On September 28, 2025, two powerful narratives emerged in India’s national conversation, each probing the health of the world’s largest democracy and its capacity to deliver on the promise of a prosperous, inclusive future. On one hand, Manoj Kumar Jha’s newly published book, In Praise of Coalition Politics And Other Essays on Indian Democracy, casts a stark light on the erosion of democratic norms and the perils facing minorities and dissenters in the era of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On the other, a sweeping analysis from News18 warns that India’s urban governance, the engine of its economic ambitions, is crumbling under constitutional neglect and bureaucratic inertia—threatening the dream of a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.
Together, these accounts paint a portrait of a nation at a crossroads, where the ideals of participatory government and constitutional accountability are being tested as never before.
Jha, a Rajya Sabha MP from the Rashtriya Janata Dal, does not mince words in his critique of the BJP’s tenure since 2014. His essays, revised and updated for the 2025 release, are trenchant in their criticism of what he sees as the steady erosion of India’s constitutional values—secularism, liberty, and equality. As News18 highlights, Jha’s work is disturbing in its detail, weaving current developments with historical references to underscore a climate of authoritarianism, polarization, and a crackdown on dissent.
“Mob violence and lynching are not only routinised but sanctified as well,” Jha writes, expressing deep concern over the persecution of minorities, especially Muslims. He continues, “The vicious targeting of political enemies has become a legitimate manner of doing politics.” In another essay, he reflects, “We have not witnessed such a pervasive onslaught on citizens’ rights in the post-Independence political history of India as we do today, that our present context feels even more daunting and bleak than the days of the Emergency. The very idea of India, which is inclusive, diverse, and compassionate towards its vulnerable groups, is in danger.”
Jha’s commentary is especially pointed regarding legislative changes under the Modi government. He takes aim at the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) of 2019, arguing that it has alienated constitutional values and fractured the nation’s pluralistic ethos. “After this new law, the very Preamble of the Constitution feels like it belongs to someone else, and the values and traditions enshrined in it feel alien. Efforts to destroy the soul of this large-hearted, pluralistic nation have gone frighteningly far. It is the season of the victory of falsehoods,” he laments.
The Waqf (Amendment) Act, passed in 2025, is another focus of Jha’s ire. He describes it as “an act of economic ruination and humiliation dressed in the language of procedure.” In a powerful essay, he asserts, “To alienate Muslims from the nation’s narrative is to amputate the nation’s own history. It is not Muslims alone who are being wronged, it is India itself that is being made desolate, mean and small.”
But Jha’s critique extends beyond legislative acts. He warns that “majoritarianism disguised as nationalism is a dangerous ploy,” and notes that draconian laws are being used to put individuals behind bars for questioning the government, conflating dissent with disloyalty. He also calls out the government’s silence on critical issues, such as the violence in Manipur and the ongoing situation in Kashmir, and criticizes the abrupt policy shift on the caste census announced in 2025.
Despite this dark and oppressive tone, Jha finds hope in the outcome of the most recent general elections, where the BJP failed to secure an outright majority and had to rely on coalition partners. He interprets this as “a vote for diversity, pluralism, wide representation, debate, dialogue and accommodation.” While conceding that the BJP “continues to be imperious and arrogant,” he expresses confidence that Modi and his party will ultimately have to “submit to the people’s mandate.”
Jha’s essays are not merely a litany of grievances; they are a call to remember the foundational values of Indian democracy and to resist the normalization of intolerance and authoritarianism. His voice joins a growing chorus of opposition leaders and civil society actors who argue that the country’s democratic fabric is fraying—and that the stakes are higher than ever.
Meanwhile, the challenge of governance is playing out with equal urgency in India’s cities and towns. According to News18, urban India is expected to contribute more than 70% of the country’s GDP by 2030 and over 80% by 2047. But nearly 70% of the infrastructure required for this transformation is yet to be built, and the current investment trajectory falls woefully short. A 2024 World Bank report estimates that India needs to invest $840 billion in urban infrastructure by 2036—an average of $55 billion or 1.2% of GDP per annum—while previous expenditure averaged only 0.6% of GDP.
But the problem is not just money. The constitutional mandate for local urban governance, enshrined in the 74th Amendment of 1992, requires regular elections and the devolution of powers to urban local bodies. Yet, as News18 documents, many state governments have delayed local elections, disregarding a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that state election commissions must conduct polls every five years without delay. This has led to a situation where, as of 2025, countless municipalities across the nation are functioning without elected representatives, undermining grassroots democracy and accountability.
The consequences are stark. In Maharashtra, for instance, elections are pending in all 29 municipal corporations, 290 municipal councils, 32 district councils, and 335 panchayat samitis. Mumbai, India’s richest city government, has been without an elected body since March 2022, despite managing a budget larger than several states combined. In Bengaluru, the so-called Silicon Valley of India, municipal elections have been delayed for years, leaving the city rudderless as key decisions are made by unelected officials.
The malaise is widespread. A 2023 report from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India found that elections to urban local bodies were delayed or not held in over 1,500 municipalities across 17 states. The report highlighted violations of the Constitution, lack of representation for weaker sections, and an adverse impact on urban governance.
With India’s urban population projected to reach 535 million—36.6% of the total population—by 2025, and with the nation now the most populous on earth, the stakes for effective, accountable urban governance could hardly be higher. As News18 notes, “Rural and urban India of this magnitude cannot be managed through remote control from state capitals, which states across the board have conspired to do despite constitutional provisions to the contrary.”
Both Jha’s searing essays and the urgent analysis of India’s urban governance crisis converge on a single, inescapable truth: democracy is not a self-sustaining machine. It requires vigilance, accountability, and a constant renewal of the social contract—whether in the corridors of power or in the bustling streets of the nation’s cities. The coming years will test India’s resolve to uphold these principles, and the outcome will shape the future not just of a nation, but of the idea of democracy itself.
