Politicians pitching for votes based on the services they provide rather than on the grievances they stoke is better for Indian democracy
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskThe story, probably apocryphal, went viral on Indian social media last year because it gets at a truth known to all Indians: that the prime minister is inescapable. He peers out from newspaper advertisements extolling his achievements. He adorns the homepages of government websites. He beams down from billboards across the country.
For those who liked and shared the Frankfurt airport story, the prime minister’s tendency to put his name on everything is a sign of megalomania, or a sinister attempt to build a personality cult. The reality is more sophisticated: Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has worked out how to claim credit for things people like., a polling group, asked Indians whom they credited for welfare programmes.
For poor Indians, the benefits are clear. Not only does the central government have a bigger incentive to improve their lives; states also feel the need to compete with it in munificence. It is better, too, for Indian democracy for politicians to pitch for votes based on the services they provide rather than on the grievances they stoke. Despite the’s constant drumbeat of Hindu majoritarianism, it is the party’s record of providing basic goods that appeals to many more voters, including Muslims.