India does not need Dabang leaders. India needs consensus-builders. The country faced the danger of losing its democratic moorings whenever it was led by Dabang leaders except for Jawahar Lal Nehru. Nehru, as the prime minister with an absolute majority in Parliament, was the only leader who was truly democratic, believed in the independence of institutions and was eager to accommodate differing views within the party and outside. I never had any doubt about the fact that if India is a democracy today, It is because of him. No other leader in the country — except, of course, Gandhi — was so immensely popular and if he wanted, he could have easily turned into a dictator. He had so much respect for the Opposition that when the country was at war, and there was a demand that the government should call Parliament to discuss China issue, he allowed for that happen, and faced scathing attacks in the House. He did not hide behind the excuse that such a debate would demoralise the army, as was claimed many times in the recent past. But after him, Dabang leaders could not emulate his example.

Since June 4, 2024, when the Lok Sabha results were announced, the country can feel the return of democratic ethos and one can breathe democracy upto an extent. The Narendra Modi government has had to step back on three important issues. The government withdrew the broadcast media draft, sent the Waqf Board bill to a select committee of joint parliament and the lateral entry advertisement for recruitment in the central government was rolled back. This is the same government that did not believe in taking back any of its decisions between 2014 to 2024, except a few. This has been made possible because the Modi government does not have a majority of its own in the Lok Sabha unlike earlier. Change was imminent because the nature of the government has changed. The Modi government is a coalition government. To run for five years, this government could afford........

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