Development economist Jean Dreze opined on Sunday that the Indian democracy had been afflicted by a “recent wave of authoritarianism”.The assertion came mere days ahead of the Lok Sabha elections with the Belgium-born social scientist insisting that the Opposition INDIA bloc can make a ‘big difference’ to the tally.
“Leaders of these parties have endured relentless scrutiny and harassment by central agencies for years. Former Jharkhand chief minister Soren finds himself behind the bars, Lalu Prasad has faced intermittent periods of incarceration, and Rahul Gandhi narrowly avoided a similar fate in addition to Congress’ accounts being frozen. Any politician who presents a danger to the BJP is at risk of harassment. In these circumstances, the elections are as good as rigged,” the economist said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Published: 14 Apr 2024, 05:40 PM IST
