New Delhi, July 23 -- An authoritarian regime always tends to be afraid of an armed insurrection. However, a democratic government should be wary of something completely different - the politically aware generation.

It is well known from history that whenever the politically indifferent citizens turn politically conscious and form movements in demand of accountability, then the governments have to make a choice between dialogue and debate through democratic institutions and repression. The first scenario builds up democracy, whereas the second leads to the emergence of the very movement which authorities would try to prevent.

Repression Magnifies Protest Movements

A perfect case in point in that respect is the standoff between the curr...