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These 10 quotes from BR Ambedkar are relevant even today

<ul><li>India is observing <keyword id="1536706" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Constitution-Day">Constitution Day</keyword> on November 26 to commemorate the adoption of the <keyword id="441445" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Constitution-of-India">constitution of India</keyword> — which came into effect on January 26, 1950. </li><li>Four years ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked the birth anniversary of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar as the Constitution Day of India. </li><li>Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy, Ambedkar had famously warned. </li></ul>India is observing Constitution Day on November 26 to commemorate the adoption of the constitution of India — which came into effect on January 26, 1950. Seventy years later, the very fabric of the world’s largest democracy is being tested on the 3 pillars ⁠— legislature, executive, and judiciary ⁠— that are supposed to uphold the constitution. Four years back, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of the Ambedkar memorial in Mumbai on November 19, 2015 — marking November 26, which is the birth anniversary of the chief architect of the Indian constitution, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar — as the Constitution Day of India. Ambedkar fought relentlessly to restore the dignity and rights of India’s oppressed classes. Ambedkar said that "political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy. What does social democracy mean? It means a way of life which recognizes liberty, equality and fraternity as the principles of life."

India is celebrating Constitution Day but there’s a long way to go before the vision of its architect Bhimrao Ambedkar can be realised

Prime Minister Narendra <keyword id="6354642" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Modi">Modi</keyword> today launched a series of programs to celebrate the birth anniversary of the architect of the Constitution of India, Dr. BR Ambedkar. The prime minister formally launched the merchant interface of the Bharat Interface for Money (<keyword id="1461878" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bhim">BHIM</keyword>) mobile application. This will enable Indian citizens to make digital payments using their biometric data such as their thumb imprint on a merchant's biometric-enabled device. The PM also launched two new incentive schemes for the BHIM — cashback and referral bonus — with an outlay of Rs 495 crore for a period of six months. <div type="embedgroup"> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="58144238" title="Exclusive: Rajan Anandan, VP, Google India says that it is the Beginning of the Start-up Boom in India" rank="1.0" kind="RELATED" publishDate="Apr 12, 2017, 2:15 PM" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div></div>
 He also distributed awards to winners of the <keyword id="3960561" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lucky-Grahak-Yojana">Lucky Grahak Yojana</keyword> and DigiDhan Vyapar Yojna. These schemes were launched last year to promote digital payments in India.

PM Modi officially launches BHIM on BR Ambedkar's anniversary

"The sanctity of the Constitution, it is our responsibility. We must not forget that people give us power when we move together in consensus... Consensus is more important than majority rule…." After a long time, we saw Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> move away from launching scathing attacks on the Opposition and rise beyond petty politics to talk of the sanctity of the Indian Constitution. On Friday, as he addressed the <keyword id="6355187" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha">Lok Sabha</keyword> on the <keyword id="3152186" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Constitution-Debate">Constitution debate</keyword>, he was seen reaching out to the Opposition like never before amid discussions being held to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Dr <keyword id="116616" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="BR-Ambedkar">BR Ambedkar</keyword>. Here are some of the key takeaways from his speech: 
 
His ‘Idea of India’ 
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi said <keyword id="6354914" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Democracy">democracy</keyword> gains strength when consensus is built and no party can impose its will no matter how big majority it possesses. In his one-hour long speech, Modi said 'India first' is the only religion of government and Constitution is its only scripture. 
 
Rising above politics to laud all the previous governments 
 
Modi said that all past Prime Ministers and governments deserve credit for the country's growth and no one can say that past governments did not do anything. "The growth of this country is because of all the Prime Ministers and all governments. We can never say that past government has done nothing. It is the demand of time that we make people aware of the sanctity and strength of our Constitution," he said. 
 
Saluting Dr BR Ambedkar for the Constitution: 
 
Lauding Dr. BR Ambedkar for his contribution to the making of the Indian Constitution, the Prime Minister said that Babasaheb consumed all the poison and gave India 'amrit' in the form of the Constitution. He added that the spirit of the parliamentary debates and Constitution is not about one or two individuals, but about the entire country. 
 
Envisaging the need to follow constitutional measures for maintaining democracy: 
 
"If Constitution simply becomes a document to be followed by the government then democracy will suffer, that's why it needs to reach the roots. To strengthen our democracy, it is important for people to know about all the aspects of our Constitution. If we wish to maintain democracy, we must maintain and uphold constitutional measures. Constitution's purpose is not just to define three organs of the state, but also limit their authority," the Prime Minister said.

'India first is the only religion of govt and Constitution is its only scripture': Key highlights from PM Modi's speech in Parliament

The Winter Session of the Indian parliament has begun and it is going to be a stormy session as a slew of important bills, including the GST bill, is going to passed. 
 The first day of the Winter Session began on a peaceful note as the members of Lok Sabha marked <keyword id="1536706" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Constitution-Day">Constitution Day</keyword> and paid a tribute to <keyword id="116616" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BR-Ambedkar">BR Ambedkar</keyword>. 
 Addressing the lower house of the parliament, India’s <keyword id="2286211" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Home-Minister-Rajnath-Singh">Home Minister Rajnath Singh</keyword> indirectly spoke about the ongoing intolerance debate in the country. 
 
"The makers of the constitution believed that the Preamble is the soul of the Constitution and no changes should be made to that. Socialist and Secular - these words were added to the Constitution later. Dr Ambedkar didn't find it necessary to insert them in the Preamble because he felt it was already an integral part of India. Despite facing condemnation and insult, BR Ambedkar said he would stay in India and strengthen the country," he said. 
 
Singh said the word 'secular' was being misused in Indian politics. His remarks indirectly condemned Aamir Khan’s statements also. 
 
It seems the Opposition will question the government on the growing intolerance debate in India. However, the government said it is committed to passing crucial bills and ready to discuss all issues, including intolerance.

Constitution Day: Rajnath Singh says word ‘Secular’
is misused in Indian politics

