Indian conservatism and the compulsions of political power

Tagore Centre Distinguished Lectures 2015 by Swapan Dasgupta. Introduced by Sunil Khilnani.

Since 1998, a political party wedded to Indian conservatism has been in and out of government, both at the national and regional level. Over the past 25 years, the BJP (the most organised manifestation of Indian conservatism) has been in political partnership—both short-lived and enduring—with almost all regional groupings and socialist parties, apart from the Congress and Left. This lecture explores the implications of this move from the fringes to the political mainstream. Has this political cohabitation reshaped the parameters of conservatism? Has there been a modification of earlier certitudes? How has it coped with the breakdown of the traditional economy and the BJP’s enthusiastic endorsement of a techno-centric India? Do the shifts indicate an emerging vision of a conservative future?