Twelve Years of Publicity, Not Performance

 

When Governance Becomes a Spectacle

For more than a decade, India has been told that it is witnessing an era of “historic transformation.” Every billboard, television screen and social media feed has repeated the same message: a strong leader, a decisive government and a “New India.” Yet behind the slogans, choreographed events and endless self promotion lies a harder question that millions of ordinary citizens quietly ask every day: has governance truly improved, or has politics simply become better packaged?

The greatest achievement of the present political era is not economic reform, institutional strengthening or social harmony. It is the mastery of political branding. India has not merely been governed over the past twelve years. It has been marketed.

The distinction matters.

A government committed to democratic governance strengthens institutions so they can function independently. A government obsessed with image building centralises power around a single personality. Today, almost every welfare scheme, every advertisement and every public event revolves around one face and one narrative. Governance has slowly transformed into a permanent election campaign.

The promise of “Achhe Din” carried enormous emotional power in 2014. Millions of Indians were exhausted by corruption scandals, economic uncertainty and political fatigue. The country hoped for cleaner administration, stronger institutions and genuine development. But hope gradually collided with reality.

Unemployment among the youth remains one of the gravest crises facing India today. Educated young people spend years preparing for examinations only to encounter paper leaks, cancelled recruitment processes and shrinking opportunities. Degrees no longer guarantee dignity. Instead of confronting this structural crisis honestly, political discourse is diverted toward emotional and religious polarisation.

Inflation has quietly damaged the middle class and crushed the poor. Rising fuel prices affect everything from transportation to food. Small businesses struggle under economic uncertainty while corporate concentration continues to expand. The language of nationalism is repeatedly invoked, but nationalism without economic justice becomes little more than political theatre.

One of the defining features of the present political climate is the conversion of dissent into suspicion. In a healthy democracy, disagreement strengthens the republic because it keeps power accountable. But increasingly, criticism of the government is portrayed as hostility toward the nation itself. Students, journalists, academics and activists are frequently branded “anti national” merely for questioning authority.

This is a dangerous transformation.

A democracy survives not because everyone agrees with the government, but because citizens retain the freedom to challenge it without fear. Patriotism is not obedience to a ruling party. Patriotism is commitment to constitutional values, justice and democratic accountability.

Another troubling development has been the weakening of institutional independence. Institutions derive legitimacy from neutrality. When investigative agencies, universities, media platforms and public bodies appear politically influenced, public trust erodes. Democracy cannot function solely on electoral victories. It requires strong institutions capable of checking power impartially.

The media too has undergone a dramatic shift. Large sections of television journalism no longer function as independent watchdogs. Instead of asking difficult questions about unemployment, inflation, healthcare or education, much of prime time debate revolves around manufactured outrage and communal anxieties. Complex economic failures are hidden behind emotional spectacles.

The result is a politics of distraction.

Religious symbolism has become central to political communication. Temples, slogans and identity based mobilisation increasingly dominate electoral narratives. Faith is deeply personal and culturally significant in India, but when religion becomes a permanent political instrument, it weakens social harmony. Communities begin viewing one another not as fellow citizens but as political categories.

India’s civilisational strength has always rested on coexistence. The republic envisioned by the Constitution was never meant to privilege one identity over another. It sought unity through diversity, not uniformity through intimidation.

Supporters of the government often argue that India’s international image has improved under the current leadership. Certainly, diplomacy and global visibility matter. But foreign applause cannot substitute domestic well being. A nation’s true strength is measured not by stadium events abroad but by the condition of its citizens at home.

Can ordinary families afford education and healthcare?
Do farmers receive stable incomes?
Are young people finding meaningful employment?
Do citizens feel free to speak without fear?
Are institutions functioning independently?

These are the real measures of governance.

The tragedy of modern Indian politics is that optics increasingly matter more than outcomes. Grand inaugurations are celebrated while public infrastructure often remains incomplete. Massive publicity campaigns create the illusion of transformation even where structural problems persist. Political communication has become so sophisticated that perception frequently overshadows reality.

But democratic memory cannot be permanently controlled through slogans.

Eventually citizens compare promises with lived experience. They compare speeches with household budgets, employment opportunities and social conditions. No publicity machinery can indefinitely silence economic anxiety or social frustration.

India deserves politics that rises above personality worship. The republic cannot depend on a single leader, however popular. Strong nations are built through strong institutions, transparent governance and social trust. Democracies decline when criticism becomes taboo and power becomes concentrated around image rather than accountability.

History teaches a simple lesson: governments that prioritise propaganda over performance eventually weaken the very foundations they claim to protect.

India does not need permanent political spectacle. It needs honest governance, economic fairness, institutional independence and social harmony. The future of the republic depends not on louder slogans, but on deeper democratic commitment.

 

Author’s Introduction

Siddhartha Shankar Mishra is an advocate at the Supreme Court of India and a commentator on law, politics and society. His writings blend legal insight with social critique and aim to provoke reflection on power, justice and public conscience.