History Was Accelerated in the Wake of BJP’s 2019 Victory

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In The Media

History Was Accelerated in the Wake of BJP’s 2019 Victory

History got accelerated in the wake of the BJP’s second electoral victory due to the fact that governments can more easily make big decisions immediately after they received a mandate from the voters and the severity of the economic slowdown.

By Christophe Jaffrelot

Published on Jan 24, 2020

Source: Wire

India is witnessing nation-wide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). Such a scale of protests is unprecedented in India’s recent memory.

Indeed, we had not seen such a popular protest since the Anna Hazare movement 10 years ago. In fact, some of those who had demonstrated then may well be on the streets again – except, of course, those belonging to the Sangh parivar, who played such an important role in the Hazare movement, and except Anna Hazare himself.

What strikes me is the over representation of young Indians – girls as well as boys – in this movement, something we may also explain by the economic crisis as the youth is the primary casualty of joblessness.

And this feature calls to mind another comparison, with the mass demonstrations initiated by Mahatma Gandhi during the Freedom movement – non violence and civil disobedience were already the mottos at that time, and were already difficult to implement and maintain…

Read Full Interview

This interview was originally published by the Wire.

About the Author

Christophe Jaffrelot

Former Nonresident Scholar, South Asia Program

Jaffrelot’s core research focuses on theories of nationalism and democracy, mobilization of the lower castes and Dalits (ex-untouchables) in India, the Hindu nationalist movement, and ethnic conflicts in Pakistan.

Recent Work

Research
The BJP in Power: Indian Democracy and Religious Nationalism
- +4
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Article
Ceasefire Violations in Kashmir: A War by Other Means?
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South Asia India

Carnegie India does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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