Deliberative Democracy and its Encounters: India and the World

Deliberative democracy in India faces challenges from populism and hate speech that polarize communities.

Liberal democracy, in its substantial form, has evolved into a deliberative system in the twenty-first century, giving rise to new debates and concerns in democratic theory. Although the ideas of deliberation and discussion made an indelible mark on democracy at its inception, the current developments are considered a watershed in deepening democracy, as they entail recognizing differences and acknowledging minority rights and interests within the deliberative process. However, the idea and practice of deliberative democracy worldwide are affected by the advent of two distinct trends unbridled populism and contagious hate speech. These two trends, often related to each other, emerged as the mobilization strategy in contemporary liberal democracies to garner widespread support in a skewed manner when traditional political mobilization based on democratic values was failing. While populism is denigrating deliberative institutions due to the intrusive image of populist leaders, the emerging trends of irrationality and intolerance, manifested in the form of hate speech, have the potential to polarize communities and social groups in a democracy. Although India has embraced liberal democracy since its early development and has further consolidated it by ensuring political participation and accountability over the years, there are still drawbacks that demand further democratization. The idea of deliberative democracy in India is often hindered by challenges in its realization, not only due to structural conditions but also to its inherent limitations. Added to this, like elsewhere, populist politics and the contagious hate speech are emerging as a potential challenge to the realisation of the deliberative turn of Indian democracy.

Table of Contents

• Preface 7
• 1. Introduction: Public Reason, Deliberation and Democracy 11
• 2. Idea of Deliberative Democracy and its Outreach 28
• 3. Indian Democracy and its Deliberative Tradition 45
• 4. Encounters of Deliberative Democracy in India 65
• 5. Multicultural Ethos and Recognizing Difference'
• in Deliberative Democracy 84
• 6. Populist Assault on Deliberative Democracy 106
• 7. Hate Speech and its Onslaught on Deliberative Democracy 121
• 8. Conclusion 146
• Bibliography 161
• Index 175