External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that Indian democracy is not just a choice made in 1947, but a way of life.
Speaking on International Day of Democracy at the international webinar ''Independent India@75: Democratic Traditions'' conducted by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Jaishankar said, "It is appropriate that the International Day of Democracy is commemorated with particular enthusiasm in the world's largest and most energetic democracy. After all, for India, democracy was not just a choice we made in 1947, but a way of life well before that. Few societies can compare with the pluralism that has been our historical characteristic."
India has a long tradition of representative government. About 2,500 years ago, the Lichchhavi Republics had developed a consultative and democratic process of governance. Similarly, village panchayats with delegates gathering for a type of local grand assembly was an established custom in the 10th century Chola era, he said.