Modi's India : Hindu nationalism and the rise of ethnic democracy / Christophe Jaffrelot ; translated by Cynthia Schoch.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jaffrelot, Christophe, author.

Contributor:

Schoch, Cynthia, translator.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Modī, Narendra, 1950-.

Modī, Narendra.

Democracy--India--History--21st century.

Democracy.

India--Politics and government--21st century.

India.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (657 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [2021]

Summary:

A riveting account of how a popularly elected leader has steered the world's largest democracy toward authoritarianism and intoleranceOver the past two decades, thanks to Narendra Modi, Hindu nationalism has been coupled with a form of national-populism that has ensured its success at the polls, first in Gujarat and then in India at large. Modi managed to seduce a substantial number of citizens by promising them development and polarizing the electorate along ethno-religious lines. Both facets of this national-populism found expression in a highly personalized political style as Modi related directly to the voters through all kinds of channels of communication in order to saturate the public space.Drawing on original interviews conducted across India, Christophe Jaffrelot shows how Modi's government has moved India toward a new form of democracy, an ethnic democracy that equates the majoritarian community with the nation and relegates Muslims and Christians to second-class citizens who are harassed by vigilante groups. He discusses how the promotion of Hindu nationalism has resulted in attacks against secularists, intellectuals, universities, and NGOs. Jaffrelot explains how the political system of India has acquired authoritarian features for other reasons, too. Eager to govern not only in New Delhi, but also in the states, the government has centralized power at the expense of federalism and undermined institutions that were part of the checks and balances, including India's Supreme Court.Modi's India is a sobering account of how a once-vibrant democracy can go wrong when a government backed by popular consent suppresses dissent while growing increasingly intolerant of ethnic and religious minorities.

Contents:

Cover

Contents

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Map of India

Introduction: The Three Ages of India's Democracy

Part I. The Hindu Nationalist Power Quest: Hindutva and Populism

1. Hindu Nationalism: A Different Idea of India

Hindutva: What It Means to Be a Hindu

Sangh Parivar and Politics

The Social Profile of Hindu Nationalism

2. Modi in Gujarat: The Making of a National-Populist Hero

A Pure Product of the RSS

"The Emperor of Hindu Hearts"

Moditva: Personalization of Power and Heroization

A Charismatic Leader Sealing the Fate of the Moderation Thesis

3. Modi's Rise to Power, or How to Exploit Hope, Fear, and Anger

The Political Orchestration of the Hindu Sense of Vulnerability

The Rise of the Bajrang Dal and the Plebeianization of Hindu Nationalism

A New Social Profile: The Sangh Parivar and Its "Angry Young Men"

The 2014 Election Campaign

4. Welfare or Well-Being?

Antipoverty Policies or Politics of Dignity?

Villagers as Losers

Diluting Reservations

Modi, Champion of the Elite

Conclusion to Part I

Part II. The World's Largest de Facto Ethnic Democracy

5. Hindu Majoritarianism against Secularism

Hinduizing the Public Space

The Crusade against "Liberals"

6. Targeting Minorities

Anti-Christian Xenophobia

Recurrent Mobilizations against Muslims

7. A De Facto Hindu Rashtra: Indian-Style Vigilantism

The Bajrang Dal, the Sangh Parivar's Armed Wing

Vigilantes and State Administrations

The Rise of a Parallel State: Law and Order as Moral Order

Digital Vigilantism and Physical Violence against "Sickularists"

Conclusion to Part II

Part III. The Indian Version of Competitive Authoritarianism

8. Deinstitutionalizing India

Who's Afraid of the Lokpal?

The Slow Death of the Right to Information.

The Vain Resistance of the Central Bureau of Investigation

The National Investigation Agency and the CBI: From "Caged Parrots" to Watchdogs on a Leash

The Supreme Court, from Resistance to Surrender

What Fourth Estate?

9. Toward "Electoral Authoritarianism": The 2019 Elections

Chowkidar Modi

A Well-Oiled Election Machine

Caste Politics and Its Paradoxes

An Uneven Electoral Playing Ground

Modi's BJP: The Elitist Hegemon

10. The Making of an Authoritarian Vigilante State

Fighting Political Opponents by Other Means-in and out of Parliament

The Making of a Majoritarian State Fighting Dissent

Policemen as Vigilantes and "Urban Naxals" as Political Prisoners

11. Indian Muslims: From Social Marginalization to Institutional Exclusion and Judicial Obliteration

Invisible in the Republic: Long-Standing but Aggravated Institutional Marginality

Muslims in Dealings with the Police and the Courts

Judicial Majoritarianism: Preparing the Ground for a Ram Temple in Ayodhya

Conclusion

Notes

Select Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-691-22309-2

OCLC:

1238131061