On the right track

Two recent books look at hindutva, but each has a different take. While Christophe Jaffrelot’s latest talks about how Hindu nationalism turned India into an Israel-like ethnic democracy, Ram Madhav’s book puts forward a homegrown ideology that aims to be different from isms of the west

- PRATUL SHARMA

Modi’s India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy

By Christophe Jaffrelot

Published by Context

Pages 638, price ₹899

Elections are a national sport, pulling in even the unattached to exercise her opinion. In the last seven and a half years, India has undergone a huge change propelled by the unprecedented mandate to the BJP. A question that invariably pops up in serious political discussions and even casual family chat groups is how long will the BJP’s influence prevail.

In the conclusion of his new book, Modi’s India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy, political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot, too, raises this provocative question: Can electoral defeat puncture BJP’s resolute march towards crafting a new hegemony? Unlikely, he writes. The sangh parivar, he explains, is so deeply entrenched in the country’s social fabric that it may continue to dictate terms on the ground. Also, the deep state may remain in a position to influence policies and politics even if the BJP is voted out. In that sense, Hindu nationalism does not rely as much on one man to push its agenda as the BJP does to win elections.