'Save Democracy': A Ruse As A Firewall?

“The core claim of populism is a moralized form of anti-pluralism. Populists-in-power are always engaged in building a state for themselves; they treat critics and opposition not as legitimate adversaries, but as treasonous elites or tools of foreign corruption"

When we apply this political theorist Jan-Werner Müller’s profound diagnosis to the current populist project, it reminds us that populists-in-power invariably treat critics not as legitimate adversaries, but as treasonous elites or tools of foreign corruption while systematically re-engineering the state into a personal fiefdom.

This pathology perfectly mirrors the Indian folklore of the hungry fence, where a farmer builds a structure to protect his crops, only for the fence itself to start devouring the harvest; when furious villagers show up with pitchforks, the wooden predator panics and screams, "Wait! I must swallow the rest of this grain to protect you from invisible pests!"

Today, we are watching a live, high-budget cinematic rerun of this comedy as youth groups, activists, and the opposition point out that the Election Commission’s "special intensive revision" exercise looks suspiciously like an algorithmic gerrymandering operation designed to purge real voters.

Instead of offering an apology or an explanation, the ruling BJP and its megaphone media cheerleaders have launched a nationwide, straight-faced "Save Democracy" counter-campaign, acting as a weaponized bulldozer that flattens constitutional norms while claiming to clear a path for the rule of law.

Underneath all this majestic chest-thumping on prime-time news, however, there is an unmistakable whiff of absolute panic, a textbook state of “fati padi hai”, as the establishment watches public anger and youth unemployment boil over.

When the supreme leader himself took to a stage hosted by a corporate news platform in New Delhi to sharply attack Leader of the Opposition, claiming that forces of domestic anarchy are holding India back from leading a new world order, the narrative officially crossed into the realm of delusion.

The government’s counter-offensive has become a desperate three-ring circus: part-time street thugs from Hindutva outfits act as freelance police to disrupt peaceful gatherings, state agencies deploy a highly sophisticated toolkit of tax raids, paramilitary forces, and hand-picked magistrates to choke dissent, and the propaganda machinery aggressively brands struggling students as anti-national conspirators.

This frantic counter-movement is not a display of political muscle, but a frustrated, sweating attempt to reverse a tidal wave of public disenchantment. As global history routinely proves, authoritarian strongmen always look invincible right up until the moment the illusion shatters and collective fear evaporates.

By trying to turn their own political crisis into a national emergency, the ruling dispensation is merely confirming Müller's wisdom that citizens are finally realizing the nation-state does not belong to a self-anointed savior. The regime's frantic behavior exposes the ultimate truth that keeps dictators awake at night: "Is takht ko ye dar nahi ki janta baaghi ho jayegi... khauf to is baat ka hai ki janta ka dar khatam ho chuka hai” (This throne does not fear that the public will turn rebellious... the true terror is that the public's fear has finally vanished.)

This leaves the delusional supreme leader trapped in his own collapsing script, frantically trying to use a "Save Democracy" ruse as a firewall to save his own crumbling throne.