Scholar predicts India's shift into ethnic democracy under Modi https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/french-scholar-predicts-modis-indias-shift-into-an-ethnic-democracy/cid/1828810 Amit Roy 01.09.21,
Christophe Jaffrelot, A French scholar who has studied Narendra Modi’s politics and policies over the past 20 years has just published a 639-page book on the Prime Minister in which he predicts that India’s transformation into an ethnic democracy, “where minorities are second class citizens”, and authoritarianism risks reaching a “point of no return”.
. An ‘ethnic democracy’ is a regime where pillars of democracy are still practised, including elections — something populists across the globe need to retain to acquire legitimacy — but where minorities are second class citizens because of all kinds of discrimination.
“You may (also) use the word ‘majoritarianism’, which designates the attempt for transforming a cultural majority into a permanent, political majority”.
In the conclusion of Modi’s India, the author cites political scientist Suhas Palshikar: “In 2019, Suhas Palshikar concluded his contribution to Majoritarian State by considering that ‘electoral defeat alone can puncture the BJP’s resolute march towards crafting a new hegemony’, but electoral defeat may not make much of a difference, or, to be more precise, while it is a necessary condition, it may not be a sufficient one.
Two modalities of authoritarianism: “The first one pertains to vigilantism and consists in enforcing social and religious norms by resorting to physical threats and intimidation.
“The second one relies on State institutions — such as the police — which are implementing governmental will — at the state level or at the federal level.