Gandhinagar, July 14: While addressing a gathering at the Karnavati University in Gandhinagar earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah reiterated the claim that India is the "world's oldest democracy". The self-proclaimed tag is in stark contradiction to what other major democracies in the world - the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand claim.

"We are the world's oldest and largest democracy. If we have to think about India of 2025, we need to study our past and analyse where we are today. New India will be free of casteism, corruption and terrorism," Shah said.

While India is the world's largest democracy based upon the massive population of 130 crores, the claim of being the oldest democracy on the globe requires scrutiny.

Is the BJP Chief Factually Right?

Shah is not the first to have described India as the founder of democracy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in one of his earlier public addresses, said the oldest democracy in the world thrived in India before it was attacked by invaders.

Those supporting the view cite the existence of Mahajanapadas or self-governing bodies in several ancient kingdom, including the Pataliputra (based in present-day Bihar).

According to a blog in The Guardian, the tribal kingdom of Manala in ancient India could be one of the oldest democracy known to mankind.

But the view of India being the 'oldest democracy' cannot be validated if the criteria of judgement is the formation of a Republic based upon the Constitution, or what is today known as the Parliamentary democracy.

Which Countries Claim to be the Oldest Democracy?

On the basis of length of administration, adoption of a constitution and election of a parliamentary government, an array of western nations, particularly in the Nordic belt of Europe, have put forth the claim of being the oldest democracy.

Isle of Man, a sovereign island nation located between England and Ireland, has shown written records to prove the existence of a democracy and a parliamentary government since 979 AD.

Among the major world powers, the debate is mostly centred between the US and the UK. The latter claims to have formed the world's first constitutional government in 1215, after the adoption of Magna Carta.

The US, meanwhile, has countered the claim alleging the king or queen has always remained supreme in the United Kingdom despite the election of a governing council. On the other hand, America claims to have first established a truly "democratic Republic" after adopting the Constitution in 1788.

Another credible claim comes from the Down South, where New Zealand claims to be the world's oldest democracy as it granted universal suffrage (right to vote for all adults) to all citizens. The right to franchise was extended to all adults, including women, in 1854. No other nation had by then accorded women with the right to cast their mandate. The first Parliament in New Zealand, convened on May 24, 1854, had also granted proportional representation to the native aborginese population.

While countries can continue debating on who should be accorded the 'oldest democracy' tag, the practitioners of 'nationalist politics' in India can surely credit it to our ancient predecessors.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 14, 2018 05:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).