An interesting and intriguing piece by Dr. Rabia Akhtar. A thread. I would like to highlight a few points: scholars did not adequately study cultural dynamics in South Asian societies.1 https://twitter.com/Rabs_AA/status/1265175783426920448">https://twitter.com/Rabs_AA/s...

Modernization theory remained the only dominant theoretical explanation to comprehend the changing societal dynamics in the developing world. Cultural acceptance of dem in SA has always remained a question least addressed by Comparativists working in field of democratic theory.2

My study of democratization in South Asia suggests that culture has generally been a dominant anti-democracy force. For example, India has always remained an election-only democracy where the state was democratized to manage an authoritarian society.3

Dr. Akhtar notes that “on behalf of the entire Indian nation, RSS driven by the Hindutva ideology gets to decide who belongs in India and who does not”, it looks misleading. PM Modi has massive public support 4

..which means he is someone who gathered anti-democratic forces in his country, not created them. SA culture encourages strongmen’s rule, it proves to be winning. PM Modi, a strongman in the office, is achieving his foreign policy agenda while doing at home what he promised to.5