Yamini Aiyar laments the damage done to Indian democracy under Narendra Modi
Toxic majoritarianism is just part of the story, says the policy scholar
A DARK SHADOW of creeping authoritarianism looms over India as it prepares for its 18th general election. The incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of Narendra Modi is set to win a third term and surveys show that the prime minister’s personal popularity is at an all-time high. But his governance, built on aggressive centralisation, legitimised by a cult of personality and undergirded by an exclusionary Hindu-nationalist ideology, is eroding India’s democracy. If unchecked, the consequences for the country’s political, economic and social fabric will be grim.
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From the March 30th 2024 edition
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