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The Lawfare Podcast

India’s Democracy Under Modi

The Lawfare Podcast

The Lawfare Institute

History, News, National Security, Law, Terrorism, Current Events, Military, International Law, Foreign Policy, Intelligence, International Relations, Politics, Diplomacy, Rule Of Law, Government, Constitutional Law

4.76.4K Ratings

🗓️ 10 April 2023

⏱️ 67 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On March 23, 2023, an Indian court found Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s principal opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, guilty of defaming the Prime Minister and the Modi surname. He was sentenced to two years in prison and expelled from Parliament in what journalists and pro-democracy groups view as yet another inflection point of democratic decline under Modi’s leadership. 

To understand the challenges facing Indian society and the current deterioration of India’s democracy, Lawfare Legal Fellow Saraphin Dhanani sat down with Debasish Roy Chowdhury an Indian journalist based in Hong Kong and Calcutta, who has written extensively on Indian politics, society, and geopolitics. He co-authored a book titled “To Kill a Democracy: India’s Passage to Despotism,” which paints a chilling history and reality of the state of Indian democracy. They discussed the Rahul Gandhi case, the spillover of Hindu nationalism into mainstream politics under Modi’s leadership, and the future of India’s democracy. 

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Transcript

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0:00.0

The following podcast contains advertising.

0:04.0

To access an ad-free version of the LawFair podcast,

0:08.0

become a material supporter of LawFair at patreon.com slash law fair.

0:14.0

That's patreon.com slash law fair.

0:18.0

Also, check out LawFair's other podcast offerings,

0:22.0

rational security, chatter, law fair no bull, and the aftermath.

0:29.0

Research by the World Value Survey showed that by the time Modi came to power in 2014,

0:43.0

some 56% of Indians were supporting who by a strong leader.

0:49.0

There have been recent EU surveys which show that India is on the, I think, so countries,

0:55.0

where majority of citizens, 53% say that they would rather support military rule.

1:03.0

So, yes, there has been a growing appetite for a strong man.

1:09.0

I'm Sairfin Denani, legal fellow of LawFair,

1:13.0

and this is the LawFair podcast April 10, 2023.

1:18.0

On March 23, 2023, an Indian court found Prime Minister Narendra Modi's principal opposition leader,

1:26.0

Rahul Gandhi, guilty for defaming the Prime Minister and the Modi's surname.

1:32.0

He was sentenced to two years in prison and expelled from parliament in what journalists and pro-democracy groups view

1:38.0

as yet another inflection point of democratic decline under Modi's leadership.

1:44.0

To understand the challenges facing Indian society and the current deterioration of India's democracy,

1:50.0

I sat down with Debashish Roy Chaudhary, Indian journalist based in Hong Kong and Galkatha,

1:56.0

who's written extensively on Indian politics, society, and geopolitics.

2:01.0

He's co-authored a book titled, To Kill a Democracy, India's Passage to Despotism,

2:07.0

in which he paints a chilling history and reality of the state of Indian democracy.

...

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