‘Modi’s India’ book review: Dissecting dissent in democracy

Christophe Jaffrelot, Director of Research at CERI-Sciences Po/CNRS in Paris and professor of Indian politics and sociology at King’s College, London, is a renowned political scientist who has written extensively on socio-political issues of South Asia, particularly India and Pakistan.

Jaffrelot’s latest book Modi’s India is an extraordinarily well-researched narrative on the rise of Narendra Modi and the expansion all over India of his trademark “Gujarat” model of governance over the past 20 years, spanning his three terms as Chief Minister of Gujarat and culminating with his running the country as Prime Minister since 2014.

It is a no-holds-barred account of the disruptive march of democracy and governance in India from the long-established status quo to the totalitarian ethnic style of governance described by political scholar Sammy Smooha. In the words of the author himself, this book tries to make sense of the political trajectory of India from populism to ethnic democracy and authoritarianism under Modi. It traces the political trajectory of Modi and gives a vivid account of how a government backed by popular consent suppresses dissent while pursuing a guided agenda that appears increasingly intolerant of religious and 
ethnic minorities.

The book is enriched by information drawn through original interviews conducted across India. Jaffrelot shows how, under Modi, India has moved towards a new form of democracy that considers the majoritarian community synonymous with the nation and relegates Muslims and Christians as second-class citizens who are harassed by vigilante groups. Jaffrelot discusses how the promotion of Hindu nationalism has resulted in attacks against secularists, intellectuals, universities, and NGOs, among others, in the country. 

The author expounds in detail how the eagerness to govern not only in New Delhi, but also in the states, has resulted in centralisation of power by the central government at the expense of federalism. He dwells in detail on how Modi’s authoritarianism finds expression in neutralising not only political opposition but any institutional power centre. In the case of institutions whose officeholders are not freely appointed by the political executive, this neutralisation policy has been implemented in different ways from co-optation to intimidation. 

Extensive narratives explain the emasculation of institutions like the Lokpal, the Chief Information Commissioner, CBI, NIA and the judiciary, including the High Courts of States and the Supreme Court of India.

The government’s efforts to muzzle dissent in the media reflect Modi’s complex relation with media since his Gujarat years. The book explains how the state has leveraged advertisement outlays, raids against media houses, banning of TV channels and pressurising media owners to fire and get rid of committed journalists.

However, Modi’s India fails to impress in a few aspects. Firstly, while reading the book, one comes to the unmistakeable conclusion that the author approaches the subject from a biased position. He assumes that Hindutva or Hindu nationalism is an exclusive concept that is attributed to the mind of Savarkar.

In fact, Hindutva ideology predates Savarkar – the first recorded essay on Hindutva ideology was propounded by Chandranath Basu in 1892 in his magnum opus Hindutva-Hindur Prakrita Itihas long before Savarkar wrote about it.

Hindutva ideology is based on the fundamental notion of acceptance, which is different from tolerance – the latter implying an underlying sentiment of condescension. Bharatiya civilisation has always welcomed those who were willing to live with us.

More importantly, the reawakening of Hinduism being witnessed in India under Modi is difficult to comprehend and be explained by a western academician like Jaffrelot who looks at the phenomenon as an outsider and attempts to explain it in terms of western political paradigms.

The tremendous sense of pride and ownership being experienced by ordinary Indians who believe and practice the Sanatan Dharma of Hindu religion and who are experiencing this revival of a civilisation, a way of life, first hand cannot be expressed in words unless experienced personally.

Jaffrelot turns blind to the threat posed by the menace of pan-Islamisation which he labels as an imagined threat, despite strong evidence to the contrary all over the world, more so in Western Europe where entire regions are being swamped demographically by the Muslim population.

The author is completely off the mark when he dismisses the overt Islamic agenda to win the demographic war by outnumbering majority population through higher birth rates, as exaggerated.

Jaffrelot’s Modi’s India is nevertheless immensely readable for the meticulous, extensive research that enriches every paragraph of this book and also the undeniable fact that such a book can never be published in present-day India. 

Modi’s India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy

By: Christophe Jaffrelot

Publisher: Westland

Pages: 656

Price: Rs 899