India's democracy is by no stretch of the imagination perfect, but it does function, and it can be lead to truly radical change on occasion.  Witness Kerala, which was taken over by communists via the ballot box, who then ran an effectively socialist government for over ten years.  They pushed through effective educational reform, tax reform, and land reform.

Horrible for entrenched business elites, but democratic nonetheless, and thus an example the business elites would rather ignore.  

This kind of action is not possible in all places, but the very existence of democratic institutions in a country with degrees of family and tribal social organization unknown in the west, and thus with vast potential for coherent democratic agitation from the civil sphere, means that elites can't just push people around at will.