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Christophe Jaffrelot

Christophe Jaffrelot is senior research fellow at CERI-Sciences Po/CNRS, Paris, professor of Indian Politics and Sociology at King's India Institute, London, and non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He offers valuable insights on South Asian politics, particularly the methods and motivations of the Hindu right in India.

Supreme Court’s verdict on Maratha reservation ignores inequality within intermediate castes

Mon, Jun 07, 2021

This episode is one more missed opportunity by both – the state and the court – to acknowledge the growing socio-economic differentiation within the dominant castes, something the leaders of these castes do not recognise either.

What blinded government to the devastating second wave of Covid?

Mon, May 17, 2021

Among the obvious factors are hyper nationalism, concentration of power in the hands of a few and reliance on pseudo-scientific remedies.

In healthcare, Gujarat is in BIMARU league

Wed, May 05, 2021

With less than Rs 5 allocated for daily healthcare expenditure per person in its budget, Gujarat fares badly on numerous health indices.

Minority report: Polarisation in the Bengal polls could have repercussions for the state’s politics

Fri, Apr 16, 2021

The ongoing elections acquire significance not only because they may define the state and the country’s future, but the limits of the BJP and its Hindutva juggernaut could also be tested

What Ashoka University controversy says about the failures of private institutions

Fri, Apr 02, 2021

Greater push towards privatisation has implications for academic freedom and diversity in education institutions. For a more just, equal educational system, the state must have a role

What India’s farm crisis really needs

Wed, Mar 24, 2021

To solve India’s deep agrarian crisis, more public investment and government support are needed, not the new farm laws

India’s new digital rules are bad news for democracy

Thu, Mar 04, 2021

The new rules expand the government’s already considerable control over digital entities and will likely affect freedom of expression and privacy.

Other countries’ view of India is influenced by calculations and hopes that it can help counter Chinese expansionism in Asia

Sat, Feb 20, 2021

Today, the international media echo indices of democracy and freedom of expression prepared by institutions like Varieties of Democracy, Freedom House, and Reporters without Borders which are often comparing the evolution of India’s regime to the Emergency.

Rise of Hindutva has enabled a counter-revolution against Mandal’s gains

Wed, Feb 10, 2021

The BJP's rise to power may, therefore, result in the promotion of some upper-caste orthopraxy and ethos via state vigilantism.

Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 needs to be debated thoroughly

Thu, Jan 07, 2021

It provides an opportunity for India to forge an agenda that will act as a standard-setter in national data protection legislation.

If India has to meet climate change mitigation targets, it needs to take decisive action now

Sat, Dec 19, 2020

This is the time for India to take bold action if it wants to meet its objectives by 2047 or before. India must plan a green recovery from the current COVID-19 crisis to ensure a just and sustainable growth for its population. Doing this will take an incredible amount of resources and political will.

Why should Indian agriculture be liberalised when in most countries governments subsidise it?

Thu, Dec 03, 2020

Without some support from the state, the smallest of Indian peasants would be even more vulnerable.

On ‘love jihad’, BJP picks up baton from vigilante groups. Police, judicial apparatus have aided this move

Thu, Nov 26, 2020

This process is bound to transform India officially into an ethnic democracy, like Israel — where mixed marriages are practically impossible.

Chinese dam projects on Brahmaputra are a threat to lives and livelihoods downstream

Mon, Nov 23, 2020

Building a decentralised network of check dams, rain-capturing lakes and using traditional means of water capture have shown effective results in restoring the ecological balance while supporting the populations of the regions in a sustainable manner.

Lower castes in Bihar have got political power, not economic progress

Thu, Nov 05, 2020

The post-Mandal rise of the Yadavs was confined to the electoral domain; it did not have much impact on their socio-economic status

Arrests in Bhima Koregaon case frame a transformation in India’s polity and police force

Thu, Oct 29, 2020

The current usage of the expression "urban Naxal" owes much to Bollywood film director Vivek Agnihotri, who defines an “urban Naxal as an intellectual, influencer or activist who is an invisible enemy of India”. The idea of such a conspiracy was propagated, however, by the Sangh Parivar.

Under Modi government, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have ceased to be key places for debate

Thu, Oct 15, 2020

For the moment, Parliament is not heeded to, though it has not been replaced by experts at the expense of democracy. The decline of Parliament is for everyone to see. But does anyone care?

Government is promoting a culture of secrecy, undermining legislation such as RTI

Thu, Sep 24, 2020

Transparency is not only necessary for maintaining a democratic polity, it is also necessary for making the economy work

Supreme Court’s apparent reluctance to question government on consequential issues affects its moral authority

Mon, Sep 07, 2020

Almost immediately after assuming office, in 2014, the Narendra Modi government blocked the elevation of Gopal Subramanium as a judge of the apex court.

What’s left of the ‘Mandal moment’, politically and socially, now?

Sat, Aug 22, 2020

Rise of Hindutva politics and contradictions within OBC spectrum have exhausted the silent political revolution. Unfulfilled promise of job quotas may lead to a revival.

Centre’s reliance on indirect tax revenue, pro-rich policy, has deprived govt of resources during COVID crisis

Tue, Aug 11, 2020

COVID-19 may be a blessing in disguise if it allows India to reform its tax system in order to make it work towards inclusive growth and sustainable development rather than targeting only investment-led economic growth. After all, India’s tax-GDP ratio was only 10.9 per cent in 2019, as against the OECD average of 34 per cent.