Civil Society and Environmentalism in India: The Role of Citizen Elites

Abstract

Individuals lead struggles and movements. The way they approach and raise the issues influences the discourse of civil society. Often there is implicit tension between individual self-seeking interests and group interest. This conflict of interest determines the nature of struggle lead by individuals. Those who stand by the ideals of fraternity and community interest, forsaking the self-interest, are the ‘Citizen Elites’ furthering the role civil society in a democratic setup. They also influence the nature of State in resource allocation and thereby detrimental for public policy also. Based on Dipanker Gupta concept of ‘Citizen Elite’, this paper seeks to emphasize the role of such individuals who despite adverse circumstances struggle for environmental justice in India. Such individuals lead movements have far reaching lessons for democracy and public policy.