> India lacks both cheap "skilled" labour and mineral resources. They do have low and unskilled labour in high numbers though

Skills do not develop in a vacuum. You need to have requirements for a particular skill before you can spend resources to train workers in those skills.

And the lack of large resources is also not that big of a problem. Unlike some countries, India tends to start and maintain friendly relations with countries that have mineral wealth like Australia, etc. And the Indian navy has enough heft to open and secure those supply lines in case someone decides to start a war.

> Also India is just about as democratic as Putins Russia.

Um, no. India has democratic elections whose results are accepted by all the political parties involved. No political party has mounted an actual challenge against any result or vote count or claimed large scale election rigging.

You might not like Modi. That's acceptable. But to go around claiming that democracy does not exist because your favorite lost the elections is frankly disingenuous.

Parliamentary republic with brute majority would feel like a dictatorship. There's no real seperation of legislative and executive branches. Judiciary largely plays to win post retirement careers. But that usually gets fixed after an election or two. Democracies are often compared to China or Singapore on how they are inefficient in addressing long term issues. A parliamentary republic is a fair compromise between an autocracy and a gridlocked presidential republic like in US. If a brute majority mandate is used well, a party can bring along revolutionary changes in short notice.

I agree, but if the brute majority is not used well or if it is used to further individuals motives than the collective then they are not good.To practice Democracy, is the ability to question the usage of funds. Also dilution of institutions is quite worrisome even the supreme court judges have said this.

I have misgivings with the ruling party at center. But to claim that India isn't Democratic is like saying US is autocratic because of Trump. It's true, India needs to go back to it's secular roots. But the elections aren't faked.

Democracy is not just about elections. For instance one of the powers that people have in a democracy is to question the usage of funds and be able to get information about them. Similar to Freedom of Information act in US, India has RTI (Right to Information). But government has made explicit laws in some cases to keep institutions out of RTI so people cannot practice their right. Just recently during corona pandemic Indian government created a 'PM Care Fund' and passed explicit laws that it cannot be Audited or be under RTI, so there is no information on how much money people have donated for the cause or where is the government using it. https://www.thequint.com/news/india/coronavirus-pm-cares-fun...

India has enormous mineral resources

Indias steel production depends on Australian imported Coal, Indias Power production also depends on Imported coal from Australia and neighbourhood countries. India has virtually no Rare earth minerals. Indias has 1μm Semicondictor fab facilities which are good for producing Intel 80386, but nothing above that.

> Also India is just about as democratic as Putins Russia.

Could you share how did you gauge that? Different leaders (from different parties) have led India since Putin took Russia's helm: Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi

Yes just look at 'PM Care fund' it is explicitly outside of RTI, and thus prevents people from practising their democratic right to question usage of funds.

And what is the level of coverage of Russia's equivalent of RTI? (assuming they have one)

you are acting as if the BJP gave India the RTI. Congress gave the country RTI.

and bjp has been systematically dismanteling RTI step by step.

We won't have a functioning RTI in a few years.

and the existing coverage of RTI in India is abysmal. This you'd know if you knew and read the facts. the govt has severely cut funding of RTI

source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/finance/ov...

63% cut in funding of RTI and CIC, both systems who are responsible for transparency.

To a hammer, everything looks like a nail. My comment was irrespective of party and your reply doesn't even answer my question. You may continue with your wild predictions.

> To a hammer, everything looks like a nail

This is not reddit for you to start attacking me. Argue on the logic.

> My comment was irrespective of party

No it wasn't. you claimed India to be superior because we have RTI while totally ignoring that Modi dismanteled RTI.

> your reply doesn't even answer my question

No, it destroys your argument because you intentionally ignored that Modi govt dismanteled RTI and still claim Russia is inferior to India because we have an RTI. NO we do not have a functioning RTI. the current is only on paper.

> wild predictions

I gave documented proof, unlike you, who started attacking me because you don't have a leg to stand on.

proof again: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/finance/ov...

how the heck is India a better country than Russia?

