India at the Crossroads: The Meanings of Modi’s Victory

Presented by Vivek Dehejia, Professor of Economics, Carleton University In May 2014, the Indian general elections produced a generational shift in Indian politics, with the defeat of the incumbent Congress party and the election of the haratiya Janata Party, a centre right party with Hindu leanings, led by Narendra Modi who is now Prime Minister. Did Modi win as many believe because of his promises to jumpstart the Indian economy and because of voters’ disgust with the corruption and drift in the last years of Congress rule? Is it because Modi’s humble origins resonated with voters? Or instead were voters responding to Modi’s social message and a resurfacing of Hindu nationalism? What does Modi’s monumental victory mean both for India’s economy and relations with the rest of the world? Finally, what does Modi’s victory mean for Canada? Dehejia had the unique opportunity spend the entire election campaign season on the ground in India and will share his thoughts, analyses, and opinions on the questions above, and more generally on the course of economic policy reform in India since the 1991 liberalization to the present day and beyond.

More information at: http://www.uregina.ca/events/india-at-the-crossroads-the-meanings-of-modis-victory