The government of Bharat is reportedly planning to develop its own democracy ratings index in response to the recent rankings released by various global think tanks. Al-Jazeera first reported this development, claiming that the government had approached the Observer Research Foundation for this purpose. The media outlet also stated that they had reviewed official correspondence between government agencies over the past 3 years, which highlighted a growing urgency within the Modi administration to address setbacks to India’s democracy credentials.
Critics have raised concerns about the credibility of these global indexes, such as the V-dem Liberal Democracy Index, which ranked Bharat as an autocracy at 104th place. The report classified Bharat as an electoral autocracy along with several other countries, prompting questions about the research methodology and bias of such rankings.
Experts argue that these indexes, which often rely on small sample sizes and lack transparency in their methodology, serve as a geopolitical tool to control the business and politics of rising economies like Bharat. They point out the discrepancies in rankings, such as Bharat being placed lower than countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the World Press Freedom Index, despite having a thriving press freedom.
As the government considers developing its own democracy index and other unique rankings, the debate over the influence and reliability of global think tanks’ reports continues. With elections on the horizon, the need for independent and accurate assessments of Bharat’s democratic principles becomes more pressing.
Image Source: hindupost.in
