The 900 million electorates in India have already made their choice. It will be revealed on 23 May .The choice is not a strong leader or a splinter political groups joined to deliver to 30 millions poor Indians who cannot afford two squre meal a day ,educate their children or go to a doctor when they are sick .
Furthermore , despite the political rhetoric to make India a great power, India ranks lowest in ranks in World Index as the happy people and even lowest as freedom of the press .
The environmental concern have been completely neglected and such an urgent problem has been disdained, scientific voice that the time is running out ,it is already too late only eleven years are at our disposal to save the planet have been ignored during the last five years of the Modi rule .
Modi ' Bhakti ' culture is vacuous,pernicious and irrelevant for a science or even scientific temper .At best is is divisive, autocratic ,anti-democratic and anti-science.
Neo-liberal economic order that India ushered into in 1991 and Modi toes it does not address the burning issues of education , health,ecological concerns and above all the inequality of wealth and opprtunity so brazenly disdained .
Mob -lynching of minority and Dalits have been a new order ,unprecedented , under Modi rule and Modi silence on such incidents only provided support to his party vigilantees .
May 23 will decide the future course of Indian democracy ,secularism or socialistic agenda which are the need of the Nation.
19
Modi will be better served by practicing the tolerance preached by Hinduism, which he purportedly trying to preserve.
Stoking nationalism, turning the clock back on Islamic names are just political gimmicks.
If he delivers on economic progress, building infrastructure and weeding out corruption, then his brand of Hindu values will be respected. Otherwise he'll be just another right wing politician who uses religion to win elections. Hinduism is about practice, not beliefs.
12
I find it quite interesting that many in Pakistan actually support the reelection of Modi. In their calculus, it has been determined that India creating rifts within its own society via Hindu nationalism and communalism benefits Pakistan as fissures are created within India society and animus between the various communities is deepened. The more fissures that are created, the weaker India's identity becomes. India at this point is indeed looking like Hindustan, and the idea that India ever referred to a single nation rather than a geographical entity continues to dissipate.
It's only a matter of time until Kashmir explodes again as a result of this wave of antagonistic Hindu nationalism. Judging from India's recent performace against Pakistan I'd wage that the future security situation in Kashmir and against Pakistan doesn't bode well for India. The Bollywood theater that the world witnessed as India botched an airstrike in Pakistan and only ended up getting two of its own planes shot down and a pilot captured doesn't at all demonstrate Modi's muscularity, only his ineptitude.
3
Modi can't be compared to Trump or other strong men. Most Indians want a less corrupt government. The Congress party was rife with corruption and they pandered to minority religions and let them have special rights that were not compatible with equal rights or democracy. Modi is seen as someone who is not corrupt (although he bungled a number of policies especially demonization). In spite of some of his incompetency many Indians including the educated support him because the alternative is unthinkable.
20
I find it quite interesting that many in Pakistan actually support the reelection of Modi. In their calculus, it has been determined that India creating rifts within its own society via Hindu nationalism and communalism benefits Pakistan as fissures are created within India society and animus between the various communities is deepened. The more fissures that are created, the weaker India's identity becomes. India at this point is indeed looking like Hindustan, and the idea that India ever referred to a single nation rather than a geographical entity continues to dissipate.
It's only a matter of time until Kashmir explodes again as a result of this wave of antagonistic Hindu nationalism. Judging from India's recent performace against Pakistan I'd wage that the future security situation in Kashmir and against Pakistan doesn't bode well for India. The Bollywood theater that the world witnessed as India botched an airstrike in Pakistan and only ended up getting two of its own planes shot down and a pilot captured doesn't at all demonstrate Modi's muscularity, only his ineptitude.
2
I find it quite interesting that many in Pakistan actually support the reelection of Modi. In their calculus, it has been determined that India creating rifts within its own society via Hindu nationalism and communalism benefits Pakistan as fissures are created within India society and animus between the various communities is deepened. The more fissures that are created, the weaker India's identity becomes. India at this point is indeed looking like Hindustan, and the idea that India ever referred to a single nation rather than a geographical entity continues to dissipate.
It amuses me to see the trolls here expound on Modi as a poor man's candidate. Modi, along with his cohots the Ambani's have looted the county for billions of dollars-Reliance group has been conducting illegal mining in various regions in India-destroying villages, forest, wildlife. Modi has a criminal past and the largest number of criminals in a political party award also goes to his party. What pakistan could not do for years, Modi has succeeded in doing-i.e. dividing people within India-the effects will be seen in years to come. Also he has collected goons from each corner of the cities including criminals-Hindus are right now encouraging that, thinking they are against Muslims but sooner or later these goons will come after you, your wife, daughter on the street-because they will have the political backing to do so. Indians have not lived under a dictator, but soon you will.
11
I would list both Modi's positives and negatives just like any human being.
Modi's Positives
1. Strong Muscular personality showing India as Strong on global stage.
2. Nationalist
3. Humble Beginnings & Hard Worker
4. Religiously Proud (no Shame in being Hindu)
5. Focus on Economy and Eagerness to make India strong
6. Smart, Tactical politician who knows voters sentiments
7. Tough and Persistent to achieve his goal to make India stronger and powerful.
8. Sincere to make India strong!
Modi's Negatives:
1. Hindu nationalist to the extent of suppressing Minorities - Banning beef one example
2. Strokes religious sentiments to win elections
3. Proud Hindu to the extent of suppressing identity of minorities. Changing muslim names of streets.
4. Strokes war and religious sentiments to harness votes
5. Changing India from a secular to Hindu state where Hindus are superior in every walk and minorities are harassed.
6. Suppress minorities like in Kashmir to the extent of taking away their due rights , again showing image of a muscular religious leader.
Based on above, the formula really works with Hindu background voters who were tired of Congress corrupt govt and feel more proud under Modi's rule seeing India stronger and powerful. However very fabric of tolerance of Indian society is at stake.
I have both lot of respect for his strengths and criticism for his right wing policies.
5
@Zee
Please read articles on how the so-called secular parties play religious minority appeasement to get votes. One has to look only at WB, where people are not allowed to do Durga Puja just because it fell on the same day as Muharram. I bet you didn't hear about this because, its a Hindu Festival. Also, Kashmir has a special status conferred by article 370 and it has a Muslim majority population. SO the minority there is the Hindu population which faced mass exodus during the late 1980s.
Does he stoke religious sentiments of Hindus? Yes absolutely. Does every other party do it in some form or the other like the Samajwadi party for Yadavs and BSP for Dalits, AIMM for Muslim league, DMK for Tamils, TDP for Telugu speaking people, Shiv Sena for Marathi people? Yes absolutely. The truth is Indian political parties have always divided India in the form of linguistic/caste beliefs.
15
@Zee I would question the whole base of his strengths as it excludes EVERYBODY who doesn't believe what he believes. It's the typical case of an uneducated mind.
He is not Hindu, he is hindutva. A Hindu accepts others.
He has also used economy as a fig leaf for promoting his hindutva beliefs.
We will see about voter sentiments in two days.
He would be good IF he treated all Indians as the same. No point wishing.
There WILL NEVER BE a 'Strong' India without willing social cohesion. He will make it so 'strong', it will break with a snap.
If he persists with his actions, there's nobody else to blame if you see violence FAR worse than 1992/93 with the Bombay blasts etc.
2
@Zee I'm an atheist & I love Modi. It has nothing to do with religion, regardless of how hard media wants to push the narrative.
People simply love that he's incorruptible, hardworking & has vision for India
21
While drawing a parallel to Trump is unavoidable by the untrained eye, the unmet need in India is quite different. India needs a clean government that weeds out corruption, inefficiency and layers of bureaucracy that are not prevalent to the same extent in the US. And that is where Modi shines, with no alternative in sight for India. None at all.
Like with anything else of such magnitude and influence, there is no gainsaying the many unintended consequences. What you describe as a ‘messier democracy’ is essentially anarchy, and would cause the nation to regress to a time when kickbacks and jobbery were the unstated norm. It is not a viable alternative.
20
One of the key points this article fails to mention is the utter incompetence of the Congress party. While founded on principles of secularism by a British educated Nehru, the party has largely asked the people to vote for the Gandhi dynasty.
Even in this election cycle - the congress party has nothing more to offer to the Indian citizen than another Gandhian entering politics.