The <keyword id="19895345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court" source="keywords">Supreme Court</keyword> on Thursday opined on the need for identifying creamy layers in <keyword id="20490946" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="SC/STs" source="keywords">SC/STs</keyword>, as four out of seven judges of the Constitution Bench on Thursday suggested excluding these people from the benefit of affirmative <keyword id="19914887" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reservation" source="keywords">reservation</keyword>. Justice BR Gavai expressed his view that the state must evolve a <keyword id="19958928" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="policy" source="keywords">policy</keyword> for identifying the <keyword id="22418374" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="creamy-layer" source="keywords">creamy layer</keyword> for the <keyword id="19936432" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Scheduled-Castes" source="keywords">Scheduled Castes</keyword> and <keyword id="19957637" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Scheduled-Tribes" source="keywords">Scheduled Tribes</keyword> (SCs and STs). The suggestion of identifying creamy layers in scheduled castes and scheduled tribes was part of the judgment delivered on Thursday by the seven-judge bench, whereby a majority judgment of 6:1 held that <keyword id="20495193" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sub-classification" source="keywords">sub-classification</keyword> within the SC/STs is permissible. The judgment was delivered by the seven-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, which overruled an earlier judgment in the EV Chinnaiah matter, which held that sub-classification was not permissible because SCs and STs form homogenous classes. Besides CJI Chandrachud, other judges on the bench were Justices BR Gavai, Vikram Nath, Bela M Trivedi, Pankaj Mithal, Manoj Misra, and Satish Chandra Sharma. Justice Bela M Trivedi, in a dissenting opinion, said that she disagreed with the majority judgment that sub-classification within the scheduled caste and scheduled tribes is permissible. Justice BR Gavai suggested that the state evolve a policy for identifying the creamy layer, even from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to exclude them from the benefit of <keyword id="20572974" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="affirmative-action" source="keywords">affirmative action</keyword>. "I am therefore of the view that the State must evolve a policy for identifying the creamy layer even from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes so as exclude them from the benefit of affirmative action. In my view, only this and this alone can achieve the real equality as enshrined under the Constitution," Justice BR Gavai said. Justice Gavai further added that the criteria for exclusion of the creamy layer from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for the purpose of affirmative action could be different from the criteria as applicable to the Other Backward Classes. Expressing similar opinions to Justice Gavai, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Pankaj Mithal, and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, they said that they agreed with his brother's judge for the exclusion of the creamy layer for affirmative action. In the order copy, Justice Vikram Nath said, "I am also in agreement with the opinion of Brother Justice Gavai that the 'creamy layer' principle is also applicable to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and that the criteria for exclusion of creamy layer for affirmative action could be different from the criteria as applicable to the other backward classes." An identical view was also given by Justice Pankaj Mithal, who said, "It is reiterated that periodical exercise has to be undertaken to exclude the class of person who after taking advantage of reservation has come to march, shoulder to shoulder with the general category." Relatable suggestions came from Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, who remarked that the identification of the 'creamy layer' of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes ought to become a constitutional imperative for the state. "However, on the question of the applicability of the 'creamy layer principle' to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, I find myself in agreement with the view expressed by Justice Gavai, i.e., for the full realization of substantive equality between the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the identification of the 'creamy layer' qua Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes ought to become a constitutional imperative for the State," Justice SC Sharma said in the order copy. Justice Gavai, in his order copy, also highlighted disparities and social discrimination that are highly prevalent in rural areas. "I have no hesitation in holding that putting a child studying at St Paul's High School and St. Stephen's College and a child studying in a small village in a backward and remote area of the country in the same bracket would obliviate the equality principle enshrined in the Constitution," Justice Gavai said. Justice Gavai noted that some of the officers from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes categories, who, after receiving the benefit of reservation under the Constitution, have reached high positions, are doing their bit to pay back to society. "They are providing coaching and other facilities to the less advantaged so that they can compete and come up in their life. However, putting the children of the parents from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes who on account of the benefit of the reservation have reached a high position and ceased to be social, economically and educationally backward and the children of parents doing manual work in the villages in the same category would defeat the constitutional mandate," Justice Gavai said. "However, I may observe that, taking into consideration that the Constitution itself recognises the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to be the most backward section of society, the parameters for exclusion from affirmative action of the person belonging to this category may not be the same that applies to the other classes. If a person from such a category, by bagging the benefit of reservation, achieved a position of a peon or maybe a sweeper, he would continue to belong to the socially, economically, and educationally backward class," Justice Gavai said. "At the same time, the people from this category, who, after having availed of the benefits of reservation, have reached the high echelons in life cannot be considered to be socially, economically, and educationally backward to continue availing of the benefit of affirmative action. They have already reached a stage where, on their own accord, they should walk out of the special provisions and give way to the deserving and needy," Justice Gavai said. Justice Gavai quoted the observations of Dr BR Ambedkar, which are as follows: "History shows that where ethics and economics come into conflict, victory is always with economics. Vested interests have never been known to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient force to compel them." The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled by a majority judgment of 6:1 that sub-classification within the scheduled caste and scheduled tribes (SC/STs) reservation is permissible. The top court was dealing with the issue of whether subclassification of the Scheduled Castes for reservation is constitutionally permissible. The apex court was dealing with the constitutional validity of Section 4(5) of the Punjab Act, which depends upon whether any such classification can be made within the class of Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes or whether they are to be treated as a homogenous class. The Punjab Government had stipulated that fifty percent of the vacancies of the quota reserved for Scheduled Castes in direct recruitment shall be offered to Balmikis and Mazhabi Sikhs, subject to their availability, by providing first preference from amongst the Scheduled Caste candidates. On March 29, 2010, the Punjab and Haryana High Court struck down the provisions, relying on the decision in EV Chinnaiah. The appeal was filed in the top court against the High Court judgment. In August 2020, the top five-judge benches referred the matter to a larger bench.

Creamy layer of SC/STs must be identified and excluded from affirmative reservation: SC Justice Gavai

Taking a dig at actor Aamir Khan over his much-hyped intolerance remarks, Home Minister <keyword id="6355121" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rajnath-Singh">Rajnath Singh</keyword>'s has paid a fitting tribute to BR Ambedkar, the father of the Constitution. 
 
"(BR Ambedkar) had to go through condemnation, insult and barbs, but he controlled his emotion and put forth and took an objective view for India. He never said how he was being ignored and insulted in India. He said I will stay in India and keeping India's values and culture in mind, I will strengthen the country," Mr Singh was quoted saying, as he was opening a special discussion on the Constitution in Parliament, being held to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Ambedkar. 
 
The whole debate started when actor Aamir Khan gave a statement that hinted at his wife Kiran Rao’s growing fear because of the increasingly violent environment in the country. 
 
"When I chat with Kiran at home, she says, 'should we move out of India?' That's a disastrous and big statement for Kiran to make. She fears for her child. She fears what the atmosphere around us will be. She feels scared to open the newspapers every day. That does indicate that there is this sense of growing disquiet, there is growing despondency apart from alarm," he had said. 
 
