Assertion: Many of the countries that gained freedom from colonialism experienced non-democratic rule.
Reason: They said that national unity was their first priority and that democracy will introduce differences and conflicts.

Both the Assertion and the Reason are correct and the Reason is the correct explanation of the Assertion.

Confronted with formidable challenges, leaders in numerous countries around the world made the decision that democracy was an unaffordable luxury. They argued that national unity took precedence and that democracy would only exacerbate divisions and conflicts. Consequently, many newly independent nations, liberated from colonial rule, witnessed the establishment of non-democratic governance. These regimes took various forms, such as nominal democracy with effective control by a single leader, one-party rule, or direct military rule. Initially, non-democratic rulers often promised to restore democracy in the near future, but once firmly entrenched, they proved difficult to dislodge.

The conditions in India were not fundamentally different. However, the leaders of the newly independent India opted for the more arduous path. Any alternative choice would have been surprising, considering that our struggle for freedom was deeply rooted in the principles of democracy. Our leaders recognized the vital role of politics in any democratic system. They perceived politics not as a problem, but as a means of solving problems. Every society faces the task of determining its governance and regulatory mechanisms, while grappling with divergent policy options and conflicting aspirations of various groups. How are these differences to be resolved? Democratic politics provides an answer to this question. Although competition and power are the overt aspects of politics, the ultimate objective of political engagement is and should be the pursuit of the public interest. This is the path our leaders elected to tread.