Critics have referred to india as increasingly resembling an elected autocracy. The exercise of tree votes is seen as the only cirof certificate of good housekeeping who need to claim to be a democracy, he says. Rana: It's certainly worrying that it seems to be guided in that direction more and by a government that seems to believe its democratic credentials rest only on an election victory - not on accountability between elections.
Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP party came to power in 2014, India has seen an increase in Hindu nationalism and a rise in hostility towards the Muslim minority population. Politician and writer Shashi Tharoor believes the country is at a crossroads. His recently published book, The Struggle for India’s Soul, looks at the political direction of the world’s second most populous nation, which he contends is splitting into two opposing factions: ethno-religious nationalists and liberal civic nationalists. If the ethno-religious nationalists prevail, he says, millions of non-Hindus would be stripped of their identity. Tharoor joins historian, author and broadcaster Rana Mitter to discuss the book and what lies ahead for India.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices