Narendra Modi is widening India’s fierce regional divides
The southern states feel increasingly oppressed
NARENDRA MODI likes to pull rabbits out of hats. One evening in 2016 the Indian prime minister declared that 500- and 1,000-rupee notes—representing 86% of cash by value—would cease to be legal tender by the end of the night. In 2020 he locked down the country at only a few hours’ notice. So it is hardly surprising that speculation has been running rampant since Mr Modi’s government announced that it is to convene a “special session” of Parliament from September 18th to 22nd. What trick does he have up his sleeve now?
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “One nation under Modi”
From the September 16th 2023 edition
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