Public intellectual Ashis Nandy, speaking about the abysmal state of Indian democracy, said in a recent interview, "I think it is a lively, colourful democracy, but it is also increasingly getting criminalised. Also, I agree with Lal Krishna Advani that there are emerging rather strong authoritarian streaks, not only within the ruling party, which has virtually become a one-man party, but among other parties too. I do not see any party that is open to competition within itself. They compete with other parties, not within themselves. There are no democratic structures within the parties. My diagnosis of Indian political culture at the moment is on the whole grim, in the sense that all societies that have gone through or sought a spectacular development have invariably gone through authoritarian phase unless they had colonies. I am afraid we are in for trouble."

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