“India has walked back from the brink but our democracy is still in danger”: Pratap Bhanu Mehta to Karan Thapar for The Wire
………………………
In an interview to assess whether the recent election results represent a tectonic shift in Indian politics, how serious is the setback Narendra Modi has suffered and what sort of PM he’s likely to be in his third term, Pratap Bhanu Mehta, one of the most profound commentators on India’s politics, says “India has walked back from the brink but our democracy is still in danger”. This is because Prof Mehta believes it’s possible Modi will respond like “a wounded tiger” and he could be “vengeful and vicious”.
Prof Mehta said the next five years don’t just depend on how Modi responds to his “incredible setback” but also on how India’s institutions behave and if they can find their lost spine and realise and accept there’s no need to continue to be supine and sycophantic. Although after just 12 days it’s too early to say for certain, there are a few fledgling green shoots but the media, and television news in particular, are disappointing.
This interview is a tour d’horizon of the present political landscape and Prof Mehta has addressed all the issues raised with analytical clarity and fluency. He’s both profound and easy to follow. In just over 45 mts you will get a deep and well-rooted understanding of four key issues: the message conveyed by Indian voters through the results, how we should interpret and understand comments made by the RSS Sarsangchalak and other RSS leaders, including what they’ve said about Modi without naming him, how Prof Mehta views some of the key results and in particular the BJP’s prospects in South India, and what sort of PM Modi is likely to be and where the fault lines with his allies could lie and what are the still potent dangers for India’s democracy.
I am deliberately not paraphrasing or precising Prof Mehta because you should hear him speak to you directly. Of all the post-election interviews I have done this is definitely one of the most illuminating and comprehensive. If you want to understand what’s happened as well as what could happen hereafter - as well as the explanations - you simply can’t do better than watch the full interview with Pratap Bhanu Mehta.
Join The Wire's Youtube Membership and get exclusive content, member-only emojis, live interaction with The Wire's founders, editors and reporters and much more. Memberships to The Wire Crew start at Rs 89/month. [ Ссылка ]
