Hello, you're very welcome to Long Reeds, a Jacobin podcast where we look in depth of political topics and thinkers.

My name's Daniel Finn, on the Features editor here at Jacobin, and I'll be presenting the show.

Last year, Narendra Modi celebrated a decade in office as India's Prime Minister.

Modi was aiming for a third consecutive

election victory that would give him a free hand to advance his right-wing Hindu nationalist agenda.

But the election proved to be a disappointment for Modi and his allies, who lost their majority

in Parliament. Modi had to form a coalition to maintain his grip on power.

Our guest today has been one of Modi's leading journalistic opponents.

Siddhartha Deb is the author of several novels, and his non-fiction work has exposed the dark side of contemporary India.

Haymarket Books published a collection of his writings

last year, Twilight Prisoners, The Rise of the Hindu Right and the Fall of India. Thanks very

much for joining us today. I want to begin by asking you a question about the overall picture

after a decade, now more than a decade, of

Narendra Modi's rule as Indian Prime Minister, what impact would you say the BJP Hindutfa

political project has had on Indian politics and society during that period?

It's a very bleak picture. I mean, it's a kind of a... on Indian politics and society during that period?

It's a very bleak picture.

I mean, it's a kind of a state of near total collapse at every level.

The political opposition is in a shambles.

Mainstream media does not really report or critique the government and is completely on board

when the Hindutva project, the middle class and the elites are very much caught up in this

sort of right-wing nationalism with a kind of incredible hatred for minorities, particularly

...