Last week, a photograph of PM Narendra Modi with top Bollywood stars went viral. Perhaps the photo sought to remind people that despite what the doomsayers may say Modi still retains his aspirational celebrity image, an image which has always been central to the ‘neo middle class’ or the newly affluent and urbanised.
Nostalgia for a Hindu golden age, high-growth aspirations and a razzmatazz Mr Fixit personality cult drew the middle class irresistibly towards Modi in 2014. Yet over the last four years, the rise of an old-style command and control economy, 1970s-type centralised government and slowing growth has sat uncomfortably with that well-projected image, creating many jilted lovers among erstwhile middle class adorers.
The love affair between Modi and the middle Read More
