Good morning. A chastened Narendra Modi was sworn in as India’s prime minister yesterday – more on that below, along with skateboarding’s new look and a four-alarm fire that gutted Group of Seven art. Also, thanks to everyone for their feedback on our new format (and, yes, we’ve got your daily diversion links back at the bottom). But first:
Today’s headlines
- Far right’s election gains rattle EU’s traditional powers, Macron calls snap polls
- Opposition parties urge collusion revelations be turned over to foreign interference inquiry
- Benny Gantz resigns from Israel’s war cabinet over lack of plan for postwar Gaza
Modi stands alone (for now).Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Democracy Watch
From superman to mortal
In hindsight, Narendra Modi might have tempered expectations just a bit. Throughout his marathon campaign for a third term as India’s prime minister, Modi promised he’d cruise to a 400-seat supermajority, as he ratcheted up attacks on the country’s Muslims. But last week, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, lost its majority for the first time in a decade, and must turn to a motley crew of coalition partners. So what does it mean for Indian politics – and what does Modi do next? Sanjay Ruparelia, an associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and Jarislowsky Democracy Chair, breaks it all down.
We hear a lot about the cult of Modi, but what does that actually look like in India?
His picture is on everything: on billboards, at bus stops, on social entitlements like gas cylinders or housing certificates. At rallies, his supporters wear Modi masks, suggesting that he is me and I am him. He comes from a lower-caste background, so in that sense, he represents the common man – but he’s not common. The other side of his personality is the superman, the man who can fast for 10 days or – as he said in this insane interview – is divinely created.
Well, he seems much more mortal these days. What happened to that thumping majority everyone predicted?
Polling is hard in a country of 1.4 billion. The BJP thought this was a cakewalk, and many in the media repeated that line, but there were important signs of discontent on the ground. Modi came to power promising to create millions of manufacturing jobs and expand infrastructure. He made good on that second promise, but not the first one. He expanded the monthly food grain rations to 800 million citizens, which is a critical measure of social security, but it’s also a sign that people don’t have the jobs to purchase these necessities themselves, especially when inflation is so high.
Second, this government has centralized power enormously and represented a Hindu nationalism that stoked fears among Muslims, Christians and Dalits. There was real concern that if the BJP won a supermajority, they’d change the constitution and deprive citizens of basic rights.
Is this result just a vote against Modi? Or did the opposition have something to offer?
Part of it was self-inflicted wounds: Modi’s hubris and also his controversial campaign speeches. But the opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, surprised many people. He undertook a gruelling, four-month walk across the country. He called out the growing inequality in India, the agrarian distress and the politics of hate propagated by many Hindu nationalists. And he did very effective coalition building within the INDIA opposition alliance.
Modi has to do some coalition building of his own. How will that work?
It’s an open question. He’s never had to share power. The two parties that the BJP needs to form a majority, the TDP and Janata Dal (United), are demanding certain concessions, and we don’t know how he’ll handle that. The TDP is advocating for economic reforms, and Janata Dal (United) is concerned about social policy, so I think this will moderate the nationalist agenda, as long as these new allies are willing to walk out of the government.
Relations between Ottawa and New Delhi are frosty right now. Will these results recalibrate that?
There may be a greater willingness behind the scenes to move forward. At the same time, the rhetoric has not moved. New Delhi is saying, show us the evidence that we were formally involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and Ottawa is saying, co-operate with the evidence we have shared.
Last week’s headlines were pretty much: Modi’s bubble has burst. Are the rumours of his political demise greatly exaggerated?
It would be reckless to say that Modi’s career is now on a decline. He is utterly committed to politics. He’s constantly in campaign mode. So while he’s suffered a stinging rebuke, I would expect he’ll now be thinking of how he can recover – in every possible way.
The Shot
‘Skateboarding transcends the mere execution of tricks.’
Learning to shred at Girl Skate India.Norma Ibarra/The Globe and Mail
Today’s sport goes well beyond a bro on a board. Read more about folks around the world carving their own path here.
The Wrap
What else we’re following
At home: Toronto’s St. Anne’s was the only church with artwork by members of the Group of Seven. It was destroyed in a four-alarm fire yesterday morning.
Abroad: Iran approved six candidates to run in its presidential election later this month. Former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wasn’t among them.
On the ice: The Oilers attempt to regroup in Florida tonight after dropping Game 1 on Saturday night.
On the stage: An energetic new Stratford production whizzes its way through Romeo and Juliet. (Speaking of star-crossed lovers: Is it officially curtains for Ben Affleck and J.Lo?!)
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this newsletter referred to the Janata Dal (United) Party as the United Party. This version has been corrected.