Narendra Modi
All topics-
Right-wing populism
Modi won – but did India?
In Indiaʹs recent elections, the ruling NDA secured 45% of the vote. The fractured oppositionʹs message of inclusivity and justice was no match for Modiʹs brand of jingoistic populism. But what are the implications for Indian society? By Aditi Roy Ghatak
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Hindu nationalist election victory in India
Modiʹs credo of divide and rule
India is following an international trend: with the victory of the Indian Peopleʹs Party or BJP, we are again witnessing the success of a party that can clearly be located on the extreme right of the political spectrum and that is at the same time courted by international companies and economic heavyweights. By Dominik Muller
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Interview with Indian novelist Arundhati Roy
"India is much more dangerous than it was ten years ago"
Celebrated Indian novelist Arundhati Roy, best known for works such as "The God of Small Things" and "The Ministry of Utmost Happiness", has also made a name for herself as an essayist and critic of the political situation in India. Dominik Muller spoke to her in New Delhi about changes in India over the last decade
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Modi, the BJP and social media
Indiaʹs WhatsApp elections
As Indiaʹs general election continues, there has been little progress in stopping "fake news", arresting its perpetrators, or limiting its spread. Thatʹs because the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is responsible for disseminating much of it. By Shashi Tharoor
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Interview with writer Rahman Abbas
Overcoming Indiaʹs social divide
More and more Indian writers are picking up on the right-wing theme in response to the growing strength of India's Hindu nationalists. Among them, Bombay-based author Rahman Abbas, who writes in Urdu and who scooped India's highest literary accolade in 2018 for his novel "Rohzin". Interview by Dominik Muller
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India and Pakistan
Nuclear war – a remote, but real threat
India and Pakistan are currently embroiled in their most serious crisis in several decades. While a nuclear exchange between the two sides is highly unlikely, the possibility nevertheless remains, says Michael Kugelman
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Interview with novelist and activist Arundhati Roy
"We're up against a fascist regime in India"
In interview with Murali Krishnan, renowned novelist and social activist Arundhati Roy talks about the recent arrests of leftist intellectuals in India and accuses PM Modi's government of "overturning" the country's constitution
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The BJP’s grand plan
Is ethnic cleansing coming to India?
Some four million people in Assam state, nearly all of them Bengali Muslims who have lived in India for more than four decades, are at risk of disenfranchisement after being excluded from the National Registry of Citizens. That may help Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP in the next election, but it won't do anything for peace, writes Shashi Tharoor
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Parliamentary elections in Pakistan
Who will prevail?
What's at stake in Pakistan's upcoming parliamentary elections? Should the West be concerned about a possible military-backed government and its impact on Afghanistan's security and South Asia's geopolitics? An analysis by Shamil Shams
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Comparison: India and Turkey
The Modi-Erdogan parallel
While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not achieved the degree of "state capture" that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has, he is also 11 years behind. The path the two leaders are on, however, is similar enough to invite comparison – and provoke concern. By Shashi Tharoor
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Freedom of speech under threat in India
An army of Hindutva trolls
Disinformation has become a serious problem in India. The ruling partyʹs ideology is divisive and relies on self-serving myths. Fact-based, public-interest journalism is increasingly on the defensive, says Indian television journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani
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India′s new hajj policy
Empowering minorities?
While the Hindu-nationalist government led by Narendra Modi has withdrawn the hajj subsidy to Muslims, public grants to members of the Hindu majority making pilgrimages remain in place. By Ronald Meinardus