Hindutva, Economic Neoliberalism and the Abuse of Economic Statistics in India

This essay argues that attempts at implementing the Hindutva agenda adversely affect economic activity. At first sight, Modi’s unabashedly neoliberal and pro-big capital claims could seem contradictory to his politics of hatred that severely disrupt economic growth. However, the ability of the gover...

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Main Author: Jayati Ghosh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Centre d’Etudes de l’Inde et de l’Asie du Sud
Series:South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/6882
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author Jayati Ghosh
author_facet Jayati Ghosh
author_sort Jayati Ghosh
collection DOAJ
description This essay argues that attempts at implementing the Hindutva agenda adversely affect economic activity. At first sight, Modi’s unabashedly neoliberal and pro-big capital claims could seem contradictory to his politics of hatred that severely disrupt economic growth. However, the ability of the government to persuade the public that the economy is doing well or that adverse outcomes are not the result of its own policies, actually serves the neoliberal agenda by taming the resentment of the poor and enabling further concentration of wealth. The Modi government is focused on the management of perception rather than on actually developing and implementing economic policies that would benefit the people. In this regard, manipulation and/or destruction of the statistical system are decisive, which is why an aggressive attitude to economic statistics has become one of the defining features of the government.
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spelling doaj.art-8a2933ae629c445bbcd6d9fcab4ade612024-02-12T15:39:06ZengCentre d’Etudes de l’Inde et de l’Asie du SudSouth Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal1960-60602410.4000/samaj.6882Hindutva, Economic Neoliberalism and the Abuse of Economic Statistics in IndiaJayati GhoshThis essay argues that attempts at implementing the Hindutva agenda adversely affect economic activity. At first sight, Modi’s unabashedly neoliberal and pro-big capital claims could seem contradictory to his politics of hatred that severely disrupt economic growth. However, the ability of the government to persuade the public that the economy is doing well or that adverse outcomes are not the result of its own policies, actually serves the neoliberal agenda by taming the resentment of the poor and enabling further concentration of wealth. The Modi government is focused on the management of perception rather than on actually developing and implementing economic policies that would benefit the people. In this regard, manipulation and/or destruction of the statistical system are decisive, which is why an aggressive attitude to economic statistics has become one of the defining features of the government.https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/6882HindutvaneoliberalismNarendra Modieconomic growthstatisticsmanipulation
spellingShingle Jayati Ghosh
Hindutva, Economic Neoliberalism and the Abuse of Economic Statistics in India
South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal
Hindutva
neoliberalism
Narendra Modi
economic growth
statistics
manipulation
title Hindutva, Economic Neoliberalism and the Abuse of Economic Statistics in India
title_full Hindutva, Economic Neoliberalism and the Abuse of Economic Statistics in India
title_fullStr Hindutva, Economic Neoliberalism and the Abuse of Economic Statistics in India
title_full_unstemmed Hindutva, Economic Neoliberalism and the Abuse of Economic Statistics in India
title_short Hindutva, Economic Neoliberalism and the Abuse of Economic Statistics in India
title_sort hindutva economic neoliberalism and the abuse of economic statistics in india
topic Hindutva
neoliberalism
Narendra Modi
economic growth
statistics
manipulation
url https://journals.openedition.org/samaj/6882
work_keys_str_mv AT jayatighosh hindutvaeconomicneoliberalismandtheabuseofeconomicstatisticsinindia