Hindus and Muslims alike in India for the most part just want to get along and go to work to support their families. PM Modi offers a better promise of that than the alternatives.
19
It is wrong and deeply insulting to Jawaharlal Nehru to cast him as an autocrat. When he was elected as the youngest president of the Indian National Congress during the pre-independence period, he wrote an anonymous editorial in a newspaper questioning whether he himself was deserving of such a rapid raise up the party's ranks! During India's first general election campaign, he refrained from criticizing opposition leaders while urging people to pay attention to fair criticism directed towards him and his government by opposition leaders. During India's war with China in the 60's, he was willing to patiently address criticism of the conduct of the war by a young member of parliament, A.B. Vajpayee, who decades later became India's prime minister himself. I challenge the authors or readers to cite the instance of a single democratically elected leader of a major nation who has conducted himself/herself thus when their nation was at war. That Indian democracy was able to survive the dark period of the Emergency imposed by his daughter Indira Gandhi, and, will hopefully survive the much more sinister jingoistic nationalism perpetrated by the current dispensation, owes, in no small measure to Nehru's leadership, character and vision.
10
@RK - Perhaps if Primer Minister Nehru paid attention to the war rather than answer Vajpayee the outcome might have been different?
Okay, I get your notion on Nehru and folks do make decisions given their immediate circumstances. But it was not Nehru that defined India - when you go to the villages where most of India lives, the real India, not the few English speaking ones, the essence of a family oriented culture that lives for its future generation rather than itself is what preserved and will preserve the nation. Despite ruthless assaults, Indians and Indianness persists, not because of any one or few prime ministers - it's the concept. Consider the native populations of the Americas - quite advanced they were too - but now decimated.
4
@AK
I did not say Nehru defines India as you claim. I said Indian democracy's strong foundations are a credit to Nehru. Perhaps you will read first before you pontificate.
4
Many similarities, very intriguing and amusing. One simple difference, however, that Trump is a coward, Modi is not.
11
Modi is a smoke and mirror leader.
Most of his achievements are imaginary.
He campaigned strongly on his attack
against Pakistan. Reportedly it caused
no significant damage there. However,
He painted a picture of Pakistan squirming by his muscular policy. This
six minutes raid was turned into sixty days of campaign issue. His brutality against Kashmiris is mindboggling. Arbitrary arrests, torture and shooting hasn't dampened the struggle of Kashmiris waging. Every sensible Indian leader who talked to kashmiris reckons a political solution. Modi is bent on using military excessively which has clealry aggravated the problem.Wish
India well if Mr. Modi really gets another
five years. Hope democracy, rule of
law, independence of institutions
and secularism survive, doubtful it is
though.
4
@s.khan More likely to survive than in the US but that's not saying much. If you follow Indian election trends, they always go back to Congress to clean up the mess. Congress is far more perfect - India as a country is also far from perfect but this is the only model that will work short of going full China which I don't see happening in India.
2
@s.khan
Rest assured, not only will Modi advance India into a superpower but will address the Kashmir issue - just as soon as the failed nation of Pakistan (how many years of military rule?) stops sponsoring Islamic terrorism.
13
Both Modi and Trump got elected because of backlash from population groups disgusted with elitism and business as usual. The similarity ends there.They reflect the weakness of opposition .In the case of Modi the political opponents pander to casteism and support religious groups in name of secularism.The main party Congress has not been able to nurture talent and bring leaders other than from dynasty
14
I am offended that the writer has the audacity to call Modi India's Trump. Unlike Trump, Modi's personal and public morals as well as ethics are impeccable.
The left-right divide of the US does not apply in countries like India. It is lazy analysis to fit Indian politics into this box.
For the first time, in Modi, India has a leader who is worthy of admiration and trust - because he puts the country's interests first.
40
What is wrong with the people's mandate. he won it fair and square. Are you trying to say that a half a billion people are wrong and this writer is right?
Get over it. Respect the verdict.
51
@Suresh He does not say it's not fair. He's remarking on the values and directions.
3
@Suresh Only 31% voted for Modi at his peak - i.e. 69% voted against him. And that was when he lied about development for all. Let's see what happens on 23rd.
4
There are two big elephants in the room. First, there is a lethargy that sets in the morale of nations that prevents progress. Second, the great divide between the rich and poor.
Modi and Trump, empower their respective nations, by offering solutions to these two problems. Modi has elevated the pride of being Indian to dizzy heights. He is awakening a slumbering nation, empowering them to dream of amazing futures. This is an outstanding achievement, one that deserves more mention than his toilet building. Trump has done the same, energized a disheartened illiterate population and empowered them to be bold. He has encouraged a stagnant population to dream of marching backward, to a seemingly safe place.
The second point is the rift between the rich and poor. Both have done a fantastic job of addressing, at the level of the blue collar worker, their fears. Modi, with creating a perception of fighting corruption, has created an imaginary equality of wealth. Trump has done this using China and immigration, to show his base that, by electing him, they can tweak the future of nations and desperate people. Both are impotent solutions, but the voting base seems keen to believe in the cool aid being served.
The end result in both nations, a rise in right wing, fascist, ideologies.
Perhaps those at the leading edge of our evolving world best pay attention to bridging the rift in money and knowledge. Else our world will be once again beset by kings and tyrants.
7
Modi strikes as more of a Hindu Mike Pence. He is a rigid unltra orthodox Hindu with little if any regard for religious minorities. He believes the constitutional protection of freedom of religion in India was a mistake and similarly also the equal rights protections in the constitution of the Dalits aka the "untouchables."
Another difference with trump is Modi is intelligent and even though both are right wing autocrats, Modi won't make the unforced errors that Trump makes routinely.
10
@Eric Eitreim
Excellent analysis. Spot on.
@Eric Eitreim
Suggest you learn a little about the history of India and particularly Narendra Modi.
6
Modi is his own man.
He is no Trump, Erdogan, Orban, or Morrison. He proudly claims Vivekananda as his model whose statue he keeps in his office. Contrary to some journalists' opinions, he did not campaign against Muslims or against any other religious group. His alleged divisiveness is a figment of imagination of armchair journalists who have not talked to people in the streets. They are repeating opinions of biassed others.
Modi tirelessly campaigned for progress for all and against previous ineffective, dishonest, and hugely corrupt leaders who have been inventing, as a counteroffensive, false lies about him. Rahul Gandhi, especially, and who himself is out on bail for fraud, has been calling him choice names including a “chor” (thief) for months. The more he repeated this imaginary false slogan, the less people believed him.
The opposition never mentioned the accomplishments of Modi, of which there are many, but persistently sabotaged his initiatives just as the Republicans sabotaged Obama's initiatives.
His opposition is selfish, corrupt, and angry, wallowing in their jealousy and hatred for a man who rose from a poor family in a village to become the Prime Minister of India. They contemptuously called him Neech (lowly or low caste). Modi is no Uriah Heep. He speaks the most elegant Hindi, not matched by any other Indian leader.
If Modi can be compared with any other world leader, I would compare him with Barack Obama, not Trump.
48
Yeah, why stop the comparison at Obama, take it to Gandhi and then to God. Easy to sit in California and preach about the virtues Modi has. I live in India and I experience the hatred he spread tearing apart my India, there is no conversation around in India without it being about Hindu and Muslim. He has damaged the secular fabric of India to an irreparable degree. And how dare you say that he did not polarise the voters in this election, didn't he and his right hand man Amit Shah say that Rahul Gandhi is fighting from a Pakistan-esque Muslim majority district.
I had thought a bit of discrimination against Indians in the Trump times would have made the Indians sitting in the US realize that dictators and nationalist leaders are not good but alas! We are all hypocrite at the end of the day.
4
@ALM of course he had nothing to do with the Muslim massacres in Gujarat. You obviously exist in an alternate reality to the rest of us.
3
Nonsense. Trump and Modi are far apart. One grew up in poverty other in palace. Both may be politically right but do not forget, he has still kept government owned business as is. His party believes to give opportunity to all without any regard of caste and religion. I subscribed to it. He does not want to rob Paul(high caste Hindu) to pay Peter(Muslim). What he wanted is to increase economic pie of India so everyone can share better life against congress plan to keep pie same(Keep India poor) and keep taking from majority community to feed minority community purely for political reasons. People want change.
22
It's the economy, stupid - pure and simple.
