Word: singhs
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Does Prime Minister V.P. Singh enjoy the confidence of the house?" Last Wednesday, the question was put to a vote in the lower house of parliament, and Singh lost. Two days later, with the backing of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, his job was taken over by Chandrashekhar, who broke away from Singh's Janata Dal party on Monday...
...entirely new political forces as the expectations of the formerly destitute rose along with their incomes. The Hindu nationalists have managed to ride that social wave, as have parties and movements representing untouchables, farmers and groups like the Yadavs, a low-caste group in north central India. Says Mulayam Singh Yadav, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and himself a Yadav: "Before, democracy was only for the powerful. But now real democracy has arrived." Observes a senior government economist: "The poor are organizing themselves as Muslims, as ((ethnic)) Jats, and so on. They want to get their share...
...virtue and piety. But some leaders are worried that in a polyglot society like theirs, such self-righteous credos can too easily degenerate into cultural intolerance. At B.J.P. rallies, it is not unusual to hear the slogan "The only place for Muslims is the graveyard or Pakistan." Warns a Singh adviser: "We are seeing the Indian face of fascism...
...Singh, who is under mounting pressure to quit from dissidents within his own party, loses the vote of confidence this week, new elections could be called within a few months. The Prime Minister can point to accomplishments in foreign policy, including a peace settlement with Nepal, and such populist but expensive programs as debt relief to farmers and job guarantees for the poor. He can also emphasize his support for "secular" values opposed to what he calls the B.J.P.'s efforts to "lay the foundation stone of a theocratic state...
...Singh can probably count on the support of segments of the backward classes in the north and of the country's 96 million Muslims, who have applauded his efforts to protect the Ayodhya mosque. But he will have a harder time swaying the rest of the population, which is more concerned with rising inflation and a growing budget deficit. The B.J.P. will fight back with its platform of Hindu Rashtra, trying to convert religious fervor into votes. Where Rajiv Gandhi's Congress (I) Party might enter the equation is anyone's guess. But in order to survive, the winner must...