However, after being criticized and trolled for his comments, the actor clarified his stand in a Facebook post that went like this. 
​
<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/aamirkhan.com/posts/10153284718467799">
	
		First let me state categorically that neither I, nor my wife Kiran, have any intention of leaving the country. We never...
	Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/aamirkhan.com/">Aamir Khan</a> on&#xa0;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/aamirkhan.com/posts/10153284718467799">Wednesday, 25 November 2015</a></blockquote>

Ambedkar was condemned, yet never thought of leaving the country: Rajnath Singh on Aamir Khan’s controversy

Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> will review next week the implementation status of some key decisions taken by the Union Cabinet, including those taken way back in July 2014. 

	Scheduled for February 17, this will be the second such review meeting that Modi will undertake with the Council of Ministers in just about three weeks.
 

	The 27 decisions of the Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs whose implementation status would be reviewed include the amendments to the Factories Act and the Apprentices Act, which were cleared over one and a half years ago in July 2014, sources told PTI.
 

	PM Modi had chaired a similar meeting of the Council of Ministers on January 27 as well.
 Other decisions slated for implementation status review are setting up of a <keyword id="974618" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Credit-Guarantee-Fund">Credit Guarantee Fund</keyword> for providing guarantees to loans extended under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, operationalisation of Budget announcement of 2015-16 on the Atal Pension Yojana, the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana. The prime minister will also check progress in the <keyword id="2473706" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pradhan-Mantri-Jan-Dhan-Yojana">Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana</keyword>, the <keyword id="6562839" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swacch-Bharat-Mission">Swacch Bharat Mission</keyword> for urban areas, the Housing for All by 2022 mission, the <keyword id="946830" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Skill-Development-Mission">National Skill Development Mission</keyword>, the National Health Mission and the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana. 

	Other such decisions relate to the National Ayush Mission, amendment to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014, setting up three new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Mangalagiri, Nagpur and Kalyani and strengthening of the drug regulatory system.
 

	The decisions relating to setting up of six new IITs and IIMs, amendment to the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, and the nationwide celebration of 125th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar will also figure in the status review.

PM Narendra Modi to review implementation status of Cabinet decisions for the second time in 3 weeks

US Ambassador to India Richard Verma said Indian Government’s crackdown on Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) will have a chilling effect on freedom of speech and expression.
 

	He expressed his concerns over Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government’s action of reducing operational space of NGOs-like Ford Foundation and Greenpeace-in the country.
 

	Verma said if the government did not like the reports and answers by the NGOs, it should debate and discuss it.
 

	He cited Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and BR Ambedkar, saying discussions were a must for a democratic country like India.
 

	"Those that act peacefully to seek change are not anti-government. They are for better government, and by seeking to improve the government they strengthen national security, not weaken it," Verma said, while talking on India-US strategic relationship. 
 

	Recently, the US State Department had expressed concerns over Indian Government’s restrictions on activities of the NGOs.
 

	News agency Reuters reported Greenpeace was facing shutdown as India froze its funds in charity crackdown. Officials told Reuters that the charity was misreporting funds and using unaccounted foreign aid to stall development projects.
 

	The NGO has been campaigning against coal mining, genetically modified food and nuclear power projects. In its defence, Greenpeace said the Government wanted to silence its critics.
 

	Likewise, India has also put U.S.-based Ford Foundation on a security watch list and is investigating it for funding a local group run by a prominent activist and Modi critic. 
	 
	(Image: Reuters)

Modi Government’s crackdown on NGOs isn’t pleasing the US envoy

The Constitution is important on the grounds that it ensures individual freedom, and its major standards represent the republic of India. The Constitution puts the government's supremacy in the hands of the citizens. It confines the force of the government and builds up an arrangement of balanced governance. It is the framework for the freedom that is allowed to every Indian. It secures the privileges of the citizens of a concerned nation, regardless of their religion, caste, creed, sex or physical appearance. 
 
A constitution, hence, can be securely said to be a social contract between the government and the general population it oversees. It can likewise be esteemed as the central basic framework of government for a nation. In a constitutional nation therefore, every individual is dealt with similarly, paying little heed to his office or position and is required to submit to higher law. 
 
