Can India’s current prime minister Narendra Modi win the upcoming election? It’s hard to say. India has one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but growth has slowed and fake news is rife.
India’s general election, held over six weeks in April and May, pits the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s Narendra Modi against a varied band of opponents, including Rahul Gandhi.
It started on February, 14 when a suicide attack killed more than 40 people in the Indian controlled part of Kashmir. Now, Pakistan and India’s conflict over the disputed region is heating up again.
India’s youths, an eighth of the world’s population, are facing a growing unemployment crisis. Australia must engage with this global demographic, for our own benefit and theirs.
Indians were promised they would be included in planning 100 smart cities and that everyone would benefit. But many of the millions of slum residents have had no say in their homes being destroyed.
Standing 240m tall, the Statue of Unity celebrates India’s development. But jarringly, it towers over a divisive and environmentally damaging dam project.
With international trade facing its greatest threat in decades, this club of China, Brazil, Russia, South Africa and India will have much to say about it.
Director, Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD), Professor of Politics, International Relations, and Critical Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Westminster