“At the very least, the result pricks the bubble of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s authority. He made this election about himself: His performance, his omnipotence and omniscience, and his ideological obsessions. Modi is, for the moment, not the indomitable vehicle for History, or the deified personification of the people. Today, he is just another politician, cut to size by the people.” Pratap Bhanu Mehta, former vice-chancellor of Ashoka University, on General Election 2024 results in which the BJP did not win a majority in its own right (Indian Express, June 4) “Voters have sent an unmistakable message that India is not going to become a saffronised fiefdom of the BJP. Communal hate speech has not won votes. Dissent and media criticism, muzzled n the last five years, will no longer be easily tamed. It is a victory for all fundamental values of a democracy.” Swaminathan Aiyar, reputed economist and columnist, on General Election 2024 results (The Economic Times, June 4) “India’s swelling GDP and its new status as the world’s fifth largest economy have been closely tracked by soaring unemployment, which has risen from 3.2 percent to 7.6 percent since 2013. This contrast reflects the gulf between the benefits of Modi’s economics for the rich and poor.” Anastasia Piliavsky, senior lecturer, India Institute at King’s College London in an essay titled ‘Back to practical Hinduism’ (Times of India, June 4) “Indian democracy can now breathe easy. The core values of the Constitution, which came under severe stress in the past 10 years, now stand well-protected. The BJP’s politics of communal polarisation which looked invincible has been held in check… the verdict is for change. But the way to read the outcome of the 2024 elections is to see that change has come wearing the deceptive mask of continuity.” Sudheendra Kulkarni, aide to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee (The Hindu, June 4)
