South Asian Affairs
- Mar 7, 2024
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Irish Examiner view: Serious test of Indian democracy
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public rally on March 7. Modi stands accused of wielding an ever-heavier hand as he tries to steer his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a third successive victory and India into his vision of a Hindu nationalist monolith. Picture: AP
THU, 28 MAR, 2024 - 01:00
In the middle of next month, the world’s most populous country, India, will go to the polls in what is expected to be a bitter election which may or may not present a third term in office for prime minister Narendra Modi, who has become an increasingly divisive figure in the country’s politics.
Modi stands accused of wielding an ever-heavier hand as he tries to steer his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a third successive victory and India into his vision of a Hindu nationalist monolith.
To that end, the country’s new media, the courts, civil society, and the national legislature have all bent to Modi’s will, but his vision for this uniquely diverse and complex country of 1.4bn people is being stymied by several of India’s wealthiest states, largely those responsible for the country's rapid economic growth.
Modi’s opponents, of whom there are a growing number, accuse him of trying to displace the governments of those states his party does not control. His tactics have been described variously as everything from unfair to illegal.
These strategies include the delaying of federal money for major infrastructure projects, jailing or otherwise hounding opposition politicians while shielding those in his own party, obstructing the delivery of essential services, and sowing discontent in state politics.
Accusations of authoritarianism and political oppression have followed, and those who share his vision also share the benefits of being under the BJP’s wing; those who do not are accused of being malign actors and of trying to destroy the apparatus of state. But Modi’s ambition to consolidate power under a “two-engine” system whereby the federal government and state governments work together, is only feasible where the BJP control both.
In Punjab, where the local legislature is controlled by the opposition, a BJP governor has repeatedly prevented legislative work; in Tamil Nadu, local officials are having difficulty funding an extension to the Metro system in the capital Chennai because of disagreement with the BJP about federal funding; and in Kerala, the state government is suing the Modi administration over the imposition of arbitrary spending limits.
And, in Delhi last week, the arrest of the chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, in his home and the jailing of others from the locally elected Aam Aadmi party — accused of financial crimes — has kicked off yet another bitter political dispute in the region.
If Modi’s intention is, as he has been accused, to create a one-party state, then the forthcoming election is going to be a serious test of Indian democracy.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public rally on March 7. Modi stands accused of wielding an ever-heavier hand as he tries to steer his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a third successive victory and India into his vision of a Hindu nationalist monolith. Picture: AP
THU, 28 MAR, 2024 - 01:00
In the middle of next month, the world’s most populous country, India, will go to the polls in what is expected to be a bitter election which may or may not present a third term in office for prime minister Narendra Modi, who has become an increasingly divisive figure in the country’s politics.
Modi stands accused of wielding an ever-heavier hand as he tries to steer his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a third successive victory and India into his vision of a Hindu nationalist monolith.
To that end, the country’s new media, the courts, civil society, and the national legislature have all bent to Modi’s will, but his vision for this uniquely diverse and complex country of 1.4bn people is being stymied by several of India’s wealthiest states, largely those responsible for the country's rapid economic growth.
Modi’s opponents, of whom there are a growing number, accuse him of trying to displace the governments of those states his party does not control. His tactics have been described variously as everything from unfair to illegal.
These strategies include the delaying of federal money for major infrastructure projects, jailing or otherwise hounding opposition politicians while shielding those in his own party, obstructing the delivery of essential services, and sowing discontent in state politics.
Accusations of authoritarianism and political oppression have followed, and those who share his vision also share the benefits of being under the BJP’s wing; those who do not are accused of being malign actors and of trying to destroy the apparatus of state. But Modi’s ambition to consolidate power under a “two-engine” system whereby the federal government and state governments work together, is only feasible where the BJP control both.
In Punjab, where the local legislature is controlled by the opposition, a BJP governor has repeatedly prevented legislative work; in Tamil Nadu, local officials are having difficulty funding an extension to the Metro system in the capital Chennai because of disagreement with the BJP about federal funding; and in Kerala, the state government is suing the Modi administration over the imposition of arbitrary spending limits.
And, in Delhi last week, the arrest of the chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, in his home and the jailing of others from the locally elected Aam Aadmi party — accused of financial crimes — has kicked off yet another bitter political dispute in the region.
If Modi’s intention is, as he has been accused, to create a one-party state, then the forthcoming election is going to be a serious test of Indian democracy.
