Since the right-wing, Hindu-nationalist government of Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the national level in 2014, and with its consolidation of power in the 2019 general election, India has witnessed a significant realignment of its national politics and a shift toward the right of the political spectrum. The Politics of India under Modi provides a detailed overview of India’s political trends, economic prospects, and international relations in the twenty-first century. This book is designed as a supplement and update for existing syllabi that trace India’s political economy from the birth of the republic to the quest for economic liberalization and great power status. Undergraduates and scholars interested in India’s foreign policy and political reform will find value in this timely book. “The subject of this book is extremely compelling and important, as well as timely. BJP rule and the Modi regime, it is now clear, represent some critical turning points in Indian politics, which have yet to be analyzed in depth academically by experts. I see this book as a key first step in this process.” -Rina Verma Williams, School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Cincinnati

In 2012 Narendra Modi became the first Hindu nationalist politician thrice elected to lead a state of the Indian Union, his stewardship as Chief Minister of Gujarat being the longest in that state’s history. Modi and his BJP supporters explained his achievement by pointing to economic growth under his leadership, yet detractors point out that Modi has been more business-friendly than market-friendly—to the benefit of large industrial corporations, and at the cost of great social polarisation. In 2002, an anti-Muslim pogrom of unparalleled ferocity occurred in Gujarat, leading to the biggest number of Muslim deaths since Partition. The state’s Hindu majority immediately rallied around Modi. No serious riot has occurred in Gujarat since, but polarisation was key to Modi’s strategy there, and he has deployed that strategy again and again since he became Prime Minister of India in 2014. For Modi has cultivated a communal image. A marketing genius, his messaging combines the politics of Hindutva with economic modernisation, to the clear appreciation of Gujarat’s middle class. Christophe Jaffrelot’s revealing book shows how Modi’s Gujarat served as the laboratory of Modi’s India, not only in terms of Hindu majoritarianism and national populism, but also of caste and class politics.

Since the right-wing, Hindu-nationalist government of Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the national level in 2014, and with its consolidation of power in the 2019 general election, India has witnessed a significant realignment of its national politics and a shift toward the right of the political spectrum. The Politics of India under Modi: An Introduction to India's Democracy, Economy, and Foreign Policy by Vikash Yadav and Jason A. Kirk provides a detailed overview of India's political trends, economic prospects, and international relations in the twenty-first century. The book grew out of questions and concerns expressed by students about India's political economy in the contemporary moment--and responds to this pedagogical need. In five chapters, the authors seek to answer these questions through explorations of India's democracy and elections, emerging market economy, and complex foreign policy. Chapter one provides a political overview, including a brief biography of Narendra Modi. Chapter two outlines India's subnational politics, with detailed case studies of Bihar, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh. Chapter three tackles the economy, with a focus on demographics, poverty, employment, growth, and lastly, corruption. Chapters four and five discuss India's economic and foreign policy specifically under Modi, covering topics like the economic boom, India-China relations, the "Act East" policy, and military modernization. The Politics of India under Modi is designed as a supplement and update for existing syllabi that trace India's political economy from the birth of the republic to the quest for economic liberalization and great power status. Undergraduates and scholars interested in India's foreign policy and political reform will find value in this timely book.

From websites devoted to battling a 'Left-liberal' media ecosystem to the formidable internet army of Hindu Right volunteers, from online narratives of Hindu valour to Narendra Modi's impeccably-managed social media presence, new media is an integral part of present-day Hindu nationalism.The Virtual Hindu Rashtra examines the relationship of Hindu nationalism and new media across a range of internet spaces, including Twitter trends in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party's government policies, Facebook pages dedicated to the cultural project of establishing a Hindu state, and WhatsApp groups circulating jokes about Modi's critics. Situating online Hindu nationalism in a historical context, this book analyses the movement with respect to national and global political trends, such as the rise of authoritarian political personalities worldwide and the phenomenon of fake news. The book concludes with a reflection on the implications of the relationship of Hindu nationalism and new media for democracy in India.

Contributed articles with reference to India; some previously published.

It's 2014. Afghanistan's biggest watershed since 2001, the year the war on terror began, is upon it. American forces are in themiddle of a pullout that is likely to result in a much smaller US military foorprint after this year. On the face of it, the stage is set for India-a regional power with global aspirations-to rise to the occasion, bank on its goodwill, and help rebuild the nation. But presented with a golden opportunity, India has been found wanting. This book examines the changing trajectory of Indian policy owards Afghanistan and argues that New Delhi has beenresponding to a strategic environment shaped by other actors, without developing an autonomous posture. By refusing to be proactive, India has lost the initiative and done some long-term damage to its vital interests, the least of which is gaining access to the energy-rich central Asian region while the biggest is to foil Pakistan and the Taliban's designs of once again rising to prominence in Afghanistan.The way in which India's foreign policy shapes up this year-or if it does at all-will determine the consequences for Indian security once Western forces depart. As Afghanistan braces for the most important year in its political history since 2001, India's Afghan Muddle sets the terms for the debate on why2014 is no less important for India as well.