machines (EVMs) were introduced during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure, marking a technological shift in India’s electoral system.
Trivedi argued that the Congress era of dominance ended once safeguards such as CCTV monitoring, voter ID cards, independent media, an independent judiciary, and rising literacy levels were established. “They received votes when ballot boxes were looted, booths were captured, bullets flew, and people died,” he said, adding emphatically, “That era will not come back.”
He accused the Congress of failing to grasp that electoral success today depends not on manipulation but on “deep bonds and trust” between leaders and the people. According to him, the BJP’s victories reflect genuine connections with voters rather than the practices that marred elections in earlier decades.
Trivedi’s intervention added to the charged debate in Parliament, where the ruling party has sought to contrast its vision of electoral integrity with what it describes as Congress’ legacy of flawed practices.