Only democracy could have engineered such remarkable change with the consent of the governed, and enabled all to feel that they have the same stake in the country’s progress, equal rights under its laws, and equal opportunities for advancement. And only democracy could defuse conflict by giving dissent a legitimate means of expression.
平心而论，民主已经被证明是一种卓越的工具，将印度这个带有深刻种族、宗教、语言和文化多样性、各种社会分歧和根深蒂固的贫困的古老国家转变为二十一世纪的成功大国。只有民主才能推动如此令人瞩目的变化，让被治者安心，让所有人感到国家进步匹夫有责，让法律之下权利人人平等，让人们获得平等的进步机会。也只有民主能够让持异见者拥有合法的表达渠道，从而消弭冲突。一些观察者惊讶于印度民主的蓬勃兴旺；事实上，如果没有民主，印度将很难生存。