We have thoroughly Indianised the Westminster model as we have Indianised cricket. One example will suffice to illustrate how democracy weaves diversities together into a nation. The separatist strand in Tamil Nadu politics was mellowed by Delhi agreeing not to impose Hindi on the Tamils in 1962. Then the Tamil culture, which spawned DMK and AIADMK, was brought into the national mainstream by giving these parties a role in national politics. They have been partners in coalition government at the Centre since the end of the Congress rule in 1996. Since then the vast coalitions of as many as twenty-five regional parties in partnership with the Congress or the BJP have run the country.

But are not regional parties political expression of regional culture? Today India is a nation of distinct regions, with their own language, literature, theatre, cuisine. Whereas the multi-ethnic USSR and Yogoslavia broke along regional lines, we have stayed together. Our democracy works in a way so as to give rise to regionalisms but at the same time weaves together regionalisms into a common political domain.

Again it is the working of our democracy that has greatly undermined the old caste order, and brought in its place large interest groups comprising several castes. Bahujan Samaj is one such regrouping of the old castes. The central idea that is behind the Mandal politics is equality. With the BSP under Mayawati acquiring power in UP in the recent election, a dalit truly feels that he or she is the equal of an upper-caste Hindu. It is not just the equality of the Constitution but equality in real life.

... contd.