Modi may give India its ‘Thatcher moment’

History shows that right-wing extremism thrives during times of unemployment and disaffection. The other risk in voting for Modi is that he is authoritarian. I take comfort in India’s pugnacious press, fearless judiciary and a hugely diverse, disobedient people — all of which make dictatorship a tall order. Hence, I concluded that there was a greater risk in eschewing Modi than in voting for him.

Looking ahead, Modi’s first priority should be reassuring Muslims that he is the leader of all Indians and that his government is duty-bound to protect minorities. He must act swiftly against sectarian violence. He must also make use of his strengths. He has proved himself a consummate implementer — a rare skill among India’s politicians that could be the key to ungumming the central bureaucracy, paralysed and demotivated after a decade of Congress rule. Hundreds of public and private sector projects are stuck.

— Financial Times

Gurcharan Das is the author of India Grows at Night: A Liberal Case for a Strong State.