Eminent historian and columnist Ramachandra Guha speaking at literature festival in Kozhikode. Photo: G. RageshKozhikode: Eminent historian and columnist Ramachandra Guha on Saturday said that India is facing the danger of becoming an election-only democracy with diminishing accountability of political parties.
He was delivering a talk on 'India at 70' as part of the Kerala Literature Festival here.
Guha, who began his talk by referring to 'Gandhiji's idea of Swaraj' listed out the achievements and drawbacks of the country during the post-independence era.
He hailed the conduct of free and fair elections as the greatest achievement of the country followed by the formation of linguistic-based states.
"We have succeeded in conducting free and fair elections but after the polls, there is no scrutiny of the political parties," he said. He also criticized media for not discussing real issues for facilitating a better political system.
He said artists, writers and filmmakers in India do not enjoy freedom of expression as much as those in some Western countries do. He also pointed out rising incidents of police atrocities and environmental degradation as challenges faced by the country.
"After 70 years of independence, the people of India are more free than the times under British rule, but not as free as the architects of the constitution had envisaged," he said.
Guha hailed Kerala's achievements in controlling discrimination based on caste and gender. "I don't say there has been a perfect growth. But there has been considerable change in Kerala compared to other states," he said.
