India moving from Cong to BJP-system, comments US expert
WASHINGTON: India appears to be transitioning from a Congress-dominated system to one controlled by the BJP but it is yet to be seen whether the party can penetrate South India or not, an eminent American expert has said, as he joined a debate whether overwhelming power to a single entity can be a concern for the health of democracy.
Ashley J Tellis, the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment think-tank, said that if the opinion polls are correct, Prime Minister Modi will be elected likely with a comfortable enough majority to dominate politics for another five years, at a panel discussion on “India in Modi’s Third Term” on Wednesday.
“For the longest time, India was very comfortable with what was called the Congress system. Congress was hegemonic in politics for many decades. It appears like we might be transitioning now to a BJP system and a BJP hegemony,” he said. “We will have to wait and see what the results bring with respect to South India in particular, the party can penetrate south,” he said.
“But if we are on the cusp of a transition to a BJP system, do we have reasons to be concerned about the health of Indian democracy? I don’t mean that it simply concerns minorities, but the question of a party that has overwhelming power at the centre, that has an extraordinary mandate visa-vis the civil society, other arms of government, the press and so on and so forth. What is the status when you think about Indian democracy for five years?” Tellis asked.