Shevlin Sebastian reviews In Praise of Coalition Politics and Other Essays of Indian Democracy by Manoj Jha (Speaking Tiger, 2025).
In introducing his book, In Praise of Coalition Politics and Other Essays of Indian Democracy, Rajya Sabha member Manoj Kumar Jha writes:
Many of our fellow citizens are settling into the belief that this phase of despair will never end and that nothing can be done to improve the situation.
Manoj Jha (Author- In Praise of Coalition Politics and Other Essays of Indian Democracy)
Jha’s essays expose lynchings, Kashmir, Manipur, a silenced media, and shrinking freedoms. He argues that coalition politics still holds the key to India’s democratic renewal. But Manoj suggested that phases of darkness and despair have never lasted in any part of the globe. History bears testimony to the fact that injustice in all such dark moments has been resisted by ordinary men and women.
The book is a compilation of the essays he has written in The Indian Express, The Wire, and various other outlets. Some topics Manoj has tackled include the rise of Hindutva, caste census, health care, the Kashmir and Manipur issues, manual scavenging, and reservations. These issues cut to the heart of India’s political and moral crisis. Reflecting on these themes, Manoj said the mood in the country is unsettling. ‘We are witnessing an erosion of democratic values and a tightening grip on dissent,’ he wrote. He said the present feels more daunting than the days of the Emergency.