Last week, Narendra Modi was overwhelmingly re-elected as the Prime Minister of India (his first term began in May 2014; I wrote about Modi in this post).
Modi is an unapologetic Hindu nationalist. Here's is the Post's perspective on his victory:
Modi’s win is a triumph for the ideology he represents, which some critics say tears at the fabric of a country that includes many religions, languages and cultures. To Modi and his party, India is fundamentally a Hindu nation, where the priorities of the majority take precedence and the secularism promoted by the country’s founders has no place.
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Today, Joanna Slater describes Modi's ambitious new project in Varanasi (here). I am interested in the article not least because we study Varanasi, in my class, in the context of learning about religious pilgrimages and sacred places. Here is what I learned from Slater's article:
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple sits one-quarter of a mile from the Ganges. However, a maze of alleys and buildings prevents easy access. Combining religious symbolism and economic development, Modi is spearheading a $75 million project to demolish existing buildings and "carve a wide path" from the temple to the river. He says that God has chosen him for the task (the temple is dedicated to Shiva).
Some people (including both religious believers and historical preservationists) are upset about the project. I was surprised to learn that 29% of Varanasi's population is Muslim, and they are worried that an unspoken goal of Modi's project is to make it easier to tear down, eventually, a mosque that sits close to the temple.
622. Why is Narendra Modi so popular right now? Is it because his "strong man" tactics satisfy a desire for stability, particularly in a country/culture that is changing so rapidly? Or is it more because Hindus want to preserve their dominant place in Indian society?
623. How does India's recent economic growth compare with China's?
624. What is the United States government's current approach towards India? Modi seems like the kind of leader that Trump would love, but most of the media attention focuses on Trump's attitude towards China, so I am uncertain whether we are nurturing the relationship with India.
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Here are some details about India's election, from the BBC:
- Results so far show the Bharatiya Janata Party (Modi's party) is set to win about 300 of the 543 seats in parliament, exceeding expectations and building on the commanding majority it achieved in 2014.
- The main opposition alliance, headed by Rahul Gandhi's Congress party, has admitted defeat. Congress is set to win fewer than 60 seats.
- Mr Gandhi has also lost his Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh. He has held it since 2004 and it is considered a stronghold of Congress and the Gandhi family in particular.
- The re-election of Mr Modi brings to a close the largest election the world has ever seen. More than 600 million people voted in the marathon six-week contest.