India had RTI before Modi came to power, Modi dismanteled RTI.

so as far as I see, from the RTI perspective, India and Russia are same.

> This is not reddit for you to start attacking me. Argue on the logic.

This isn't r/India where we bring in BJP/Modi in everything. Please stay on the point.

So was PMNRF? Is that fund public money that must be under rti (answer is it's not)

Yes it is a public authority under RTI, more info on Quint Youtube channel https://youtu.be/chug7egGteU or the Article https://www.thequint.com/news/india/5-reasons-why-pm-cares-f...

>India is just about as democratic as Putins Russia

This is first time hearing it.

However flawed the elected officials are in India, they do represent the popular sentiments of the population at that time.

Just to illustrate what am talking about, just yesterday a politically well connected gangster who surrendered got encountered, this same gangster has been seen with the top brass politicians in India including the home minister.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/vikas-dubey-caught...

It is suspected that if he were to be questioned entire nexus with top politicians would have been revealed.

Your link has no mention of anything you claim. I fail to understand how this illustrates your claim that India is about as democratic as Russia, which in itself is unbelievable.

The link suggests that the democratic institutions are weak and works on the whims of politicians which is what the original comment suggested. Th notorious ganster has been seen with the very same politicians.

Let me give you few more examples :

1. Just recently Indian government created an entity called 'PM Care Fund' for the collection of funds during corona pandemic but created explicit laws that people cannot file an RTI (Right to Information) to know what the government is using the funds for. The ability to exercise democratic rights is an essential right in democracy, democracy isn't just elections. https://www.thequint.com/news/india/coronavirus-pm-cares-fun...

2. The Supreme Court judges have come out in public addressing the public about governments intervention in Judiciary. https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/supreme-court-cris...

Free and fare Judiciary and democratic institutions are fundamental to a democracy. I hope this substantiates the original comment.

1. Which democracy in the world do-not have corruption?

2. Where in the article is the mention about government intervention in Judiciary? I read it, but could not find it.

> Free and fare Judiciary and democratic institutions are fundamental to a democracy. I hope this substantiates the original comment.

Your original comment was that India's democracy is close to Putin's Russia. I agree that India being a young democracy need to develop better institutions. However it is not comparable to anything in Russia.

If you really want to compare, why don't you specifically list what happens in a mature democracy like UK, compare that to what is happening in RUSSIA and then show similar issues in India, while also showing that it does not happen in any of the model democracy you have in your mind.

Corruption is a common denominator whether it is a democracy or autocracy. In Democracies citizens have the ability to practice democratic rights. A fundamental right in democracy is the freedom of speech.

In India though people who protest against government policies are sent behind bars without any due process. For instance in the past yr many social activists have been sent to Jail for protesting against the CAA bill, a bill which seeks to give citizenship to people based on their religion. The activists who protested have been jailed for protesting. For instance

Safoora Zargar, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-53149967 was a student who participated in the protest and was alleged of rioting and put behind bars without due process.

OR Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan https://www.thequint.com/news/india/bhim-army-chandrashekhar...

The incident is shady but it doesn't prove India is as democratic as Russia. The encounter of a notorious gangster who has committed numerous crimes isn't the same as assassinating a major political opponent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Boris_Nemtsov

Yes please look up in the thread i have given more examples.

> Also India is just about as democratic as Putins Russia.

Lol! A case of sour grapes?

I am not saying this, 4 Supreme Court judges have said this. RTI has been diluted so you dont get a reply to the anything. Democracy is more than elections.

Source?

I am sorry, i forgot to post the source earlier : https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/supreme-court-cris...

As critical as I have been of the current political regime in India, calling it "Putinesque democracy" is a gross exaggeration.

My state is a prime example - it's governed by a party that came into being barely half a decade ago and its first election victory was largely fuelled by grassroots activists and workers. It's about as democratic as it can get.

Even within the ruling party, democracy is quite active - the party presidents change every few years.