Venkatesh Rao ☀️
@vgr
The world is noticing. Good. Under Modi, India has grown a spine but at the cost of an illiberalism that’s ~ 70% of the country unlike about 35% for Trumpism. https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/01/18/narendra-modis-illiberalism-may-imperil-indias-economic-progress
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Anuraj R
@anurajenp
this is a bit exaggerated I think. I have seen this illiberalism claim only from people in urban India. Modi is really popular among a good portion of rural and small town India. I might be biased 😅, because all my childhood was in Modiland
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Venkatesh Rao ☀️
@vgr
Yes rural and small town places are default illiberal. It can be an urban bias and still real. Rural does not mean their defaults are somehow natural and good. Urban does not mean they’re default wrong. If anything I’m probably underplaying how stark the shift has been.
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Anuraj R
@anurajenp
yes true. But then it is property of the society itself rather something to do with Modi as the article tries show in the headline itself. India would be same irrespective of if Modi was PM or not
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Anuraj R
@anurajenp
Modi gets urbans voters because of the development agenda and for them rest of it is just a side show. Also I think India is quite liberal for its per capita gdp. The question is not whether India should be more liberal or not but could it be more? Because trying more liberalism might end eroding the progress
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