NY Times: India's economic woes are piercing NaMo's aura of invincibility

Rashmun wrote:SURAT, India — The immense popularity of Narendra Modi, India’s most dynamic prime minister in decades, has always rested on two legs: Hindu nationalism and his tantalizing promises to build on the country’s go-go economy.
That second leg is now looking a little shaky.


In the last two years, India’s consumer confidence has plummeted, construction has slowed, the fixed investment rate has fallen, many factories have shut down and unemployment has gone up.


Fingers are pointing at Mr. Modi. Just about all economists agree that two of the prime minister’s biggest policy gambles — abruptly voiding most of the nation’s currency and then, less than a year later, imposing a sweeping new sales tax — have slowed India’s meteoric growth.


“Things have been worsening, worsening, worsening,” said Himanshu, an economics professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, who uses only one name...




The government on Friday predicted that the country’s gross domestic product would grow by 6.5 percent in the 2017-18 financial year. While that is the lowest number the country has seen in four years, India’s economy is one that most countries would love to have.



But it does not feel that way to the huge number of Indians negatively affected by Mr. Modi’s policies, and the grumbles are growing. So are social tensions, especially those that divide Hindus from Muslims, and upper caste from lower caste. The fear is that Mr. Modi is already beginning to lean more heavily on that first leg of his, Hindu nationalism, now that his economic strategy is losing some of its sheen...


But for many people here, politics and economics are not connected at the hip. Kailash Dhoot, a textile exporter, said that Mr. Modi’s recent policies had wounded his business but that Mr. Modi’s party was still his first choice.



When asked why, Mr. Dhoot was quick, and curt, with an answer. “Hindutva,” he said. And he closed his mouth firmly, signaling the discussion was over.


Hindutva is a philosophy adopted by Mr. Modi’s party that emphasizes Hindu supremacy.


Since Mr. Modi came to power, so-called cow vigilantes have brutalized or killed dozens of people, many Muslim, for slaughtering or trading cows, a venerated animal in the Hindu religion. The hate crimes seem to never end.


Analysts fear that if the economy continues to come up short of expectations, Mr. Modi might turn more to what are termed “communal issues,” subjects that divide communities based on religion or caste.


“If economic maneuverability is limited,” said Ashutosh Varshney, a political-science professor and India specialist at Brown University, “then the communal card, the Hindu-Muslim card, is a massive political temptation.”


“That’s what Mr. Modi did in Gujarat,’’ Professor Varshney said. “He twisted every available political possibility into a Hindu-Muslim question.”


One example was Mr. Modi’s accusations that opposition leaders were in cahoots with Pakistan, India’s rival and a nation with a strong Islamic identity, after some opposition leaders met some Pakistani officials at a recent social event.


Many people saw those claims as a low blow to stir up Gujarati Hindus, who make up the state’s vast majority.


“It didn’t used to be like this,” said Hanif Belim, a taxi driver in Gujarat. But nowadays, he added, “politicians divide the public and sit on the side and watch them fight.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/06/world/asia/india-modi-economy.html?smid=tw-share

southindian wrote:

Aunty,

Breath-in, breath-out. The elections are over.

This website is waiting for your Hastha-Matihun synthesis drama. Please proceed.

Seva Lamberdar wrote:NY Times should read the following blog before publishing articles and comments on India's economic woes -- 
https://such.forumotion.com/t44970-should-caste-quotas-in-education-and-jobs-be-the-primary-consideration-in-electing-national-and-state-govts

Rashmun wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:NY Times should read the following blog before publishing articles and comments on India's economic woes -- 
https://such.forumotion.com/t44970-should-caste-quotas-in-education-and-jobs-be-the-primary-consideration-in-electing-national-and-state-govts

your 'growing population' argument falls apart if we consider that China has about the same population as India while it is rapidly outpacing India in economic development even though it was less developed than India at the time of Indian independence. Now, admittedly, China has more land area, but note that western China is largely uninhabited due to mountainous and inhospitable terrain. 90-95% of the Chinese live in Eastern China.

Let us stop making silly excuses for the economic woes afflicting India.

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

Rashmun wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:NY Times should read the following blog before publishing articles and comments on India's economic woes -- 
https://such.forumotion.com/t44970-should-caste-quotas-in-education-and-jobs-be-the-primary-consideration-in-electing-national-and-state-govts

your 'growing population' argument falls apart if we consider that China has about the same population as India while it is rapidly outpacing India in economic development even though it was less developed than India at the time of Indian independence. Now, admittedly, China has more land area, but note that western China is largely uninhabited due to mountainous and inhospitable terrain. 90-95% of the Chinese live in Eastern China.

Let us stop making silly excuses for the economic woes afflicting India.