The choice was between the less-corrupt, more-efficient (though less than wholesome on sociological scale) people who got things done over the past 5 years (and 5 years under AB Vajpayee), and the corrupt, evil, do-nothings (though with a tiny bit higher sociological score) who nearly bankrupted India in every possible way.
So, people held their noses and guess who they chose!
18
@Amadeus Bach" (though less than wholesome on sociological scale) " That is a very generous way to state wholesale divisiveness.
2
I understand the need of even sophisticated Western newspapers to reduce the complexity of Indian society, history and politics to something very simple that its readers, who are by and large ignorant of most things about India, can digest . But this analysis was ridiculously simplistic. To compare him to the shallow vainglorious Trump is risible but to dismiss him as another right wing populist borders on slander. To create the false impression that he is responsible for the harassment of minority communities is a monumental failure to understand how limited the power of the Prime Minister of India is not only under the constitution but even in the bully pulpit. In no speech has he called on Hindus to attack Muslims or Christians. Hindu extremists have ignored his calls to cease their attacks on other Indians. Muslim fundamentalists continue to make demands for special privileges which are antithetical to a modern society and Christian missionaries continue to entice poor Indians to convert. For centuries Hindus took it lying down; now they are fighting back . The forces unleashed are beyond Modi's control . However, like all Indian prime ministers he carries the burden of lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty and by all accounts he has done a better job tnan his predecessors.
51
@Kishore
The GDP growth rate was higher under Manmohan Singh. Modi has been a disappointment. He had the mandate for large scale privatization (a necessity in India where public sector companies are looted by the bureaucrats and politicians).
5
@Sandeep - the Inflation has been much lower. The nest growth percent is much higher. Please do check the facts.
3
Very well said !Thanks !
"At the same time, Mr. Modi, 68, is widely accused of dividing his own people, pitting religious and social communities "
Nehru started the division. He was an 'accidental' Hindu by his own admission. He was very concerned about Hindus reasserting themselves.
The Indian National Congress' idea of India was to rule by dividing the Hindu vote (caste/ideology/language and region) while consolidating Muslim votes and they succeeded brilliantly for 60 years.
But every such strategy has a shelf life. The sell by date has arrived. Modi is uniting Hindus and non-Muslims and awakening them to their rights.
You don't like the majority will? Get a King or benevolent dictator.
'Managed (by the elite) democracy' is wishful inking
13
@Cosby
Nehru was scared of Hindus who wanted India to be a Hindu version of Pakistan. Thank God he succeeded in stopping them.
7
NYT has its heroes and Villains. Trump and Modi fall into the second category. Just like in fiction, the villains are shown in bad light and the opposition to them is glorified. Speaking of Indian Opposition parties ( 21+), the article doesn't describe much about them and why people prefer Modi over an opportunistic alliance of parties whose sole agenda is to keep BJP away from Power. Each of the prominent leaders of this so called United Progressive Alliance (UPA) opposing Modi is well known for either their corruption, Dynastic politics, Mafia like dictatorial governance (Mamata Banerjee), Identity politics, etc. Many of these guys, including Mr. Sharad Pawar, the brilliant but opportunist profiteer politician, has amassed massive wealth and land in India and abroad for themselves and their families. People in India have experienced series of coalition Governments, last one under the leadership of Congress where multiple parties and their leaders only sought their personal interests, resulting in constant infighting, policy paralysis and corruption. Like Trump, Modi is also a product of his time and those who are blaming him as being a strongman themselves have much to answer for their pasts and styles of Governance.
17
I am not Indian, but I love India and have visited for business and spiritual reasons many times. So forgive me for an outsider opinion, but I see no similarity between Trump and Modi --for one thing Modi really is making inroads on cleaning up the corruption intrinsic to India politics and business. Instead Trump has filled his administration with corrupt and immoral people. NYT--your comparison is an insult and not worthy of your stature. I think you need more reporters with more balance when it comes to India. Why not cover some of the many positive accomplishments of Modi's administration? PS--Modi has a very long way to go to be considered 'far right'.
59
@KtInLA This notion of corruption is ridiculous. The corruption is the same in all Indian government offices as before plus Modi has awarded lucrative government contracts to his cronies (e.g. Rafale). Most of all his ideology is corrupted with filthy hatred for non-Hindus. If these things aren't corrupt or immoral, what is?
8
If there were "mobs killing muslims" as you wrote, one would have heard about them since 2014. There has been no such reporting.
Gettleman used materials written by the haters of Indian government in the press. What a shame
About 65% of the voters voted over a span of 40 days. This amounts to about 585 million people who showed up and voted. Indian elections are colorful, energetic & celebrated widely. All these are signs of a dynamic democracy. A fascist would never allow elections and would keep the minorities out.
Modi has been projected as anti minority, but in fact, his policies have benefited the minorities (also the poorest) . In the 5 years, he got 100 million toilets built, provided access to cooking gas for the poorest, got them bank accounts, provided them with healthcare, got the river Ganga cleaned up. With Adhar card and mobile banking he has cut out the middlemen who were siphoning the government funds while the poor were getting nothing. Those middle men in India are quite influential and started
Of course there is a lot of work ahead, jobs for people being a top priority
Whether he wins or not (we will know in 3 days from the time of writing this) he will leave an indelible mark.
With false reporting like this, no wonder the man in 1600 Pennsylvania Ave calls NYT a generator of "Fake news"
28
@The Gray American Perhaps you want to say that to the families of Muslims killed by mobs since 2014? Start with Mohd Akhlaq lynched in 2015 for supposedly eating beef. India is a joke under Modi.
5
@Outspoken
Considering that 160,000 homicides have taken place in India since 2015, I think using a single point extrapolation to describe 1,300,000,000 people is uncalled for. Unless one is a Pakistani/Khalistani, where selective news items are taken to fit into a projection of India as an intolerant country.
12
I would say Modi incites adulation among his core supporters like Trump, is a religious zealot like Mike Pence, is an economic moderate like Bill Clinton and a charismatic statesman like Obama.
4
@HSN You mean an economic ILLITERATE (demonetization). And the charisma was well on display on the ONE "press conference" he held a few days ago. What a joke.
4
@Outspoken - Demonitizaion was to crush the illegal printing presses printing Indian currency. I don't think you have the ability to understand simple facts.
5
@Ash 99% of the su-called black money that was supposed to be eliminated by demonetization is back in circulation. And India lost 2% of GDP growth.
Demonetization was an abject policy failure.
4
Here we go again.
The bad evil Modi is back again to destroy secularism!
i guess India was perfect until 5 years back?
Think why so many NY Times reading, moderate people of Indian origin continue to be amazed at how one-sided your coverage is!
There must be a reason why the Muslim vote share for the BJP has gone up as per the exit polls.
22
Modi is NOT Trump...the comparison is absolutely without merit, and the pundits who make such comparisons don't know what they are talking about Unlike Trump, Modi has worked his way ground up, learning organizations politics and policy over 40 yers a he worked his way up from a precinct-level organizer, and just before his victory as PM, as highly prized Governor of Gujarati, a relatively prosperous state. Modi has no family and totally disinterested in accumulating wealth for himself or anyone close to him....he is a true, 100% original Indian leader, and Indians are rightly proud of his leadership....
25
He is worse than Trump.
He has the blood of innocents on his hands .
He is an illiterate tea vendor who thrives on sectarianism and makes promises he cannot keep.
He is uneducated,illiterate but cunning and cruel.
Yeah, he is worse than Trump.
6
NYT reporters present a overly simplistic view of Indian Elections, and only point they have is Modi wins because he is part of extreme right wing movement sweeping across the world. My guess is because this is easiest story to sell to NYT.
Modi is a populist who, where possible, take benefit of Indian's religious sentiments, there is on doubt about that. But most people vote for him, apart from his leadership qualities, because his primary opponent is Rahul Gandhi, whose only credential is he was born in Nehru-Gandhi family. People don't want to get looted by Nehru-Gandhi family anymore.
A more worthy opponent would have beaten Modi this time.
20
Masculinity vs masculinity. Nationalism vs nationalism. Zero sum. If you win, I lose. All of this is a pretext to war and/or genocide. Obviously evolution is a lie, or has ceased to exist with regard to humans. Testosterone rules.
6
@Mark Smith Better if the world were ruled by Angela Merkel. We will miss her.
