Ramachandra Guha on Modi’s India

No audio? Hover over the video player, and tap the Click to Unmute button.

Already an FP Subscriber?

On-demand recordings of FP Live conversations are available to FP subscribers.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely the most popular elected leader in the world. No other politician has won so many votes in history. Few other incumbent leaders around the world have such consistently high polling numbers.

And yet a growing number of scholars believe that in the world’s largest democracy, Modi may be dismantling democracy itself. As historian Ramachandra Guha wrote in “The Cult of Modi,” India’s leader has systematically eroded key democratic pillars such as the press, the judiciary, the bureaucracy, and the cabinet.

How exactly has Modi corralled so much power? Why have India’s opposition parties crumbled? What does a changing India mean for the world order? Watch FP’s editor in chief, Ravi Agrawal, for a rare in-depth interview with Guha.

 

Video clips from this event

  • Watch Ramachandra Guha, a historian of modern India, answer whether the opposition has a role to play in fighting democratic backsliding in the country.

  • Ramachandra Guha breaks down the global ramifications of India’s democratic decline.

  • Ramachandra Guha, biographer of former activist Mahatma Gandhi, explains why India’s democracy is on a downward spiral despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi being widely popular and winning two elections.

Read the Transcript

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation.

Is India Losing Its Claim to Being a Democracy?

Historian Ramachandra Guha explains how Narendra Modi is eroding real people power.

Insider  |  Ravi Agrawal

Go to the FP Live Podcast page

Prefer to listen? Follow the FP Live podcast for the entire conversation, plus other in-depth discussions, wherever you get your podcasts.

Related

Upcoming

Back to the FP Live landing page

 Discussions

On-Demand from FP Live

The Trump-Xi Summit

U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping to great fanfare but left with little to show for it. What does the Trump-Xi summit reveal about the balance of power between the world’s two biggest economies?

China scholar Rana Mitter joined FP Live’s Ravi Agrawal to debrief on what was gained from this diplomatic mission.

Watch Now

  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

Is Russia the Winner in Iran?

While much of the world is suffering from the spike in energy prices, Russia has enjoyed a rare windfall from increased oil revenues. Alexander Gabuev argues that U.S. President Donald Trump’s moves in Iran and Venezuela are not only a boon to Russian interests but also will push Moscow into a deeper partnership with Beijing. The director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center joined FP’s Ravi Agrawal to explain how Russia is navigating a moment of particular global flux.

Watch Now

  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

Inside Iran

How are regular Iranians coping with months of war and economic pressure? How have U.S. and Israeli attacks changed their perception of their own government? Journalist Ali Hashem spent weeks in Tehran since the war began and argues that Iran’s current leaders have adapted and unified over the course of the conflict. Hashem sat down with FP Live’s Ravi Agrawal to discuss what he’s been seeing and hearing in the country.

Watch Now

  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

FP Live: The Ask-Me-Anything Edition

On a special ask-me-anything episode, regular host Ravi Agrawal will take stock of a world at war. What does the Iran conflict mean for the global economy or traditional alliances? More than a year into U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, how are world leaders navigating his leadership? And what of the U.S.-China relationship? FP Live’s executive producer, Dana Sherne, turned the tables on Agrawal, taking questions from FP subscribers and viewers alike.

Watch Now

  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

Foreign Policy’s forum for live journalism, convening experts and world leaders.

Contact FP Live

Enter your email address to manage your FP Live notifications preferences.

Manage your FP Live notifications preferences:

Your email address:

Not You? Log Out

All FP Email Preferences Subscribe

Ramachandra Guha on Modi’s India

Add to Calendar:

Loading graphics