New Delhi: Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of the Art of Living Foundation, on Thursday said he believes that for a healthy democracy, it is essential that India has a stronger Opposition, one that is constructive as well.
"India needs a stronger Opposition, a constructive Opposition. The (current) Opposition is very weak. Lack of leadership in the Opposition can make any democracy appear not as a democracy," Ravi Shankar said in an interview to news agency PTI.
He said that democracies do need a stronger Opposition — conservative, creative Opposition that is missing in India. He asserted that India is a vibrant democracy, and the elections held in the country are free and fair.
Ravi Shankar added that at the national level, there needs to be a strong opposition party, which is currently missing.
"Of course, West Bengal has shown that with free-and-fair elections, no party can meddle with the institutions of India, and the judiciary is quite strong. But the lack of a central Opposition, a strong leader will make the country look like it is autocratic, but it is not. We are such a huge democracy. People have power," a PTI report quoted Ravi Shankar as saying.
Ravi Shankar is currently on a two-month tour of the United States. He is travelling to various cities and spreading the message of peace and the need of it in a post-Covid world.