1
@Outspoken
Or by Indira Gandhi. The second female head of state in the world. One of the longest reigning too, until she was assassinated.
3
A product of Veer Savarkar's RSS, Modi is a determined and a disciplined soldier.Toilet building has been his major achievement in addition to polarizing different communities and more recently installing a fundamentalist Hindu as a chief minister of the largest state in the union. I have spent few months in India every year for the past 5 years and have observed India losing gains made over the past 50 years in its religious and social harmony. Hindu vigilantes have increasingly attacked the very secular fabric of India. Muslim and Christian communities are the main targets of their verbal and physical assault. Scores of journalists have been tortured and murdered. Violence on the whole is rising. There has been little dent in corruption. Demonetization had terrible effect on the poor and small businesses. In the last election political parties including BJP sold tickets to candidates for millions of rupees. Opposition parties with their own history of corruption and inept governments have been no better moral force. Public has known their dynastic history of politics and corruption. One third of all the candidates have been charged or convicted of major crimes including murder. Every opposition party has its own prime ministerial candidate. They are all self centered. I will not be surprised if India is thrown in to a continued sectarian chaos for the next 5 years. If that happens, the opposition can only blame itself for its selfish tribal interest
20
@Yogi Upadhyay I lost you at 'Veer Savarkar's RSS'. A bit of history lesson would be useful. Also, please name one journalist who was tortured and murdered by a BJP led government.
9
@Rahul
Rahul Ji
If you were a little more objective you will know who Savarkar was and in fact Modi Ji has his portrait hanging some where in his office and I am not blaming BJP or Modi but during the past 5 years more journalists have been killed than in past 25 years in India
6
Gauri Lankesh? Or are you going to say Modi himself did not direct the assassination so she does not count.
7
Two simple measures say all that the Modi government is about: caste oriented violence, sanctioned violence against poor Muslims. Violence, disunity and the promotion of one the vilest of all practitioners of any religion: caste Hindus backed by Brahminism. Centuries of oppression, violence and superstition has been promoted through Brahminism, the main force in allowing Islamization (much better in comparison to Brahminism) that India saw and the subsequent colonization (yes, very horrible). Now this force solidifies power. This institution parallels slavery in the US, apartheid in South Africa and the Jim Crow South, colonialism and lastly the German Nazis.
The government is also incompetent and corrupt to the core. It has no understanding of economics as demonstrated through the disastrous demonetization and purposeful distortion of unemployment and GDP figures. Gujarat was a backward country under Modi, far under-performing in gradient measure in regards to human development compared to Bihar and Orissa, two of the poorest state. Investment figures were essentially lies. And this lie also was not that impressive.
As an ethnic Indian, I stand in ethnic shame.
22
@Arnab Acharya
Looks the one of the few Indians who are ashamed . Typical of ill informed and blinded by anti Modi views . To read BJP or Modi as anti Muslim is the basic blunder most so called liberal intelligentsia is making . It is basically a vote for anti appeasement and pampering of minorities . As far as economic decisions go , there have not been more bolder structural reforms in India than Modi government’s.
25
@Arnab Acharya Thank you. You have articulately summarised the disastrous situation India is now in. It is a tragedy.
8
@Arnab Acharya
You forget that independent India banned caste or religious discrimination. Unlike the USA, which took 180 years after independence to ban discrimination, and allow minorities to vote. India allowed all citizens to vote in 1947.
India has 8 religions, all treated equally (each one has a public holiday in India). In the western world, only Christian holidays are public holidays. Even Jewish holidays are not.
14
The technologies of the Disinformation Age Trump liberal democracy.
The internet's destructiveness has consisted in amplifying the very powers that had long been taken to be the bedrock of liberal democracy - - notably free speech - - to the point of Ochlocracy. Billions of people now have a sort of free speech, in the sense that they have the power to say more or less whatever they want to say (also to hear exclusively what they want to hear). But they have this power in a new and mutated form, where it is disconnected from any obviously binding standard of Truth, or any expectation that it will be deployed for the purpose of sincere communication. This new speech only seems free, moreover, in that it appears to flow directly from the desire of the speaker (or writer, or tweeter). It is channeled by algorithms along pathways where it is practically guaranteed not to bring any more light to anyone regarding the subject of interest, rather to reinforce group solidarity in an online community --- or to accost and attack outsiders to that group, usually by means of ad hominems and in total ignorance of the past few millennia's efforts to lay down rules for the avoidance of informal fallacies and the structure of civil debate.
As long as citizens cling to their electronic, epistemic silos and believe democratic citizenship has attained its full realization in an unending online Twittterwar, the future of democracy is in Doubt...
1
"Does it want a dominating leader who keeps a tight grip on power? Or would it be happier with a messier but more freewheeling coalition government?" I'd put it somewhat differently. Which is more likely to win, something or nothing? The BJP presents a coherent message. The opposition is fractionalized, so the overall impression is of white noise. What outcome would you expect?
8
In the NYT's last article on India, I wrote a comment that its reporters mostly conduct interviews in northern India. Times reports also do not write all the facts on India. So, this time, the Times quoted a professor from Kerala University of Kerala state, located in the southwest of India.
Another issue is that Times did not mention about the violence against the Indian Christians; it often quotes only the violence against the Muslims.
Modi has few supporters in Kerala, which is known as the most advanced state in India; so, he did not provide much financial aid to this state, even when the state had a severe flood damage in 2018. When the UAE was willing to provide financial assistance for the flood victims in Kerala, Modi successfully blocked it.
However, when there was floods in other southern states, he was quick in providing millions of rupees; for example, to Karnataka, another southern Indian state, assuming that he would get more votes than from Kerala.
4
@Mbr
Nonsense. Get your facts right
3
Under Modi's Raj, Mahatma Gandhi's murderer is now venerated as a hero and Gandhi himself downgraded as a national figure!
It was the RSS who plotted Gandhi's murder because of their anti-Muslim/Pakistan agenda.
Modi's BJP has its origins in the RSS and enjoys its patronage.
4
Blind worshi of Mahatma has been a disaster. It is time to reexamine his legacy objectively.
1
I love India. And given all it's problems, it's absolutely mind-boggling - in a good way - that they can manage an election with close to a billion people participating. Can't wait to see the results!
9
A lot of western readers get biased upfront because Modi is defined as a 'Nationalistic or a right wing' leader. Technically that is true. But it seems to be complicated.
For many educated, liberal Indians, Nationalism doesn't mean being Anti-Muslim. Or Anti-minority. It is about India first.
It doesnt allow for identity politics which the Congress indulged in.
The Congress party-a Liberal secular party which ruled India for >50 years, left the country hobbled. Other nations as old as India went on to becomes South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. But we still cant feed our own people, thanks to institutional corruption and dynastic rule.
People have chosen Modi, because they absolutely hate the alternate. The Alternate has let them down, time and again.
15
Modi's slogan: "Make Hindu(stan) Great Again"!!
@Jay
vs what in the opposition? Make the dynasty great again?
7
"In Hungary, Viktor Orban demonized immigrants and secured an expansion of his power. In Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan purged his enemies and won a new term. In Australia, Scott Morrison shrugged off calls for tougher carbon-emissions rules and was unexpectedly kept on as leader."
Interestingly, two WASP countries were not mentioned: Britain, where the same sentiments passed Brexit, and the USA, which elected Trump.
16
Modi is an effective public speaker. He is well informed about his country’s history and world affairs. Modi lives an austere life and works hard. Modi had humble beginnings. Modi is much better than other politicians in Indian election.
Trump has none of the above qualifications.
28
Print this article in a mainstream indian newspaper and one would realize how deeply flawed a comparison of Modi to Trump is. Many of the educated liberal votes in the US did not vote for Trump whereas Modi enjoys the support of many educated liberal Indians. Trump was born in a wealthy family and Modi the opposite. Trump and outright liar, an impetuous person with his food in his mouth, a corrupt businessman, none of these qualities identify Modi. Does the author know what the Congress party governing was like, how corrupt the party ? What are Rahul Gandhi's qualification other than being the grandson of Nehru dynasty, how much has he lived in poverty or amongst the common Indian man/woman to understand what there needs are ? Trump literally rigged the elections, Modi had a resounding victory in a fair election- the largest democratic feat that Indians successfully complete every 5 years. To compare Modi with right wing populists couldn't be further from the truth. India has always been a secular state albeit with hiccups marred by communalism, feeded by narrow minded politicians and criminal thugs. Any leader who would practice religious discrimination or turn Indian into anything but a secular state would be ousted in the elections-despite its many flaws, and its corruption, India is a democracy and this article gross underestimates the intelligence of the Indian voter.
