[Ashoka Mody](https://www.theatlantic.com/author/ashoka-mody/): “The spectacle of hundreds of millions of Indians—many suffering severe material deprivation—performing their civic duty arouses both hope and wonder, often winning India the title of ‘world’s largest democracy.’ But Indian democracy did not just begin to degrade under Modi: It has been eroding since the first years of independence. Modi has put that process on steroids and today presides over an autocracy in all but name.
“For decades, the Indian state has used coercive legal powers to suppress dissent and constitutional mechanisms to delegitimize votes. The judiciary has largely acquiesced, money has gushed into Indian politics, and Hindu nationalism has cast a dark shadow of division. What are treated now as anomalies have been the trajectory all along.
“This romantic view of an inherently democratic India is a fairy tale. According to the Swedish think tank V-Dem, India [was never a liberal democracy](https://v-dem.net/data_analysis/VariableGraph/), and today it is sliding ever more decisively toward autocracy. Even under its first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s impressive electoral apparatus did not guarantee equality before the law or ensure essential liberties to citizens. Subsequent leaders, rather than plugging the cracks in India’s constitutional foundation, expanded them, not least by using the state’s coercive power to circumvent democratic processes for personal or partisan advantage. Fraying democratic norms rendered free speech, dissent, and judicial independence casualties from the start.”
The hundreds of millions of Indians voting for modi would deny that. Sure what’s happens in India may not run in U.S.A or Europe, but Indian democracy is not Europe’s or America’s democracy, it is for India, and voted for by India
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[Ashoka Mody](https://www.theatlantic.com/author/ashoka-mody/): “The spectacle of hundreds of millions of Indians—many suffering severe material deprivation—performing their civic duty arouses both hope and wonder, often winning India the title of ‘world’s largest democracy.’ But Indian democracy did not just begin to degrade under Modi: It has been eroding since the first years of independence. Modi has put that process on steroids and today presides over an autocracy in all but name.
“For decades, the Indian state has used coercive legal powers to suppress dissent and constitutional mechanisms to delegitimize votes. The judiciary has largely acquiesced, money has gushed into Indian politics, and Hindu nationalism has cast a dark shadow of division. What are treated now as anomalies have been the trajectory all along.
“Nonetheless, world leaders, including President Joe Biden, often describe India as [a vibrant democracy](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/india-is-a-vibrant-democracy-go-to-delhi-and-see-for-yourself-white-house/articleshow/100779660.cms). Even more nuanced analyses hold that Indian democracy will [withstand the current crisis](https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/the-fear-of-fascism-india-s-democratic-institutions-are-too-strong-to-let-fascists-win/cid/206914) because Indians respect diversity and pluralism, the country’s democratic institutions are strong, and recovery is inevitable.
“This romantic view of an inherently democratic India is a fairy tale. According to the Swedish think tank V-Dem, India [was never a liberal democracy](https://v-dem.net/data_analysis/VariableGraph/), and today it is sliding ever more decisively toward autocracy. Even under its first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s impressive electoral apparatus did not guarantee equality before the law or ensure essential liberties to citizens. Subsequent leaders, rather than plugging the cracks in India’s constitutional foundation, expanded them, not least by using the state’s coercive power to circumvent democratic processes for personal or partisan advantage. Fraying democratic norms rendered free speech, dissent, and judicial independence casualties from the start.”
Read more: [https://theatln.tc/JqP0wWTQ](https://theatln.tc/JqP0wWTQ)
The hundreds of millions of Indians voting for modi would deny that. Sure what’s happens in India may not run in U.S.A or Europe, but Indian democracy is not Europe’s or America’s democracy, it is for India, and voted for by India