Can India Do a Tahrir?

The Title says it all.

Finally, yesterday , President Hosne Mubarak of Egypt stepped down succumbing to the extreme pressure created by the 18 days of fierce protests by the people of the country.

Egypt has a great history of civilised society and it took almost the opposite to end 30 years of dictatorship. Almost a Million people people swarmed into the streets for more than a fortnight and voiced their protest against the autocratic rule that had led to unprecedented unemployment and escalating inflation.

But you might have read this all, haven't you?

So, the question arises that can this be repeated in India, where the situation though not autocratic, is still grim.

The inflation rate hovers around 8 and the food inflation rate is 13%. The poor are having a real hard time in India. The increasing fuel price have done nothing to contain the rising sentiments in the middle class against the ruling coalition.

Moreover, every other day or so, cases of corruption involving astronomical figures hit the news. May it be the 1.76 lakh Crore 2G scam or the Rs. 2 lakh crore S-Band scam involving crucial UPA allies .

The government is losing ground while facing allegation and attacks from all around including the apex court.

Is all this enough to stir up the Indian people to do a Tahrir, at some place such as the India Gate in New Delhi?

In my opinion, No. The Egyptian uprising cant be replicated in our country.

There are three major reasons to support my view

Firstly, India doesn't have an autocratic rule. However inefficient it may seem, but the democracy still functions in our country and the judiciary does just enough to make the people have faith in the power of ballot. So, instead of flooding the streets, the people have a much better & easier option of flushing their representatives out of the constituencies and hence the parliament.

Secondly, the demographic and the social pattern of India are different from that in other parts of the world. Civic and economic problem may continue to plague people, but when it comes to voting, religion, caste and regionalism act as the deciding factor.

This was demonstrated in the 2009 elections when despite the escalating inflation and 26/11 attacks people chose a rubber stamp prime minister just because the opposition was a RIGHT-WING party. Sad, It really is.

Thirdly, and most importantly there is no credible opposition to incite people. Even if a tahrir ( or an India Gate) occurs, there has to be someone to lead the masses. In Egypt there was Mohammad ElBaradei and Islamic Brotherhood. But India lacks such leaders. So, Even with the rising sentiments, there is little that can be done. Coz after a government is overthrown there needs to be somebody to hold things for a while. The Military is too occupied to abandon the borders and take charge of running the nation.

So, Optimistic it may seem, but such an uprising against the rule is highly improbable in India.