32
Simply put, Modi is a fascist. And that's why he is adored by his Hindu followers who resent the past history of India having been ruled by the Muslims and the English. But past cannot be changed. How long will he be able to harp on the " victimhood " of Indian Hindus? He has to provide food, shelter, education, employment and health facilities to the teeming Indians and he has not been able to do that so far. Instead he is distracting the Indian population towards a grandiose ' shiny " Indian image ,a Bollywood type fantasy than the reality of q poor , sick, violent, and unemployed India !
9
@Syed Abdulhaq
In other words, he wants to convert India to a Hindu version of Pakistan!
5
@Syed Abdulhaq
No, Modi is not a fascist, as you try to brand him, as do all the Modi haters .
He has won every election handsomely, and he has ensured that elections (nationwide- statewide & the city/ village level) are held on time, His party did lose a few elections and he graciously conceded the defeat, and publicly too. And he lost them thanks to low turn out, thanks to the "Fatwas" issued by a the muslim clerics, & similar Sunday sermons by the christian churches/ missionaries
There are factual, true things happening out there, and then on the other hand is the version of mis-truth that this writer wrote & finally there is your opinion, guided by emotions & false , misleading reporting .
12
Thanks for the label " fascist " ! That explains everything about Modi and India !
1
Ah, I see the usual insecure Indians criticizing the anti-Hindu nature of the author and article and Western imperialism blah blah. Putting such rubbish aside, Modi is the most uneducated and uncivilized PM India has ever had, and it shows.
Unfortunately, he has latched on to big emotional themes that the sex-skewed uneducated populous Hindi belt care about. A return to a fake historical narrative of a monolithic Hinduism that was "great" once upon a time, which ignores inconvenient facts. It's a proxy to legitimize hate against those who hold non-Hindu beliefs.
There is ZERO chance that India will prosper while treating 200 million of its own citizens as second class. Meanwhile, India is in for very troubling times while the jingoistic prey on the insecurity of those who vote for them.
11
@Outspoken
Rajiv would take the prize for least educated. If not him, then Sonia, who truly was the one in power during the last administration. From what's understood she was taking an intro English language course when she met Rajiv.
Narendra Modi does not have the elitist Doon school education topped off with an expensive overseas degree. This is galling to many elitists in India. For the majority of Indians, it's a reason why he is respected; he came from nothing and he has reached the pinnacle of power. There, he is beholden to enrich no one, family or friend.
13
@BJ
Manmohan Singh was poor, and very well educated. Narasimha Rao was poor, and spoke 16 languages.
As for Rajiv Gandhi, he was a far better human being than a politician. He died for protecting India's interests, and so did his mother. Modi hasn't had to make those sacrifices.
5
@Outspoken
Well ,, those 200 million have benefited the most from his administration. - This is a fact, like it or not.
The previous regime treated the "200 million" as special, while doing nothing for them, nor for the rest.
5
The comparison between Modi and Trump is absolutely on point. The strategy by which both operate is (a) consolidate the majority by demonizing and dehumanizing the minority, (b) destroy traditional institutions such as the police, the bureaucracy, and use them for political gains, (c) eliminate the traditional, unbiased media and vettable press conferences, (d) use Twitter and organize social media groups to conduct infowars, (e) saber rattle against neighboring countries, (f) promote himself as a panacea for every problem, (g) dog whistles to promote violence against minorities, and (h) personally ridicule and dismantle previous administration policies.
In fact the similarity is almost eerie.
7
@jen
COMPLETELY DISAGREE!
there is no comparison between India and any other country and hence no comparison with Modi and any other leader.
1. Modi was a poor tea seller on railway platform. It is a glowing example of Indian democracy and BJP party which allowed him to become the Beloved leader of India.
2. You have to go back thousands of years to understand that Hindus, in spite of being majority are still victims in their own country.
3. Yet, Hindus voted Modi, because of his religion or ideology. But because of his development agenda. Show us one opposition leader who can do better than him.
to answer your points -
(a) It is other way round - Hindus are victims of propaganda and bias and ISIS is freely establishing in India.
(b) Mamata benargy is running separate county in W. Bengal- constitutional breakdown. Congress has his agents in CBI, Judiciory and bureaucracy, who regularly help opposition
(c) Flush with corrupt money opposition bought the media and judiciary also.
(d) Congress party is client of same British Data analytics company that Trump used - Cambridge Analytica Ltd (CA)
(e) Thanks to Modi Finally India is standing up to terror sponsoring Pakistan and bullying of China
(f) None in the opposition can come close Modi's ability to govern complex Indian nation.
(g) Terrorists, Naxalites Maoists are biggest threat to India not splinter groups.
(h) previous govt. created records in corruption.
16
Every time I read an article about Modi in the NYT, my trust in the paper erodes a little.
55
Indians will never allow India to be non-secular. It is in our DNA to be open and tolerant. Obviously there are incidents in the country now where the minority religions have been attacked by groups of Indians who have been wound up by trouble making politicians, no different than what happens in other countries. I agree with one of the readers below that if Congress party can disassociate themselves from the Nehru dynasty and encourage newcomers from among the many smart, young people in the country, they can counter any so called Hindu party concerns and win the votes of a majority.
17
@Sudha Nair I don't think there is anything wrong with Congress Party or Rahul Gandhy of the Nehru family. The issue is appeasing the Muslims for votes.
2
@Mbr While appeasing the Hindus for votes via PR stunts like meditating with saffron robes is cool? And how does it make arithmetic sense to appease a minority for votes while ignoring the majority?
These same old lines have been repeated for years by the painfully brainless wearing saffron underwear.
@Sudha Nair
Totally agree. It's in the Indian DNA, and, may I add, in the Hindu DNA in particular, to be open and tolerant. While there might be isolated incidences of religious violence instigated by political parties, it's amazing to see how 1.3 billion Indians, including the second largest Muslim population in the world, live in peace and harmony.
5
Would Trump be any less odious if he had been born in poverty? I'm sure Trump's fans could come up with all sorts of apologies for him, too, such as his alleged incorruptability.
2
Modi is no Trump and Rahul Gandhi is no Modi.
All reporting so far from NYT suggest that Rahul Gandhi would be a better choice. Mr Gandhi’s only qualification is that he comes from a Gandhi family.
He feels he is entitled for a Prime Ministership. Mr Modi is a far superior leader and will not encourage anti minority feelings. He knows better. Don’t understand why NYT reporters fail to provide a balance view of the Indian political theater.
30
@Eraven
Actually, Mr. Modi has done nothing to stop corrupt ministers who support him. That is far from being superior! Not only has he encouraged anti minority feelings, he has stood by and watched violence again Muslims when he was Gujarat's Chief Minister.
3
@NM
And what about the burning of 60 Hindus which triggered the riots?
Read up. Godhra has a history dating back to 1968 of similar attacks on Hindus
10
As a long time subscriber to the NYT I am disappointed in its coverage of India and its current elections. The writers show an alarming lack of knowledge and nuance around India, its history and pollical parties. To conflate Modi with Trump seems like easy click bait but really demonstrates poor research. Whether you like him or not, Modi rose from poverty and has been consistent in his belief that corruption is at the root of many of India's problems. You can not say this about Trump. There is a good chance the Congress Party will regain its appeal if and when it drops its dynastic politics centered around the Nehru family.
82
@Maya EV Why many people are concerned with Gandhi dynastic politics? The trouble with Congress Party is that is corrupt and it plays vote bank politics, especially appeasing the Muslims for votes.
I don't anything wrong with Rahul Gandhi, if he can fight against the corruption and vote bank politics.
4
@Maya EV
I find the NYT analysis of Nehru very poor too. His "cult of personality" is laughable. Nehru is the main reason India became and stayed a democracy, unlike almost every other colonized country. India is a democracy despite the British, not because of them.
And Nehru ensured this by not subverting the courts, or always answering questions in the Parliament. Many other leaders of freedom movement in Asia and Africa didn't do so, and then government changes came through military coups. Pakistan is a great example of that.
