Too early to draw any definitive conclusions from one remarkable electoral victory. Hindutva does not resonate in the South or East. The Dalits have a troubled history with the Right, see little happening on the ground to give them comfort. The ability to carry different governments along, starting from Delhi itself, is yet to emerge, to give content to cooperative federalism. My heart tells me there is now growing realisation within the establishment itself that majoritarian excesses are proving counterproductive. Over seventy years, the Indian state was beginning to get quite a few things right. The Muslims, in economic terms, were little better off than the Dalits, yet they did not feel besieged. We need to reclaim a philosophy that has served a India well, provided a by and large harmonious framework – barring Kashmir and the north east – in which economic growth and national greatness can be pursued.
Too early to draw any definitive conclusions from one remarkable electoral victory. Hindutva does not resonate in the South or East. The Dalits have a troubled history with the Right, see little happening on the ground to give them comfort. The ability to carry different governments along, starting from Delhi itself, is yet to emerge, to give content to cooperative federalism. My heart tells me there is now growing realisation within the establishment itself that majoritarian excesses are proving counterproductive. Over seventy years, the Indian state was beginning to get quite a few things right. The Muslims, in economic terms, were little better off than the Dalits, yet they did not feel besieged. We need to reclaim a philosophy that has served a India well, provided a by and large harmonious framework – barring Kashmir and the north east – in which economic growth and national greatness can be pursued.