Please stop making this idiotic argument! It is not only elitist & untrue, it is self-defeating.

Tired of hearing this repeated ad nauseam. So many people, from rural poor to urban educated have admitted they were fooled! And, was UPA-2 so stellar not to expect anti-incumbency? https://twitter.com/RanaAyyub/status/1299981938443214848

It is money, honey.

BJP's core voters are bigots but the rest are fooled by propaganda.

"BJP spends 10,000 times more than Netflix on election publicity. BJP’s unprecedented intake of funds is the single most overlooked factor in LS elections 2019." https://bit.ly/3jF1FbJ 

To clarify, bigotry is a major issue, we all know that. My problem was with the blanket generalization in Rana's statement.

Didn't realize those who don't follow my TL might assume I am denying bigotry. I am a native of bigotry country, people. The last thing I am is defensive!

Lack of nuance in the mainstream narrative wrt voters motives I suspect comes from dominance of privileged Savarnas in MSM/SM. Those who don't belong/not interacted with social/eco underprivileged, tend to generalize from insular personal experiences skewed by class/caste/region.

Unaccounted factors:
1. Are parties distinguishable by ideology? Sorry no. Candidates across parties are filthy rich corrupt politicians. You expect voters to vote by ideology? Instead of blaming voters for voting BJP, blame opposition parties for bad candidates.

2. A section of voters vote for popular candidates (caste based or charisma or past performance), not for party.

Karnataka MLAs who switched from INC shifted to BJP got elected again. What does it say? That they turned bigots overnight? Or they are just candidate-loyalists?

Instead of arguing with those who feel majority are bigoted, will leave you with this:

1. If you followed 2019 campaign, you'd know how Modi/BJP spent billions, did caste engg, mega rallies, indirect bribes, etc. If majority is bigoted, why so much labor, money, strategy?

2. Modi would love it if we say his mandate is not by money, propaganda, bribery & deceit, but because bigot majority doesn't care about vikas, that they elected him out of informed free will. Fortifies his hate agenda.

Do you want to give him that kind of legitimacy? Think.

There are regions in India where majority is bigoted, irreversibly so. I am from one such place, coastal KA. Gujarat is another. There may be more pockets like that.

But if we generalize it to all India we'll end up creating the reality we imagine. Beware of "Pygmalion Effect."

Here is a thread that illustrates the point I am trying to make.

Please listen to people like this with feet on their ground, not hot-take experts & privileged armchair analysts whose sample is limited to UC friends & family + an odd cabbie & maid. https://twitter.com/pkgirpadee/status/1300131793157398528

Never underestimate the power of propaganda.

Here is an example of how even well educated people get fooled by propaganda. This is a doctor, so you can only imagine how easily the less privileged can be indoctrinated. https://twitter.com/ArcaneIndian/status/1209441741058609154

Don't underestimate the power of incumbent governments to indirectly bribe people with pre-poll schemes.

Why else do you think PM Care fund is planning two covid hospitals in Bihar? Public memory is short. Modi is a master of exploiting this weakness. https://twitter.com/balwindEr_24/status/1300140570220748800