Article
The Great Western Social Churn: India Caught in the Crossshairs

By : Abhijit Iyer-Mitra

Page No: 427-440

Abstract
India is in the crosshairs of literally every liberal publication of the western world. Its democracy is described as eroding and it is generally portrayed as slowly but inexorably moving towards fascism. This is despite the fact that press criticism of the government has never been sharper or more vocal, and that the head of state and head of government come from two historically underprivileged castes - a Dalit and an Other Backward Caste (OBC). This is also despite the fact that this government has done more to protect women’s rights, spent more money on religious minority scholarships and afforded more welfare schemes bringing basic amenities like electricity and toilets to every Indian. While it is easy to see this as a conspiracy, it is much easier explained by sociological and political trends in the West. India needs to understand and counter these socio-political trends rather than simply feel sorry about conspiracies.

Author :
Abhijit Iyer-Mitra is a Senior Fellow at the Nuclear Security Programme of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi. A defence economist by training he focuses on the intersectionality of policy from historical, anthropological & economic perspectives.