Protests in India

Narendra Modi’s sectarianism is eroding India’s secular democracy

The Indian prime minister has united a broad coalition against him

At a fancy dinner in the Indian capital a newscaster wonders aloud whether India has entered a new and darker era. Not long ago, such talk would have been derided as churlish.[1] Overbearing[2] and ruthless as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (bjp) might sometimes seem, there was no questioning its democratic legitimacy. Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, won two national elections in 2014 and 2019. And he won them fairly, by outperforming[3] and outsmarting[4] his lacklustre[5] opponents. India’s robust[6] institutions, as well as its sheer[7] size and diversity, also appeared to be adequate brakes against authoritarian[8] rule.

(Economist Jan 23rd 2020 edition)

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[1] churlish

BrE / ˈtʃɜːlɪʃ /

( formal )

rude or bad-tempered

It would be churlish to refuse such a generous offer.

[2] trying to control other people in an unpleasant way; domineering

[3] to achieve better results than sb/sth

[4] to use cunning or cleverness to get an advantage over somebody

[5] not interesting or exciting; dull

[6] ( of a system or an organization ) strong and not likely to fail or become weak

[7] [ only before noun ] used to emphasize the size, degree or amount of sth

[8] demanding political obedience