Welcome to the Political Fix by Rohan Venkataramakrishnan, a weekly newsletter on Indian politics and policy. To get it in your inbox ever...
Welcome to the Political Fix by Rohan Venkataramakrishnan, a weekly newsletter on Indian politics and policy. To get it in your inbox every Monday, sign up here.
Request: Since last week we have been trying out a format with more analysis and fewer links. But we want to know if that’s what you prefer: Please fill out this short form to tell us what you think.
If you want journalism with spine not spin, consider supporting us either by subscribing to Scroll+ or contributing to the Scroll.in Reporting Fund.
The Big Story: Capital shame
For years, Narendra Modi was known as the Bharatiya Janata Party politician who was chief minister of Gujarat when its capital, Ahmedabad, erupted in communal riots in 2002 that left more than 1,000 dead.
Observers, politicians and the judiciary spent years debating whether Modi was directly involved – either in fanning the religious flames or actively planning the violence – or simply at fault because his administration was unable or willing to prevent it. The courts eventually cleared him of active involvement, and yet the fact that they happened on his watch could not be washed away.
Last week, the same script played out in Delhi, India’s national capital.
This time, Modi is Prime Minister, and his government – which is directly in charge of...
