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India: Why the BJP keeps winning, with Political scientist Vinay Sitapati | Sandip Roy Podcast - Indian Express (Dec 27, 2020)

30 December 2020

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December 25th marked not just Christmas but the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee or as the current government calls it Good Governance Day. But despite all the floral tributes and even the Bharat Ratna, has the BJP under Narendra Modi veered away from the Vajpayee style of governing? One would often hear that Vajpayee with his relationships across the political spectrum was the right man in the wrong party. But a new book said that’s not necessarily true. Vajpayee and LK Advani carefully paved the way for the rise of Narendra Modi by giving their party the political respectability it needed. In fact, it’s not possible to look at the story of Atal Bihari Vajpayee without looking at Lal Krishna Advani. One was presented as the moderate face of the party, the other the hardliner. But this was an odd couple that in some ways was made for each other and their partnership over six decades transformed India as well. Political scientist Vinay Sitapati

the Transcript is available here