Bhaskar Parichha

There couldn’t have a better time than this for someone to be a populist and yet another to write a book on the subject. Across the world, populism has made significant strides. Haughty populism coupled with pig-headed convictions seems to be the staple diet of contemporary politics.

What is Populism? According to Cas Mudde, author of ‘Populism: A Very Short Introduction’, populism is an idea where society is separated into two groups at odds with one another – ‘the pure people’ and ‘the corrupt elite’. It’s a range of political approaches that deliberately appeal to the people, often juxtaposing one group against the other – the so-called privileged.

Why Right-wing populists are successful today? Because they are better at building an emotional connect with voters. They do this by casing themselves up in their flag and employing nationalism as a weapon against their opponents. In this way criticism is dismissed as anti-national. But more than that, they also build a poignant correlation with people by promising them military security and protection from terrorism. Then, the dominance of rightist populism is also due to the ‘stasis of the Left and Liberal forces’.

Right-wing politics dominates the world today with certain buoyancy perhaps unparalleled in modern history. The likes of Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Theresa May and Narendra Modi are popular because they offer reassurance and national confidence at a time many feel uncertain about the world. They make voters feel good about their country, and themselves, even if that involves personal hardship.

The emergence of right-wing populism, nationalism and anti-Muslim politics – particularly in India – has been evident in the past four and half-years with a hitherto unseen potency and with mixed results. And, now, you have a whole book on what constitutes populism of the right and how it manifests in more than a few ways. ‘India after Modi – Populism and the Right’ by Dr Ajay Gudavarthy, is an exceedingly fascinating book on the subject. It’s a bold attempt to ‘address the questions of the divide between ‘us’ and ‘them’, questions about institutions becoming dysfunctional and the truth of getting hurt in everyday politics. The book analyses events like award wapsi, demonetization, the crisis in JNU and higher education, electoral outcomes and indeed a whole lot of smoldering issues we have been confronting.

Gudavarthy, Associate Professor at the centre for Political Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University focuses on the upsetting issues after Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister. As the blurb says, ‘this is the first- of -its- kind book on understanding populism and the politics of right.’ While it provides a hands-on explanation of how and what constitutes populism in India, the book covers major controversies, political discourses and policy changes since 2014.

Gudavarthy says in the introduction, ‘populism across the globe has certain common features, including the ability to create a people, projecting a strongman, polarizing between ‘us and them’ (as a replacement for the terms Left and the Right), moralization of power and exclusion, mobilizing emotions and passions, bringing the private to the public, replacing the institutional mode of pursuing politics and governance with street mobilization’.

The basic argument of the book is that India after Modi is different from it was before. Emerging issues in India’s troubled democracy, including that of women’s participation, new urban spaces, and the role of youth have been discussed vividly. So also are several other contentious issues.

The book has been divided into four chapters: Populism and Authoritarianism, State of Democracy, Dalit-Bahujan Politics and Future of BJP Politics. Its significance lies in the approach, diversity and style. You have answers to all those nagging questions: Autonomy of Universities, why the RSS projects JNU as anti-national, Corporate Capitalism, the liberal-illiberal dilemma,Pakoda Nationalism, Bihar ‘s political importance in India, caste calculations in Uttar Pradesh,Kashmiri Pundits, the value of NOTA,BJP’s  strategy for 2019,the Rohith Vemula incident  and Dalit- Muslim unity, concord between the left and the dalits,Nehru and Rise of Modi,women and future of Indian democracy, the Gujarat model, Mobilizing the Generation Next, demonetization and the war on terror,BJP’s defeat in Delhi, India’s oscillating public sphere ,  Maoist movement in India and many more.

Gudavarthy argues, rather convincingly, that there is no visible ‘Islamophobia’ in India that resembles a fear-psychosis visible in the US or Europe, while saying that in Indian public sphere what we are witnessing is ‘contextual communalism’ that emerges from the complexities of its diversity. As for Maoist violence, he is of the opinion that Future of democracy in India will have to negotiate with this long-outstanding issue of the use of violence as a legitimate means by the sub-altern groups.

With such a long inventory of political and economic issues, the book is a gripping read. What’s more; the language is simple and engaging. The analysis is vibrant and at times theoretical. It doesn’t express disapproval of policies and events but offers useful and razor-sharp insights. In this timely book, he offers a critical explanation on present-day Indian politics. ­The writings are charming and the analysis pointed.  Whether one agrees with the author’s point of view or not, the writings are logical and needs serious introspection.

‘India after Modi’ does not exclude any political party. Rather, it delves deeply into the past with chilling details. A must-read for social scientists, journalists, scholars, policy makers and indeed those who want to comprehend the intricate politics of the world’s largest democracy. A daring and inventive work by an academician who is also a popular newspaper columnist.

 

India After Modi – Populism and the Right

Dr Ajay Gudavarthy

Bloomsbury Publishing India

DDA Complex, LSC Building, Second Floor,

Pocket C-6&7, Vasant Kunj,

New Delhi, Delhi 110070

Rs 599

 

(The writer is a senior journalist and Consulting Editor of OdishaLIVE)

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