Quote:A dangerous lurch to the extreme right

Modi is a far right Hindu nationalist whose election suggests India is entering its most sinister period since independence, as Indian author Pankaj Mishra put it. Hindu nationalism is an exclusive club made up of upper-caste Hindus who form the ruling elite; it is of course closed to the devout worshipers from the lower castes. Modi’s BJP openly promotes the ideal of an India run by and for Hindus. It is “quite open about its belief in the Hindu India… where everybody else lives… as second-class citizens”. Modi’s rise to electoral stardom is a “terribly sad thing and something to be ashamed of”, says Arundhati Roy.