The central government proclaimed November 26 as the Constitution Day to pay tribute Dr BR Ambedkar, one of the key composers of the Constitution. How about we take a gander at the changes in laws that have occurred subsequent to 1950 
 
There have been about 100 amendments since the constitution came into force, here are the few which you really need to know: 
 
18th June 1951 
 
Added special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes or for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. To fully secure the constitutional validity of zamindari abolition laws and to place reasonable restriction on freedom of speech. A new constitutional device, called Schedule 9 introduced to protect laws that are contrary to the Constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights. These laws encroach upon property rights, freedom of speech and equality before law 
 
22nd February 1955 
 
Re-enacted entry 33 of the Concurrent List in the Seventh Schedule with relation to include trade and commerce in, and the production, supply and distribution of 4 classes of essential commodities, viz., food, including edible oil seeds and oils; cattle fodder, including oilcakes and other concentrates; raw cotton whether ginned or unginned, and cotton seeds; and raw jute. 
 
24th December 1955 
 
Empowered the President to prescribe a time limit for a State Legislature to convey its views on proposed Central laws relating to the formation of new States and alteration of areas, boundaries or names of existing States. Also permitted the President to extend the prescribed limit, and prohibited any such bill from being introduced in Parliament until after the expiry of the prescribed or extended period. 
 
11th August 1961 
 Incorporation of Dadra, Nagar and Haveli as a Union Territory, consequent to acquisition from <keyword id="6359079" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Portugal">Portugal</keyword> 
 
19th December 1961 
 
Election of Vice President by Electoral College consisting of members of both Houses of Parliament, instead of election by a Joint Sitting of Parliament. Indemnify the President and Vice President Election procedure from challenge on grounds of existence of any vacancies in the Electoral College 
 
5th October 1963 
 Make it obligatory for seekers of public office to swear their allegiance to the <keyword id="99424" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-republic">Indian Republic</keyword> 
 
11th December 1966 
 
Abolish Election Tribunals and enable trial of election petitions by regular High Courts 
 
25th September 1969 
 
Provision to form Autonomous states within the State of Assam 
 
27th February 1973 
 
Change the basis for appeals in Supreme Court of India in case of Civil Suits from value criteria to one involving substantial question of law 
 
17th October 1973 
 Increase size of Parliament from 525 to 545 seats. Increased seats going to the new states formed in <keyword id="128467" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="North-East-India">North East India</keyword> and minor adjustment consequent to 1971 Delimitation exercise 
 
10th August 1975 
 Amendment designed to negate the judgement of Allahabad High Court invalidating Prime Minister <keyword id="6354478" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indira-Gandhi">Indira Gandhi</keyword>'s election to parliament. Amendment placed restrictions on judicial scrutiny of post of Prime Minister. The amendment was introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha on August 7, 1975 and again introduced and passed in the Rajya Sabha on August 8, 1975. 
 
2nd November 1976 
 
Amendment passed during internal emergency by Indira Gandhi. Provides for curtailment of fundamental rights, imposes fundamental duties and changes to the basic structure of the constitution by making India a "Socialist Secular" Republic. 
 
28th March 1989 
 
Reduce age for voting rights from 21 to 18 
 
1st August 2015 
 Exchange of certain enclave territories with <keyword id="6354759" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bangladesh">Bangladesh</keyword> and conferment of citizenship rights to residents of enclaves consequent to signing of Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) Treaty between India and Bangladesh.

