An American Critique of Modi's Critics

Tyler Cowen, an American professor, make some interesting points about the criticism of Modi. Like many, he doesn’t favour “replacing India’s secular democracy with “Hindu nation” as a ruling principle”.

First, he points out Indian democracy was never liberal:

“National voting has so much to do with religion, caste, and other particularistic principles that Indian democracy never enforced superior practical performance as it should have.”

Then a slew of factors lined up: Modi himself, India’s economic growth, higher expectations from the state, global terrorism and Islam being at the center of it.

He says Modi’s critics focus on either his failures or the policies they dislike but ignore the positive actions he has also brought about:

“The positive and negative sides of the story here may be more closely related than is comfortable to contemplate.”

Cowen then draws a parallel to the Renaissance!

“The picture reminds me a bit of how parts of Renaissance Europe were often more anti-Semitic or racist than medieval Europe, in part because persecuting states had more resources and it was easier to mobilize intolerant sentiment, partly due to the printing press.”

Increase a state’s capabilities and they will inevitably be used to translate existing biases into actions.

Modi appears to stand for something, as a political scientist at NYU said:

“Modi is not a normal politician who measures his success only by votes. He sees himself as the architect of a new India, built on a foundation of technological, cultural, economic and military prowess, and backed by an ideology of Hindu nationalism.”

The alternative to Modi is, as per Cowen, “underwhelming”.

The hyperbolic statements of Modi’s critics adds to the problem, says Cowen. Statements like Indian democracy is under threat. Cowen points out this is the easiest nonsense to refute for Modi’s supporters:

“Last I checked, Modi was elected, then re-elected, and his party and its allies control almost 2/3 of the lower house.”

He then points out that critics don’t dig deeper than the man Modi alone:

“It should not be so hard to write “The problem with Modi is the statism, and lack of respect for minority rights, sadly this is democratically certified and thus democracy requires real constitutional constraint of the powers of the government.”  But so many people today are mentally and emotionally incapable of thinking and writing such thoughts.”

It’s amusing how a foreigner’s assessment of the critics of the government is so bang on target!