000-tobecategorised

Narendra Modi’s Populist Facade Is Cracking https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/02/modi-nationalism-demagoguery-limitations/681094/ Robert F. Worth India is now a testing ground for whether demagoguery or deteriorating living conditions exert a greater sway on voters.  India’s growth has been heavily weighted toward the wealthy, who have become exponentially richer on Modi’s watch. Those who have benefited most are a small cadre of billionaire friends to whom Modi has granted special access for years. That practice was cast in a new light in November, when American prosecutors indicted the industrialist Gautam Adani—India’s second-richest man and a close Modi ally—for his role in a multibillion-dollar bribery-and-fraud scheme. (His company has denied the charges, calling them baseless.) The accusation revived fears about opacity and cronyism—the specter of “India Inc.”—that Modi had promised to address a decade ago.

At the same time, eight in 10 Indians live in poverty. Extraordinary numbers are out of work; one estimate puts unemployment among those ages 15 to 24 at more than 45 percent (though other estimates run lower). Instead of moving from farms to seek employment in cities, as people in other developing countries have done, many Indians—unable to find factory or service jobs—are making the trek in reverse, even as farm income stagnates and drought turns fields into deserts. .. What, in the long run, exerts greater sway on the electorate—the lure of demagoguery, or the reality of deteriorating living conditions?

  https://www.navjivanindia.com/opinion/ram-puniyanis-article-the-extent-of-hatred-in-the-country-where-did-the-advices-of-top-leaders-go

SC judge: Divisive rhetoric based on religion big challenge for constitutional ideal of fraternity https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/sc-judge-divisive-rhetoric-based-on-religion-big-challenge-for-constitutional-ideal-of-fraternity-9749377/  

Identity politics, while sometimes empowering marginalised groups, can become harmful when it focuses solely on narrow group interests at the expense of common good, often resulting in “exclusion, discrimination, and conflict,” he said.

“Divisive rhetoric creates mistrust among communities, leading to the spread of stereotypes and misunderstandings. These tensions can escalate into social unrest. Moreover, when political leaders use social identities for electoral gains, it deepens these divisions, making it harder to build a collective sense of belonging,” the judge added.

Justice Mishra also called for a “multi-faceted approach” to promote fraternity effectively, involving collaborative efforts of lawmakers, civil society and technology. “Laws should be crafted not just to protect rights but to ensure social cohesion and address systemic inequalities. By prioritising these values, the legal framework of the nation can provide the foundation for a society built on fraternity,” he said.