How India’s laws have changed since 1950

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0BXZ1X3E74F&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1440&amp;RH=720#/SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0BXZ1X3E74F&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1440&amp;RH=720&amp;POPUPPN=26&amp;POPUPIID=2C0BF1FW8JQF1">REUTERS/Neil Hall</a>Protestors hold banners in Parliament Square during a 'March for Europe' demonstration against Britain's decision to leave the European Union, central London, Britain July 2, 2016.</div></div></div>In the aftermath of the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union, we are left with more questions than answers. What <a href="https://www.cer.org.uk/sites/default/files/pb_piris_brexit_12jan16.pdf" target="_blank">kind of relationship</a> will the UK now forge with the EU, and how will that affect economic relations and migration? Will <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-36621030" target="_blank">Scotland</a> and <a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2016/06/what-does-brexit-mean-northern-ireland" target="_blank">Northern Ireland</a> opt to leave? What is the future of British <keyword id="6358883" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Politics">politics</keyword>, given turbulence within both the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/26/conservative-leadership-rift-widens-brexit" target="_blank">Conservative</a> and <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/26/eu-referendum-hilary-benn-sacked-from-shadow-cabinet-by-jeremy-c/" target="_blank">Labour</a> Parties? Will a successful Brexit set a precedent for other EU members -- perhaps even some <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36615879" target="_blank">eurozone members</a>-- to leave the union? What are the long-term economic consequences of the resulting uncertainty? Will Brexit even happen at all, given the <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-eu-referendum-campaigners-there-is-no-plan-next-pm-tory-leadership-contest-a7104711.html" target="_blank">absence</a> of a clear post-referendum plan, the apparent <a href="http://qz.com/717182/a-brexit-conspiracy-theory-nails-the-no-win-situation-boris-johnson-now-finds-himself-in/" target="_blank">unwillingness</a> of 'Leave' campaign leaders to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, and the fact that the referendum was <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/26/fightback-against-brexit-on-cards-remain-eu-referendum-heseltine" target="_blank">advisory and non-binding</a>? Answers to these questions will make themselves evident in the coming weeks, months, and years.But there's a bigger question worth asking: What are the implications of Brexit for democracy? Arguably, Brexit represents the first major casualty of the ascent of digital democracy over representative democracy. This claim deserves an explanation.When historians look back at the world of the past 25 years, they will likely associate it not with terrorism or growing inequality but with the twin phenomena of the "<a href="http://www.economist.com/node/11402606" target="_blank">rise of the rest</a>" (particularly China and India) and of globalization. Globalization involves the easier, faster and cheaper flow of goods, people, capital and information. One big enabler of globalization is the internet, the global network of networks that allows billions of people to cheaply and easily access enormous amounts of digital information.The rise of service and high-technology industries, trade liberalization, <a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/1/22/7869319/largest-container-ship" target="_blank">container shipping</a>, and the development of <a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/employment-and-growth/financial-globalization" target="_blank">financial markets</a> have also been important enablers, as is the increased ease and lower cost of travel, particularly <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/02/how-airline-ticket-prices-fell-50-in-30-years-and-why-nobody-noticed/273506/" target="_blank">by air</a>.Many <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/113272/eric-schmidt-and-jared-cohenthe-new-digital-ages-futurist-schlock" target="_blank">technology optimists</a> have assumed that globalization would lead to the democratization of information and decision-making, and also greater cosmopolitanism. Citizens would be better informed, less likely to be silenced, and able to communicate their views more effectively to their leaders. They would also have greater empathy and understanding of other peoples the more they lived next to them, visited their countries, read their news, communicated, and did business with them. Or so the thinking went.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Reuters/Neil HallFormer Mayor of London Boris Johnson (L) and Britain's Secretary of State for Justice Michael Gove pose at a Vote Leave rally in London, Britain, June 4, 2016.</div></div></div>But there has been little to justify such panglossianism. There is <a href="https://www.amazon.in/Internet-Freedom-2-1-Developing-Democracies-ebook/dp/B00U32PWKI" target="_blank">some evidence</a> for a correlation between greater information, political democratization and economic progress, in that all three have advanced steadily, if at different paces, over the past two decades.But that correlation is weak. Instead, digital democracy -- the ability to receive information in almost real time through mass media and to make one's voice heard through social media -- has contributed to polarization, gridlock, dissatisfaction and misinformation. This is as equally applicable to the countries in which modern democracy took root -- in the United States and Europe -- as it is to India, the biggest and most complex democracy in the developing world.The ascent of digital democracy around the world has some shared features. One characteristic is that access to greater information has, rather counterintuitively, contributed to a "<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fact-checking-in-a-post-fact-world/2016/05/19/d37434e2-1d0f-11e6-8c7b-6931e66333e7_story.html" target="_blank">post-fact</a>" information environment. Nick Cohen -- speaking of British pro-"Leave" journalists-turned-politicians Boris Johnson and Michael Gove --<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/25/boris-johnson-michael-gove-eu-liars" target="_blank">called out</a> their use of bold claims, their contempt for practical questions, their sneering disregard for expertise, and their transgressions of the bounds of political spin.These tactics are not all that dissimilar to Donald Trump's assertions about Barack Obama's birth certificate or <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/261303-feds-push-back-on-myth-syrian-refugee-stat-used-by-trump" target="_blank">immigration policies</a>, or Subramanian Swamy's <a href="http://scroll.in/article/810515/mentally-not-fully-indian-swamys-attack-on-rajan-reflects-paradox-of-bjps-approach-to-nris" target="_blank">insinuations</a> about the nationality of senior Indian policymakers.But leaders only exploit the vulnerabilities of a post-fact world. The conditions have been laid by the digital sphere. A recent example springs to mind. There is a widespread belief on Indian social media that US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is somehow anti-India, pro-Pakistan, and/or anti-Modi. I am no supporter of Ms. Clinton, but as someone who worked on foreign affairs in Washington and knows many of her advisors, I found these claims baffling.In fact, Clinton's political opponents (whether <a href="http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jun/15clinton.htm" target="_blank">Barack Obama</a> in 2008 or <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-foundation-india-us-nuclear-deal-amar-singh-cii-2875427/" target="_blank">Donald Trump</a> in 2016) have accused her of being too close to India, while Pakistanis often view her as <a href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1114535" target="_blank">critical</a> of their country and Prime Minister Modi appears to enjoy <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/clintons-meet-narendra-modi/" target="_blank">cordial relations</a> with her. After some inquiries, and a few tips, I managed to trace these sentiments to a single publication, a poorly sourced and misleading <a href="http://www.sunday-guardian.com/news/obama-quietly-reverses-hillarys-get-modi-policy" target="_blank">column</a> that gained widespread circulation upon its release. The article's contents were deemed sufficiently credible to have now become instilled as absolute fact in the minds of many Indians active online. In a digital democracy, a lie or (better yet) a half-lie if told enough times becomes truth.Another outcome of digital democracy may be a variation of what the psychologist Barry Schwartz has <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=g422yyua-P8C" target="_blank">called</a> the paradox of choice. Quite possibly, the greater abundance of political choice leads to less satisfaction, and the result is citizens increasingly voicing their displeasure with their available political and policy choices.The political platforms of mainstream parties rarely adhere entirely to individual voters' views. That may explain why many voters are gravitating towards parties, factions or leaders who offer the simplest messages, and project themselves as alternatives to the mainstream.A third result of digital democracy, and one that has been better documented, is the political echo chamber. Social media, rather than creating connections with people who possess differing views and ideologies, tends to reinforce prejudices. As the psychologist Nicholas DiFonzo has <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/04/21/barack-obama-and-the-psychology-of-the-birther-myth/the-echo-chamber-effect" target="_blank">noted</a>, "Americans across the political spectrum tend to trust the news media (and 'facts' provided by the media) less than their own social group."This makes it easier for views and rumours to circulate and intensify within like-minded groups. Similar digital gerrymandering was evident in the EU Referendum in Britain and the polarization is palpable in the Indian online political space.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Olivia Harris/ReutersNigel Farage.</div></div></div>Finally, instant information has increased the theatricality of politics. With public statements and positions by governments, political parties and individual leaders now broadcast to constituents in real time, compromise, a necessary basis of good governance, has become more difficult. When portrayed as a betrayal of core beliefs, compromise often amounts to political suicide.Political grandstanding also contributes to legislative gridlock, with elected representatives often resorting to <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/walkout-in-ls-over-v-k-singhs-remark/" target="_blank">walkouts</a>, <a href="http://www.wired.com/2016/06/house-sit-went-people-made-happen/" target="_blank">sit-ins</a>, or <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dennis-skinner-called-prime-minister-7734873" target="_blank">insults</a> -- all manufactured for maximum viral effect -- instead of trying to reach solutions behind closed doors. Even as ease of travel allows legislators to spend more time in their constituencies, making them more sensitized to their constituents' concerns, less gets done at the national or supranational level. It is a trend that, once again, applies equally to the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/us/politics/congress-shutdown-debate.html?