Introduction:

Although populism can be traced back to the early twentieth century, it has recently received increased attention internationally in the last decade. Populism started gaining ground after the economic crises of 2008 and escalated in some other countries. This time round, in the United States, Donald Trump was voted for a second term after he dealt a blow to Kamala Harris. In the same way, current and emerging populist leaders include Giorgia Meloni in Italy, Viktor Orbán in Hungary, and Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Mexico. Narendra Modi assumed the office in 2014 and is now in his third term as Indian Prime Minister. He managed to transform India into one of the most rapidly developing countries, and now it is proud of the fifth largest economy in the globe. Besides, the population of India is bigger than China's at present. Modi is seen as a populist leader, but his governance challenges the democratic principle and democratic institutions.

Historical and Recent Trends of Populism in Indian Politics:

In India, the trend of populism can be discussed since the 1977 elections when Indira Gandhi made the famous “Garibi Hatao” (Remove Poverty) an election slogan. Her slogan and the bias-free passion with which she spoke to the crowd made her have a unique bond with the public. During her tenure, in 1975 she declared an emergency, which is in the list of important events in Indian history. It marked the end of democracy and freedom of speech and the beginning of administration by direction, not through election.

Narendra Modi, who assumed the prime ministers of India in 2014, is presently in his third term. During his years in power, the nationalist Hindu agenda has been on the ascendance, with Hindutva portraying Hindus as the only rightful occupants of India, with minorities such as Muslims checking in as second-class citizens. Modi’s policies and his speeches support this type of nationalism, based on culture and religion.

During his latest 2024 election campaign, Modi further ramped up his efforts to polarize the Hindu vote. An important symbolic act was the construction of the disputed territory in Ayodhya of the Ram Temple, the foundation for which was built on the spot that used to be occupied by the Babri Mosque.

Modi’s Populism Threatens Democracy:

Narendra Modi wanted to dominate all of India; for its realization, he took certain autocratic measures that endangered democracy. First, he suppressed his opposition by leveling illegal allegations of corruption. As it was pointed out, the leader of the Delhi governmental authority, Arvind Kejriwal, was arrested, and Rahul Gandhi faced a defamation lawsuit. These power moves were possible because of the weakening of the judiciary, which is the second element that is under threat in democracy. Modi placed his favorite judges on the Supreme Court and the higher courts of the country to support a political agenda that adheres to extreme power.

Third, it needs to be noted that the ruling government put media outlets under control as well. It was interesting that most of the news channels only focused on the positive part of Modi’s government. Any channel that aired negative statements about his administration was threatened or was owned by his elite cronies. One of the examples is NDTV, which is currently the property of Adani’s AMG Media Network. In the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, India was ranked 159 out of 180, slightly worse than its neighbors, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

Fourth, after the partition, India has thus remained to be secular to some extent, drawn from the Gandhian political philosophy. However, the Modi government has only continued with the majority party’s line and has victimized minorities, especially Muslims. The BJP leaders have alleged that Muslims are demographically reproducing faster to outnumber Hindus in the country. In 2019, the Modi government passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which excluded Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan from eligibility for permanent settlement in India.

Last but not least, the government has actively used distorting information across social sites against opposition and minorities. During the election campaigns, BJP active members directed their criticism, particularly at the Congress party, and they stated that if the Congress party came to power, all resources would go to Muslims only. At a ground level, the government was also spreading rumors regarding Muslims killing cows for food, which are restricted to the Hindu majority areas and hence putting Muslims at risk of death.

Conclusion:

India is founded and built upon democratic principles that are today vulnerable to erosion due to democratic populism. The V-Dem Institute has ranked India 108 on the democracy index and regards the country as an “electoral autocracy.” Many of the authoritarian features were also noticeable in the Modi-led central government of India, including the suppression of speech, stereotyping of specific groups, and fabricating charges against the opponents. But there seemed a ray of hope when, in the 2024 elections, the BJP secured fewer assembly seats when compared to its two earlier victories.

Jai Kumar is a graduate of International Relations from the University of Sindh Jamshoro.