Modi’s strongman rule raises questions about India’s ‘democratic decline’ | Wilnesh News

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been in power for ten years and seems poised to win a rare third term, with general elections currently underway.

Under his rule, India’s economy grew strongly, geopolitical status The world has risen.

However, observers and critics say the country is also showing signs of democratic backsliding that have become more apparent under his leadership.

“Modi is projecting himself as the strongman of East Asia,” Asim Ali, an independent political researcher in New Delhi, told CNBC.

he is also known as “The high priest of India—— He is above all politics,” Ali added. “This is very worrying because combining religious nationalism with economic development” has been a “core feature” of his government.

In its 2024 at the latest The Sweden-based V-Dem Institute said in the report that a third term for Modi could worsen politics “given the significant decline in democracy under Modi and the ongoing crackdown on minority rights and civil society.” situation.

American Research Group freedom house It said the Indian election would be held in a media environment with increasing “legal attacks on critical journalists and news media”.

Milan Vaishnav, director of South Asia at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told CNBC that there is no doubt that “the democratic space between elections has shrunk” under Modi.

He added: “Today, the liberal character of Indian democracy is less evident, with rising majoritarianism, weakening constraints on executive power and increasing tolerance for dissent.”

Last year, the government slam A BBC documentary questions Modi’s role in the deadly 2002 Gujarat riots and blocks social media platforms share Any clip of it.

Many mainstream Indian mediaAli said the Indian media, especially the Hindi-language media, had been “co-opted” to spread “government messages”.

Indian authorities have shut down the Internet more than any other country frequently Use such tactics to discourage political protests and silence criticism, rights groups say.

exist Recent Newsweek interviewsModi addressed these issues and called India the “mother of democracy”.

“Our media plays an important role in this,” he said, dismissing claims of “reduced media freedom” in India as “dubious”.

The Prime Minister’s Office and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party did not respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.

Before the election, India’s main opposition Congress party accused Modi’s government of freezing its bank account.

“This is a criminal act by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister against the Congress party,” the Congress leader said. Rahul Gandhi INana fire attack.

“This is orchestrated to weaken us ahead of the elections,” he claimed, adding that the people were “deprived of the constitution and democratic structures.”

Modi’s government has denied the opposition’s accusations.

Chietigj Bajpaee, senior fellow for South Asia at Chatham House, said previous governments had also engaged in witch-hunts against opposition politicians.

But he added that “the scale of the Modi government’s actions is even more shocking” because it “exploited key levers of power” to intimidate opponents.

The Supreme Court of India recently Granted temporary bail Go to jail in Delhi Chief Minister Arvind KejriwalModi’s political rival was arrested in March in a bribery case. The arrest drew attention because he is the leader of India’s Aam Aadmi Party and a key figure in a larger organization. Opposition coalition.

Bajpayee said the timing was “unusual” as it happened before the elections. He added that the government did not appear to be “leaving no stone unturned” to achieve its stated target of 400 seats in the Lok Sabha or the lower house of parliament.

Analysts say Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has become bolder in pushing its Hindu nationalist ideology over the past decade. Its purpose is to consolidate support from all parties Hindus, 80% Accounting for 1.4 billion people in the country.

“The BJP is an openly pro-Hindu party,” Vaishnav said. He added that since coming to power in 2014, and especially after 2019, it “seeks to use laws, regulations and even civil society to advance its agenda”.

in January, Modi inaugurates controversial temple In the city of Ayodhya – where an ancient mosque was demolished by Hindu mobs – a decades-long campaign promises.

“The temple issue is important in Hindi-speaking areas, especially to energize the Hindu base,” Ali said, adding that the government also used “anti-Muslim” rhetoric during the election campaign.

Modi accused hate speech According to reports, he recently called Muslims “Infiltrator” Being seen as disruptive at a rally india’s secular constitution.

Bajpayee noted that the Modi government’s “rhetoric about establishing a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ or a Hindu state does demonstrate an ambition to bridge the divide between nation and religion” and warned that this could “erode India’s secular credibility.”

However, public backlash against Modi’s hard-line rule remains limited.His charm and personality made him very popular both at home and abroad foreign.

“No one in the opposition has reached that level of popularity,” Ronojoy Sen, a senior fellow at the South Asia Institute, told CNBC recently.

Political observers believe Modi benefited Cult-like status Created around him – backed by the powerful electoral machinery of the ruling party – to create a direct link between him and the electorate.

Neelanjan Sircar, a senior fellow at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi, said that for those dissatisfied with the direction of the country, “voting the BJP out means they have to get rid of Modi.” “If voters identify with him, it will be difficult to do so.”

Despite India’s deep-rooted economic problems, such as rising youth unemployment and Wealth inequality increases.

A CSDS-Lokniti pre-poll survey Compared with his opposition rivals, Modi’s approval rating is far ahead, with 48% of respondents choosing him as prime minister.

Sirkar noted that India’s economic progress “was clearly not worse before Modi came to power.” “During the Manmohan Singh era, India also developed very rapidly,” he added. Economic reforms under former Prime Minister 1990s.

“What has changed is the way everything is branded in Modi’s image.”

Even the Bharatiya Janata Party’s manifesto is called “Modiji assures” — or Modi’s assurances, Sirkar noted, adding that the entire political system “is designed to positively attribute to the top.

With the election results due to be announced in early June, the prime minister and the BJP are widely expected to will sail to victory Considering India’s third term weak opposition.

Chatham House’s Bajpayee said a re-elected Modi government would be “even stronger” in pushing for “politically sensitive economic reforms and its more divisive identity-driven agenda”.

in a recent interviews, Exuding confidence, Modi said he wanted to make India the “third economic superpower”, outlining his bold vision.

Carnegie’s Vaishnav added that India’s leader will “flex his muscle” and enact important legislation that strengthens the mandate.

“Modi has already prepared voters’ expectations.”Big change‘Once they’re back in power,” he added.