Democracy Lighthouse Digest #11

This edition of the Democracy Lighthouse Digest focuses on India, one of our project areas. Under Narendra Modi and the BJP, the country has become what V-Dem calls an “electoral autocracy.” Although multi-party elections remain, the BJP has weaponised the criminal justice system to intimidate opposition parties, journalists, and human rights activists. There has also been an increasing spate of violent attacks against the minority Muslim population. The BJP has encouraged anti-Muslim sentiments and has sought to limit Muslims’ rights in an effort to make India a Hindu state. In this edition of the digest, Harsh Mander, an Indian human rights activist, discusses the BJP’s idea of India. It also includes analysis from Debasish Roy Chowdhury on the results of recent provincial elections in Bengal and what the emergence of the youth-led cockroach movement means for Indian democracy. Our latest issue features the latest book by Rohit De and Ornit Shani Assembling India’s Constitution: A New Democratic History and concludes with an article from Jordan Ryan on the dangers of unregulated AI.