Ideas of India

Aditya Balasubramanian on Swatantra Party and Opposition Politics in India

Jan 25, 2024

Aditya Balasubramanian, Senior Lecturer in History at Australian National University, discusses his new book on Swatantra Party and opposition politics in India. Topics include the influence of BR Shenoy and Austrian economists, the principles and coalition-building efforts of Indian conservatives, conservatism rooted in pluralism, the party's ideologies and coalition, and the views on inflation and authoritarianism.

01:10:10

Creator website

Episode guests

Aditya Balasubramanian

AI Summary

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The Swatantra Party in India emphasized individual freedoms and opposed state control, but failed to attract a wider base due to tensions between conservative values and diverse membership.

The Swatantra Party utilized the three branches of government, popular mobilization, and court challenges to advocate for limited state interference and individual rights.

Indian conservatives, including the Swatantra Party, believed in pluralism, minority rights, and constitutional protections, contrary to their modern image.

Deep dives

Conservative politics influenced by the nationalist movement

The conservative politics in India is strongly influenced by the nationalist movement, particularly Gandhian ideas, which emphasize unity in diversity.

The Ideological Nature of Conservative Opposition

00:22

Differences between popular press and academic papers

00:20

Introduction

5min

Conservatism and Pluralism in India

25min

Exploring 'Sotan's Raparti Politics' and the Limitations of the Swatantra Party's Coalition

3min

Determining the Party's Audience

2min

Exploring the Ideologies and Coalition of the Swatantra Party

8min

Views on Inflation, the State, and Authoritarianism

3min

Coalition-Building in Tamil Nadu

25min

Aditya Balasubramanian is a Senior Lecturer in History at Australian National University. His research focuses on various aspects of the history of modern South Asia. And he is the author of the new book, Toward a Free Economy: Swatantra and Opposition Politics in Democratic India. We spoke about the history of a conservative and ideological opposition politics of India, influence of BR Shenoy and more generally the Austrian economists on Swatratra party, about C Rajagopalachari, other members, and much more.

Recorded December 22nd, 2023.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.

Follow Shruti on X

Follow Aditya on X

Click here for the latest Ideas of India episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts

Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.

Ideas of India

Aditya Balasubramanian on Swatantra Party and Opposition Politics in India

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Conservative politics influenced by the nationalist movement

The Swatantra Party's opposition against centralization in politics

Indian conservatives' belief in pluralism and minority rights

Coalition Building and Middle-Class Imagination

The Swatantra Party and Strategies for Political Reform

The Ideological Nature of Conservative Opposition

Differences between popular press and academic papers

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts