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Right-wing Populism
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The article “What Do Populist Authoritarians Do When They Rule?” by Kamal Mitra Chenoy (EPW, 15 June 2019) aims to offer a “comparative template of right-wing populism (RWP’s) methods of rule.” This is timely in the context of the rise of majoritarian politics across the globe, including India.
One of the most disturbing aspects of right-wing politics is the normalisation of social violence and militarisation of society. This needs to be seen from the perspective of masculine politics, the use of force as main instrument to usher in any kind of change in society. The violence that erupted in West Bengal in the pre- and post-election period is indicative of this pattern and pathology. The author notes that RWP as a “discourse and practice normalises violence against minorities, dissenters, women, or anyone who differs.” That mob lynchings and attacks against Muslims rose at an alarming rate illustrates this point strongly.
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