India may have the same population now as China, but India's enormous population rise is recent (in past 70 years) while outpacing all its recent economic gains. On the other hand, China already had a large population to start with in comparison to India about 70 yrs. ago and contributing to Chinese economy. China, also because of its political system (unlike India's), did not allow Chinese population to overtake  its economic gains.

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

Rashmun wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:NY Times should read the following blog before publishing articles and comments on India's economic woes -- 
https://such.forumotion.com/t44970-should-caste-quotas-in-education-and-jobs-be-the-primary-consideration-in-electing-national-and-state-govts

your 'growing population' argument falls apart if we consider that China has about the same population as India while it is rapidly outpacing India in economic development even though it was less developed than India at the time of Indian independence. Now, admittedly, China has more land area, but note that western China is largely uninhabited due to mountainous and inhospitable terrain. 90-95% of the Chinese live in Eastern China.

Let us stop making silly excuses for the economic woes afflicting India.

India may have the same population now as China, but India's enormous population rise is recent (in past 70 years) while outpacing all its recent economic gains. On the other hand, China already had a large population to start with in comparison to India about 70 yrs. ago and contributing to Chinese economy. China, also because of its political system (unlike India's), did not allow Chinese population to overtake  its economic gains.

Moreover, even though India and China currently have similar populations (1.3 - 1.4 billion people each), the area of China (9.6 million sq km) being nearly 3 times that of India (3.3 sq km) results in one-third the population density in China as compared to India, as well as the Chinese citizens on per capita basis having 3 times the natural resources (land, water and other things) than Indian citizens. Hence, the overpopulation has greater adverse consequences in India.

Vakavaka Pakapaka wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

Rashmun wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:NY Times should read the following blog before publishing articles and comments on India's economic woes -- 
https://such.forumotion.com/t44970-should-caste-quotas-in-education-and-jobs-be-the-primary-consideration-in-electing-national-and-state-govts

your 'growing population' argument falls apart if we consider that China has about the same population as India while it is rapidly outpacing India in economic development even though it was less developed than India at the time of Indian independence. Now, admittedly, China has more land area, but note that western China is largely uninhabited due to mountainous and inhospitable terrain. 90-95% of the Chinese live in Eastern China.

Let us stop making silly excuses for the economic woes afflicting India.

India may have the same population now as China, but India's enormous population rise is recent (in past 70 years) while outpacing all its recent economic gains. On the other hand, China already had a large population to start with in comparison to India about 70 yrs. ago and contributing to Chinese economy. China, also because of its political system (unlike India's), did not allow Chinese population to overtake  its economic gains.

Moreover, even though India and China currently have similar populations (1.3 - 1.4 billion people each), the area of China (9.6 million sq km) being nearly 3 times that of India (3.3 sq km) results in one-third the population density in China as compared to India, as well as the Chinese citizens on per capita basis having 3 times the natural resources (land, water and other things) than Indian citizens. Hence, the overpopulation has greater adverse consequences in India.

China's population density has always been high in the coastal areas. Most of Western China (mainstream Chines think of it as a frontier land) is thinly populated. 
In terms of prosperity, if monomaniacs and goras didn't come and plunder India and Sickularism didn't infest the mindset of people, India's economic prosperity would not have taken a break.

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

Vakavaka Pakapaka wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:

Rashmun wrote:

your 'growing population' argument falls apart if we consider that China has about the same population as India while it is rapidly outpacing India in economic development even though it was less developed than India at the time of Indian independence. Now, admittedly, China has more land area, but note that western China is largely uninhabited due to mountainous and inhospitable terrain. 90-95% of the Chinese live in Eastern China.

Let us stop making silly excuses for the economic woes afflicting India.

India may have the same population now as China, but India's enormous population rise is recent (in past 70 years) while outpacing all its recent economic gains. On the other hand, China already had a large population to start with in comparison to India about 70 yrs. ago and contributing to Chinese economy. China, also because of its political system (unlike India's), did not allow Chinese population to overtake  its economic gains.

Moreover, even though India and China currently have similar populations (1.3 - 1.4 billion people each), the area of China (9.6 million sq km) being nearly 3 times that of India (3.3 sq km) results in one-third the population density in China as compared to India, as well as the Chinese citizens on per capita basis having 3 times the natural resources (land, water and other things) than Indian citizens. Hence, the overpopulation has greater adverse consequences in India.

China's population density has always been high in the coastal areas. Most of Western China (mainstream Chines think of it as a frontier land) is thinly populated. 
In terms of prosperity, if monomaniacs and goras didn't come and plunder India and Sickularism didn't infest the mindset of people, India's economic prosperity would not have taken a break.

Most of western China as thinly populated does not  compensate for the huge land difference between India and China (India in land is just one-third of China). Moreover, Rajasthan also in the west of India is very thinly populated due to desert like conditions.