5
This is another one of NYT'S biased article denigrating Indian democracy and The current PM. The author does not know the ground realities and reiles on hearsay and biased and liberal media for his article and jumps to conclusions. GROW up man.
Leading such a large democracy corruption free is itself a big achievement .please visit every state in India before writing an article. I bet the author would not even have stepped beyond NY
DIsappointing and highly biased.
Are you saying 1 billion people in India are fools?
26
@Torontorian I stopped reading at 'corruption free'.
4
@Torontorian
What in particular did you find to be hearsay in this article? Be specific.
1
The author has failed to consider a few critical points which would have equated Trump better to Rahul Gandhi instead of Modi.
1) Ability to ignore facts: Rahul Gandhi has called Modi corrupt without any factual evidence, just like how Trump targeted Hillary.
2) Unrealistic promises: Rahul Gandhi has claimed that his party will give Rs 72,000 to every poor citizen of India. This is false because his party has only promised to conduct a trial run of the 'basic income' model and if successful, to be provided to 20% of the poor citizens. Rahul Gandhi has also claimed that he will start mobile phone factories in many villages which are still reeling under poverty. This is similar to many of the unrealistic promises made by Trump, especially on bringing back jobs.
3) Dynast: Rahul Gandhi's only claim to fame is his lineage, just like Trump. Without that, both would have been complete zeroes.
4) Nepotism: Everything around Rahul Gandhi is driven by nepotism, whether it is his choice of advisors or his party leadership. One of his first key decision (assuming it was his) as party leader was to bring his sister into a key election role. Trump has done the same by inducting Ivanka and Jared into his inner circle.
5) Lack of ideology: There is no coherent ideology behind Rahul Gandhi's politics. While he claims to be working for the poor, he is always surrounded by industrialists, even his close party aides. Trump is not considered a true Republican even by the party.
36
Indian stock market has jumped 70% during Modi's rule. This is most significant and has made great economic impact. Every cloud has a silver lining and this is is the only one I can think of.
Modi was courageous to retaliate against Pakistan. He took big risk and went deep inside Pakistan's airspace. The Congress government failed to retailiate even when Mumbai was attacked and 165 killed.
For the first time since independence, the US and the West supported India against Pakistan when Modi retaliated.
Even China failed to support Pakistan, instead called for end to terrorism. During Modi's rule, China has not provoked India as it did during Manmohan Singh's watch.
The biggest achievement of Modi is President Trump has offered "closest ally" relationship to India on a part with the U.K. and allowed India to transfer 100% of all U.S.technologies. We know the modern warfare is won by latest technologies. Modi has maintained India's good credit rating. If he can win with absolute majority Modi can transform India into a modern India by taking bold decisions.
17
@Ven Parameswaran
And the Indian stock market jumped over 500 percent in Manmohan Singh's tenure.
As for victory against Pakistan, only Indira Gandhi actually delivered that.
The pivot to the USA was under Narasimha Rao's tenure. He took far bolder decisions that Modi. So did Vajpayee when he did the nuclear test. So did Manmohan SIngh when he signed the nuclear treaty with the USA.
2
I have been going to India since 1980 when the economy was closed and there were only two car models to choose between: Ambassador and Contessa.
The corruption of Indian government at every level under the Congress Party has been legendary. Anyone trying to move through the bureaucracy was expected to provide a 'paperweight' of cash to secure their documents progress.
I give Modi great credit for his attempts to reign in the vast troves of underground currency that has been the stock and trade of Indian life. And for his attempt to bring a better quality of life to the people of India.
Spare me the idea that he is an Indian Trump. NYT let's be a little less superficial, please.
110
@Chris The "corruption" is very much alive and kicking in the last few years, especially at lower levels in the bureaucracy; it's accepted as part of getting anything done. Try and get property documentation done at any Indian government office.
Also, how is it not corrupt giving contracts to your cronies (Rafale to Ambani, etc.)? - it's the very definition of corruption.
And it's laughable when your whole ideology is polluted by filthy hatred for non-Hindus ... how is that not corrupt? LOL
9
NYT let's be patient. Can we analyse the results once they are officially tabulated on Thursday. No doubt, exit polls give us the direction of most likely outcome but let's first wait. Thank you.
4
Another one of NYT posts that has a subtle denigration of Indian democracy and Mr. Narendra Modi.
The article fails to mention NO CORRUPTION SCANDALS and lack of experience or vision of Mr. Modi's opponents as the two biggest reasons why India is voting for him.
The fact that the elections are held at such a scale is a victory of Indian democracy.
42
I wonder if this article is a veiled insult to Mr. Modi or trying to please Mr. Trump.
Comparing the strategies of the two leaders in using social media and there by extending it to their persona is a bit farfetched, even for NYT.
Mr. Trump has not come up in life and has not been a state governor or any public official before he became the President. Where as Mr. Modi is the exact opposite.
Everyone feels that Mr. Modi is incorruptible and is that what NYT thinks of Mr. Trump. This article is more click bait than any worthwhile analysis.
Nevertheless it is the strong men incumbents that are popular at the moment all around.
13
Immediately the Modi apologists come out. It is not surprising that so many Americans of Indian descent support Modi, they like his muscular projection which alleviates their inferiority complex and insecurities. Usually they belong to the Hindu majority. What is surprising is that many of these Modi supporters cheer for Trump. They would actually help a man who loathes most of mankind that is African or Asian. No explanation for that other than their need for a Great White Father. Modi is a fascist of the highest order. An opportunist and necromancer, his supporters should ask one simple question. He sold out his own people, what do you think he will do for you?
7
@Nevdeep Gill
That is the beauty of democracy, Mr. Gill. Your opinion counts only as one. Just because someone voted for Trump doesn’t mean they are racist, and just because someone votes for Modi doesn't mean they are Hindu nationalist.
14
@VS Oh, but it does!
2
India’s current ruling party, of which Modi is the head, is like the Republican Party of the US but that is where the similarities end between Modi and Trump. Modi is not a reality TV star, wasn’t born with a silver spoon, and rose through the ranks of holding various public positions. And all this I say as no fan of Modi.
18
Im out and out congress party men and my father is district ccongress president and i understand where does my party stands and where it always be
Modi is someone India needs at this point for next 10 years so we built a robust economic machine so my brothers and sisters enjoy the same luxury americans and europeans had for decades .
If Hindu nationalism is what gonna bring that as an agnostic i don't have any issues , jai hind
10
The author forgets to mention a couple of other reasons for Indians (apparently) giving Modi yet another 5-year mandate:
(1) They see a cleaner government not lurching from one billion dollar scandal to another (pretty much every minister of the previous Congress-led regime was on the take).
(2) The Indian electorate is tiring of the Congress party being in thrall to a single family. The current leader of the Congress, Rahul Gandhi, lacks any evident merit other than noble lineage.
51
Jeffrey Gettleman ,unfortunately,has never been an objective judge of Narendra Modi.Like most American liberals he thinks Modi is a Hindu zealot and a right wing obscurantist .For example,some months ago when Modi visited China Gettleman wrote that he went to Beijing to seek the help of Xi for his reelection as India's PM !
9
Since the late 1950s of and on, the Indians have debated the issue of efficient government which would get things done. I remember having participated in high school and middle school debates on topics like, “ What India needs today is a Benevolent Dictator” or similar topics. Depending on the decade, names of General Carriapa, Field Marshal Manekshaw and JRD Tata were floated/discussed as the new head of government during these school and college debates. Regardless of their religion, cast, creed, color or party affiliation, all Indians have been demanding, looking, yearning for an efficient governments, which does what it says.
Mr. Modi received his first push towards national office because of his efficient administration of the Gujarat government. That was a promise that all Indians loved. He did not deliver on all his promises, no doubt. Yes the unemployment is way high. But do you realize 45 million jobs were created in last fiscal year. That is the entire population of many a countries. People compare India to China, but they forget that China’s ascent came due to tremendous investment by USA. The US government actually encouraged American businesses to invest in Chinese economy. Also China could build its infrastructure to meet the manufacturers needs, because it had no objectors. In India every one objects against every thing. There are more NIMBYs in Indian than even in the USA.
May 23, will tell us who won. Who so ever has to provide efficient government.
