FROM Plato’s Republic till today, republicanism has traversed a long journey. It has been enriched at junctures of the French Revolution and its clarion call for liberty, equality and fraternity. The journey has witnessed major ruptures with the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the advent of fascism as orchestrated by Mussolini and Hitler. The idea of republicanism achieved a new life with the defeat of fascism and the unfurling of the red flag atop the Reichstag. It is at the ruins of that anti-fascist war and, with the realignment of the global forces, that the world strived to reorganise itself by transforming the League of Nations to a more all-encompassing United Nations.
Not that the journey was without twists and turns through the Cold War phase. But the idea of republicanism came to be recognised and accepted more widely. Despite the differences in visions and forms, the core idea was to establish a rule-based order. International agreements and conventions were seen to be gaining ground. However, the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the countervailing presence of the socialist camp, together with the cataclysmic advance of imperialism-led globalisation and country specific neo-liberal regimes ensured major changes in the international order.
Obviously, the new rightward shift has led to serious strains on republicanism as an idea on a global scale. The promise of the peace dividend so loudly articulated during the Cold War was given a quiet burial. The more aggressive move towards a unipolar order had gained ground. It has reached its nadir with the abduction of the Venezuelan President and the attempted takeover of the country’s sovereignty, with control over its rich oil resources. Now with the clamour over Canada and Greenland, the spectre of end of the rule-based order inspired by republicanism has caused what the Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, described as ‘a rupture’. Donald Trump has left nothing to imagination by stating that there is no rule which can hold back US action, his personal sense of morality.
That republicanism in India would also come under severe constraint in such a global setting is obviously not unexpected, more so because republicanism in India has been tempered in the crucible of our anti-imperialist struggle for national independence. It was distinctly different from the republicanism of the West and assimilated within itself the rich diversity, social traditions and cultural and civilisational characteristics of assimilation and tolerance. The shaping of Indian republicanism progressed with the recognition of this rich all-round diversity integrating the ideas of sovereignty, freedom and equality, through the promotion of common citizenship. But these foundational principles would be validated only by those who shared the legacy of our anti-imperialist freedom struggle. Political forces which do not bear the legacy of that struggle would not only try to distance themselves from it but would also try to enforce their vision.
As an adjunct to the global rise of the ultra-right, and the integration of the Indian corporates with the global neoliberal order, it is also apparent that a fertile ground for homemade agencies within the country would be provided. The RSS, which had been waiting in the wings all these years, is currently celebrating its centenary. Its ideological signature – Hindutva – is inherently unreconciled to the idea of the diverse reality, a pre-requisite of freedom and equality, of “We, the people of India”.
The last eleven years have therefore brought republicanism in India under a severe assault. Never have we seen such sinister attacks on the religious minorities in the country. Earlier this month, the National Medical Commission revoked the recognition of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Jammu. Though certain technical reasons were cited, the fact is, succumbing to the demand of Hindutva forces, this sinister move was made to deny medical education to 42 out of 50 students enrolled in the institute through entrance tests, because they happened to be Kashmiri Muslims. This is unprecedented and showcases hundreds of other instances where education, particularly higher education, is being sought to be centralised, commercialised and communalised, with the disciplines of history and science being in the direct line of fire.
We are also witnessing a process of dismantling of the very idea of common citizenship which encapsulates republicanism and the democratic, secular, federal, republic which recognises freedom and equality of all diverse groups that make up the collective, “We, the people of India”. Language, identity, culture and region have all come under attack. Perhaps the last straw was the constitutional right to vote and the principle of ‘one man, one vote’. In course of the current exercise of the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls, the Election Commission of India, a constitutional body mandated to function independently is acting at the behest of the RSS-BJP to disenfranchise people on the basis of their identities, particularly their religious identity.
In Assam, BJP leaders were caught red handed while trying to delete names uploaded for inclusion in the Electoral Roll through the use of Form 7, which is meant for raising objections. Despite that, neither the ECI nor the state government has registered an FIR against them. In fact, the Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, one of the top leaders of the BJP in the country, has unhesitatingly stated that this is necessary to ensure that Muslims remained tamed.
Therefore, the severe challenge facing republicanism is real. As much as multipolarity is emerging globally, the people of this country are also not prepared to take this attack, not just on republicanism, but on the republic, lying down. Struggles are taking place to safeguard the idea of the republic, as enshrined in the Constitution, adopted on January 26, 1950. This time around, on the 76th year of its adoption, “We, the people”, Indians from all walks of life must rededicate ourselves to save those ideas and the republic for saving the Constitution, to save India.
(January 28, 2026)