_r=0" target="_blank">United States</a>, <a href="http://www.euractiv.com/section/social-europe-jobs/news/merkel-freezes-germany-s-debate-over-new-immigration-law/" target="_blank">Europe</a>, and <a href="http://www.firstpost.com/politics/parliament-logjam-can-congress-beat-bjps-record-of-disruption-2361104.html" target="_blank">India</a>.The unintended consequences of digital democracy -- misinformation and discontent, polarization and gridlock -- mean that the boundary between politician and troll is blurring. The tone of democratic politics increasingly reflects that of anonymous online discourse: nasty, brutish, and short. And successful politicians are increasingly those who are able to take advantage of the resulting sentiments. Exploiting divisions, appealing to base instincts, making outlandish claims, resorting to falsehoods, and pooh-poohing details and expertise. All that could just as easily describe the playbooks of populists around the world, on the right and left: Marine Le Pen, Frauke Petry, Donald Trump or Subramanian Swamy as much as Jeremy Corbyn, Beppe Grillo, Bernie Sanders or Arvind Kejriwal.<div itemprop="articleBody">In all these cases, populists are willing to cross the lines that mainstream parties have flirted with, becoming forces that the centre cannot hold. US Republicans <a href="http://nbclatino.com/2013/07/24/poll-anti-immigrant-rhetoric-hurts-republicans-in-battleground-states/" target="_blank">fanned</a> the anti-immigration sentiments that first the Tea Party and then Trump are only taking to their natural conclusions, just as mainstream Democrats' economic protectionism has been seized upon by Sanders.Cameron's <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/bagehot/2011/11/britain-and-eu-0" target="_blank">euroscepticism</a>, explained away initially as constructive criticism, spiralled out of control with Brexit, just as those who pronounced the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/8026708/Ed-Miliband-New-Labour-is-dead.html" target="_blank">death of New Labour</a> helped paved the way for Corbyn. Will the same one day apply in India, to the economic populism of the Congress, of which Kejriwal has become a new torchbearer, or to the chauvinism of the right, which Swamy now threatens to run away with?Brexit is not anti-globalization so much as a product of globalization. It is also a product of democracy rather than an affront to it. But it is a democracy of a different sort, one that many of its ideological forebears anticipated.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/Neil HallVote leave supporters wave Union flags, following the result of the EU referendum, outside Downing Street in London, Britain June 24, 2016.</div></div></div>When James Madison <a href="http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa10.htm" target="_blank">warned</a> of "the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority," or John Stuart Mill <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=7DcoAAAAYAAJ" target="_blank">cautioned</a> against "a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression," or BR Ambedkar <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=Eio8BQAAQBAJ&amp;pg" target="_blank">argued</a> (in a slightly different context) that "political tyranny is nothing compared to social tyranny," they could just as easily have been speaking in 2016 as in 1787, 1859, or 1936. Democrats around the world may not yet be married to the mob, but plenty have been betrothed.None of this should be interpreted as some kind of nostalgia for an older, simpler world. That world was not necessarily simpler, but it was more <a href="http://www.amazon.in/Better-Angels-Our-Nature-Violence/dp/0143122010" target="_blank">violent and chaotic, prejudiced and unfair</a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.in/Great-Escape-Health-Origins-Inequality/dp/0691165629" target="_blank">poor and backward</a>. It may be hard to discern amid the smoke and noise, but there are some benefits to digital democracy. Information is no longer in the hands of the few.It is easier than ever to bring injustices to light. And the same process can throw up mainstream leaders from backgrounds that are far from privileged, such as a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2015/05/26/heres-how-the-first-president-of-the-social-media-age-has-chosen-to-connect-with-americans/" target="_blank">Barack Obama</a>, <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/12/01/quiet-german" target="_blank">Angela Merkel</a>, or <a href="https://books.google.co.in/books?id=sJUfAwAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PT54#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false" target="_blank">Narendra Modi</a>. Two of the three, Obama and Modi, rose to power on the backs of unprecedented social media movements.But representative democracy as we have come to know it is under threat, and Brexit represents the first major casualty. Rather than fight the tide, a collective rethink is needed about how to make democracies resilient and productive in the digital age. It won't be easy.</div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-navy-just-flexed-its-muscles-in-the-worlds-most-contested-region-2016-6">The US Navy just flexed its muscles in the world's most contested region</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="pjZ21hNDE68K5rW-eqJMqAdR3UKOkBx3" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

You Searched For "br ambedkar" and got 11 results

These 10 quotes from BR Ambedkar are relevant even today

Vaamanaa Sethi

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PM Modi officially launches BHIM on BR Ambedkar's anniversary

BI India Bureau

'India first is the only religion of govt and Constitution is its only scripture': Key highlights from PM Modi's speech in Parliament

Constitution Day: Rajnath Singh says word ‘Secular’ is misused in Indian politics

BI India Bureau

Creamy layer of SC/STs must be identified and excluded from affirmative reservation: SC Justice Gavai

ANI

Ambedkar was condemned, yet never thought of leaving the country: Rajnath Singh on Aamir Khan’s controversy

BI India Bureau

PM Narendra Modi to review implementation status of Cabinet decisions for the second time in 3 weeks

BI India Bureau

Modi Government’s crackdown on NGOs isn’t pleasing the US envoy

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How India’s laws have changed since 1950

Gaurav Sangwani

The Brexit is the first major casualty of digital democracy

Dhruva Jaishankar, Brookings …

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