7
When will NYT stop completely false reporting and making baseless, unsubstantiated and vile assertions such as the statement in this article: “ .. under him (Mr. Modi) mob violence has surged against India’s minority Muslims” ?? There is no truth at all to this assertion - this is unprofessional reporting. All of the data points to the number of such incidences across India over the last 5-year period being measurably lower than in any comparable 5-year period over the last 50 years.
67
@Vijay Agarwala Where are you getting your data points? The rest of the world seems to have data that points to the opposite.
7
@Vijay Agarwala Your disagreement doesn't make it vile. Mob violence has always been an issue in India, usually at the expense of minorities or specific underprivileged groups. Saying that it is no better or worse is like saying it is OK. It is not. The standard of the effective leader is to provide security and safety for all the citizenry, period.
4
@Vijay Agarwala
You are exactly right, I have been following Indian news closely, there was no surge of mob violence against minorities during the last 5 years. A few incidents always happen in India.
Violence against minorities happened during the congress Party administration too. Remember the anti Sikh riots of 1984 known as 1984 Sikh Massacre, a series of organized pograms against the Sikhs in response to Indira Gandhi assassination?
16
"Even among Indians who said they voted for the Congress Party, led by Rahul Gandhi, in recent state elections, several said in interviews that when it came down to choosing a national leader, they wanted Mr. Modi".
Is it not strange? The same voters who voted for the Congress Party in state elections wanted Modi to be their national leader. “People who are voting for him are voting for a strong national leader.’’ that is the truth.
Since Indira Gandhi's time, India never had a strong leader like Modi. The western media did not like Indira Gandhi either.
Modi is not corrupt unlike many other politicians in India, that includes all political parties in India. No one can say that he is a corrupt leader. He might have made some mistakes during the last five years but even people who were affected by his demonetization policy preferred Modi. That was what I noticed during my visit to India last month. No other party in India has a dynamic leader like Modi, He is the most popular leader in India today across all spectrum whatever their religion or language.
12
@Padman Wrong standard again. It matters little to the guys whose house has been burnt in mob violence that the PM is honest.
2
@Padman have you read about the Rafale deal, Jio university, Nirav Modi and other scandals? There is more corruption under Modi than under any other leader India has ever had!
1
The writers of this article wrongly compare India with United states when they state "Democracies are technically built to keep out autocrats. And like the United States, India is equipped with historically independent institutions, such as its Supreme Court and its press"
Indian press -popularly known as "Godi media" or loosely translated as "lap dog media" is at the beck and call Modi/BJP/RSS. The supreme court is no more independent and is slowly being filled with Modi loyalists.
Modi reelections does not bode good for Indian sub-continent and world peace. Expect more divisiveness, mob lynching of minorities state sponsored communal riots and possible nuclear holocaust because of RSS's agenda of Akhand Bharat which calls for assimilating Pakistan and Bangladesh and other neighboring countries in to India.
2
@Freesoul, fascist authoritarian political figures have their legions of fans.
Such leaders are fashionable globally these days. This romance of the mobs with such figures never ends very well. And it won't end very well this time either.
3
How arrogant of the headlines - never mind that it is Democracy that brought in Modi! I guess its all the same for Liberals - if we don't like the results, it must be the fault of the winner!
14
@ss.krish - very good point
3
@ss.krish, wasn't it democracy that brought in Trump, Erdogan, Orphan, Duterte, Jair Bolsonaro, not to mention Hitler, Tito, Mussolini etc. etc. historically speaking? Just saying.
@Sameer
Don't forget Churchill, who was responsible for 3 million Indian deaths.
4
I'm not a Modi supporter but writing an article trying to simply typecast Modi as Trump is lazy journalism. Iw ould like to actually read some in depth reporting into his policies and not a clickbait Trump article.
59
The author has little idea of Indian history and politics. The Congress Party dominated Indian politics for over 50 years since Indian independence and it didn’t avoid any of the issues attributed to BJP.
Every issue in India is on a magnitude that cannot be understood in any 1st world country without being overwhelmed. It’s not a “binary” option by any stretch of the imagination. India only wishes it was
15
NYT seems to be interested in reiterating the story sold in the Indian media. I don't disagree with what is presented but it fails to paint a full picture.
The previous ruling party, Congress, filled their own coffers for half a century. The state of the average Indian was apalling compared to other countries. Infrastructure was never built and agricultural yeild was amongst the worst in the world.
What's happening now is a change in attitude. Infrastructure is being built (highways, water projects, airports). Companies are seeing better supply chains and easier taxation (GST). A lot of the voters are aware they are picking the lesser of two evils.
On the one side you have fundamentalist who has a terrible cultural agenda but does the right things otherwise. Otherwise you have a relatively liberal opposition which is divisive in its own way (targeting particular castes, minorities) etc. and extremely corrupt incompetent leaders. The opposition is made worse by the fact that its a coalition of several regional parties with their own agenda which completely chokes decision making.
I wouldn't be surprised if the BJP eventually loses to an opposition that is socially liberally but more pro-industry and significantly less corrupt than the current lot.
Don't ask me. Don't ask the Indian media. Ask the people on the streets.
6
Context matters.
In terms of ability to manipulate twitter, nationalistic tendencies, macho behavior, etc., Modi may be like Trump. However, similarities end there.
Neither Modi nor his family members are benefitting from Modi's position, whereas entire Trump clan in milking the presidency beyond most people's imagination.
Modi has plan for international relationships and economic growth in India. Trump's economic train is running on tracks laid by Obama and his international relationships are dictated by Russia, Saudi Arabia, Israel and UAE.
Trump's tax plan benefitted super riches. Modi's tax reforms greatly simplifies tax structure and significantly cut red tape. Yes, many business owners have complained about tax reforms, but it is because they could get away without paying taxes before Modi's reforms.
Increase in hate crimes associated with Trump in US and with Modi in India are unfortunate things. However, it doesn't make Modi muslim hater. Else he would not make it difficult for Muslim men to easily divorce their wives. The change saves livelihood of millions of Muslim women who would otherwise be subject to whims of their husbands.
33
The single most issue that propelled Modi into power five years ago is wide spread corruption and the then prime minister in effect admitted it as due to compulsions of coalition government. The general perception is that the corruption is drastically reduced and so India gave him a second term. The attack on Pakistan and a stand off against China did bring about pride in the population. The violence also dropped significantly. The country is secular and BJP looses if there is wide spread perception that minorities are targeted. Similarly, the single most issue that may give Trump a second term is trade war against China which has strong bipartisan support. But, snatching babies from their mothers would destroy any chance for a second term.
4
In fact the comparison with Trump is a very good one because of a very different reason. What was the alternative to Trump? With all respect to Ms Clinton and her experience and erudition, she represented interventionist policy, side deals with banks, duplicity, and a stale political dynastic thinking. And Modi was elected also because there is not a single credible alternative with any policy mastery, political skill and integrity.
No surprises.
5
While making comparison between Trump and Modi, this article, like most other in the western media, misses the vital differences between the two leaders.
Modi is a man of conviction. He is religious (may not be a good thing in a secular India, but nonetheless he is), and genuinely cares about India's standing in the world stage. Yes he is problematic for the Muslim and Christian minorities in India, and I genuinely believe his actions, and rather inactions, are inciting violence against this minority groups.
But the fundamental difference between this two leaders is Modi works to make a better India and doesn't engage in childlike tit for tat. He makes friends with people within India and abroad if that helps Indians home and abroad. India's allies are more confident in him. Whereas, Trump is a fluke. He became a president accidentally while trying to popularize Trump's Brand. A man of childlike Ego vs. a man of Conviction.
85
@Sam You don't make a better India with a cow obsession and using fake history to treat 200m of your own citizens as second class. There is ZERO chance of India prospering that way.
At least Trump has the courage to hold press conferences. The insecure cowardly Modi likes to hide and give radio broadcasts.
4
@Sam Modi is not a man of conviction but he is a narcissist! Just like Trump, he too is super-careful about his image. Just like Trump, Modi too does not believe in the freedom of press. He too has the least tolerance for criticism. Modi and his party do not see anything wrong in misusing social media platforms to spread hatred and fake news that would benefit them in short term. Modi has made certain statements which a prime minister should refrain from making them. The most recent one was about Rahul Gandhi’s father who was killed in a terrorist act.
I would, at least give some credit to Mr. Trump that under him, US economy has flourished. But look at the economic situation and job creations in India under Mr. Modi. It is a sad situation!
As per the election commission, there are 83 million new voters casting their votes in this election for the first time, of which 15 million voters are between the age of 18 and 19 years. These new voters should have been thinking about jobs. Instead, they are voting on the basis of religious rights for Hindus. The youth today believes, that other than Modi, no one can save them from the ever increasing domination of Muslims. Also, Modi only can teach a lesson to Pakistan. Kashmir has been a spoiled child under the past governments, Modi can fix it.
The lower cast Hindus too feel isolated under Modi’s government.
Except for the economic progress, there are many are many similarities between Modi and Trump, please do more research.
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When reading this article one might get the impression Modi is a strong leader with a few personality flaws which may be overlooked and it actually is the performance of government and his charisma that is driving the votes but that isn't the case(more on it later).
The article mentions one achievement of the government, building toilets. While that's true, it is their *only* achievement in 5 whole years. In the meantime unemployment has reached a 45 year high, GDP growth has slowed, record number of farmers are committing suicides. On social issues we have gone back 30 years, hate crimes have shot up, minorities are living in fear. The press and activists are under attack, you can search for how many deaths there have been since the BJP came into power which has had a very chilling effect. Most of the violence was aimed at RTIIRight To Information) activists which has discouraged people seeking information.
Modi campaigned this year as a strong leader and the only one who could solve issues in Kashmir and other security problems. Since 2014 yearly average of civilian killings in Kashmir has tripled and military deaths have more than doubled. I doubt it's going to improve since his Hindu nationalism is only radicalizing even more Kashmiris.
The reason for Modi's success is pretty simple: money. BJP has at least 20 times as much money as the next biggest party...
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@Ravi India is a mature democracy and if 800 million people have voted like the exit polls suggest, that matters. You may be living in some other world altogether.
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@Raj, is there any law of physics or any cosmic law mentioned in Rigveda that says that masses cannot be voting harmful leaders?
Masses voted for Indira back to power 2 years after she weakened Indian democracy with her emergency. Aristocrats and middle-class (the Bourgeois) were the biggest romantics who cheered and financed the Russian revolution and then they were the first one's to be packed off the Gulags. Hitler, Mussolini, Marshal Tito were all elected by people. Just some food for thought.
Just because masses support something overwhelmingly does not make it right. Masses supported sati in India until just about couple of hundred years back, they supported child-marriage until early 1900s.
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@Sameer
I don't think Tito was elected. He won the Yugoslav partisan war against the Germans and the Chetniks.
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So what are the alternatives? The previous (supposedly liberal) government had support in both houses of the parliament (and admittedly a disruptive BJP as opposition), a reasonably pliant media and initially a favorable public. It ran the economy to ground, indulged in scandal after scandal, did not modernize the armed forces, did nothing to repeal the terrible Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, enacted terrible legislation such as IT Section 66 A (since thrown out by the supreme court) and was afraid of taking it to Pakistan because it did not know how to sell its message domestically (to Indian Muslims) or internationally (diplomacy). It went all out to disrupt diplomacy with US in support of a diplomat who enslaved a maid. I would like to see a liberal democratic government that assures (not appease) minorities, runs without scandals, removes red tape, unnecessary regulation, respects state/provincial governments, respects institutions, etc. etc. etc. Where are these people? The Congress party is definitely NOT it.
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@Ajit, I agree with your prognosis! So, is it BJP?
"His success in delivering on promises to help the poor and fight corruption."
Please elaborate - how successful is Modi in helping the poor and fighting corruption?
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The problem isn't the great leader, but who are so easily duped by the rhetoric. The common denominator in these leaders is their ability to manipulate religious followers. The other problem is that democratic governments aren't really working for the people but for people with money who manipulate the system. Democracy is broken and needs fixing so its fair for everyone. The question is how?
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@ad USA is a democracy and so is India. These are not Democracies & are theocracies - Saudi Arabia, Vatican City, UAE and so forth. Namesake democracies are Singapore, Pakistan, Hongkong & Russia. And Dictatorships are like North Korea & China. Hope you know your narrative?
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India's Trump? Not really, Modi is a man risen from very humble beginnings. He is able to connect with the masses because he is one of them. Comparing Modi to Trump is a typical media creation.
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@amit Yes, Modi wears designer sunglasses and suits while showing off the poverty of his mother and wife for PR. He is also so humble, nobody has ever seen him acquire his degree MA in "Entire Political Science" at Delhi University. All the while, the spineless Indian media salivate at this idiot's every move. What a joke ROFL.
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You confound the Church State separation in the West with Democracy in India which is based on a very different cultural foundation. The modern Hindutva movement too has claims to this culture however pervert its actions are today. The real problem India faces is the weakening of its cultural roots due to a widespread failure of education and the lack of sufficient growth. This is what has fueled the “Hindutva” problem as you see it today under Modi. Modi doesn’t need to turn secular. He needs to address these core problems— you should fault him for failing to shake up the education sector and failing to produce reforms that are needed for Indian democracy to be put on a sounder footing. The misinformed calls for greater secularism in India has been a fig leaf for the elites to ignore the underlying culture of the masses. As with Trump the NYT correspondents seem completely out of touch with the reality on the ground and in the hinterlands of India. If the exit polls prove to be correct the masses have once again outsmarted the elites — just as they did in 2014.
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Which country has placed its majority as a second class for 50 years? Arguably its India, where the pervious parties pandered to minorities and breaking up the Hindus along their castes. Finally Hindus have woken up to take pride in their own race. Imagine, one country who has placed their own as second class...it could only be parties who were utterly corrupt, and their corrupt cronies.
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"happier with a messier but more democratic coalition government?"
Dear NY Times, how is messy coalition government beneficial to any country? It only results in futile dogfights and indecisiveness. Such coalition can be happy only because everyone gets a chance to spread corruption.
When Mr. Modi came in power in 2014, it did not come to power just based on Hindu nationalist voters which is a small percentage of total population, but even a mix of voters from minorities, socialists and centrists voted him to power because he rejected false promises of appeasement and had guts to say that nation comes first. He did not divide people, but exposed people who actually preferred dividing people for political gains. Exact same thing happened this year as well. You quote that Mr. Modi "almost" went to war with Pakistan. The word almost is very important. He had strong support from his followers to actually start a war but he did not appease his Hindu Nationalist vote bank and went on to war but resorted to much direct attack on terrorism which did not involve any military or general public casualty. After his action, the opposition first accused Mr. Modi of politicizing the army whereas Mr. Modi was just responding to a terrorist attack. So who is divided the nation? Mr. Modi or opposition? Even during the 2-month long campaign period, opposition leaders openly asked minorities to vote for opposing coalition. This is true division which opposition is making. Please get your facts.
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Modi is not against knowledge like Trump. He has adopted technology for growth! Unlike Trump, he supports Global warming. He is a respected leader all over the world who believes in cooperation with other countries not conflict like Trump
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@Pink Panther
Modi is surely very knowledgeable! He believes that radars can not detect fighter bombers when it is cloudy. He said that plastic surgery was invented by India citing the example of Hindu God Ganesh who has the head of an elephant over a human body. Modi also told Indian Science conference that we all read about Karna in the (Hindu mythology) Mahabharata. If we think a little more, we realize that the Mahabharata says Karna was not born from his mother’s womb. This means that genetic science was present at that time. That is why Karna could be born outside his mother’s womb.”
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Thank you, this article was helpful beyond the India election. It certainly helps explain a lot. I don't know quite how the Democrats will fare given the big tent requirement and other constraints but I'm hopeful.
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@Stephen Nicholas Don't read the media for creating an opinion. They have their own vested interest and ideologies which they follow. India is a Democracy in which 800 million people participate and choose a Parliamentary Government every 5 years. India has no space for a Religious Theocracy. But - in USA if President says "God bless America" it doesn't become a Political scoop (he is not called a Christian Fundamentalist)- In India, even that is a political crime. Modi is challenging political hypocrisy and correctness of a corrupt political system who kept minorities like Muslims uneducated & in ghettos, Governed by a Sharia law system (meaning women had no rights) and with economic marginalization that is unprecedented. Modi is simply removing these dogmas and helping people come together to create a strong, secular and inclusive India.
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