Why Indians voted for Modi over jobs: it’s not the economy, stupid
- Unpopular economic policies don’t seem to have gotten in the way of another landslide victory for the Indian prime minister
- The returning leader’s strategy sidelined the issue, targeting some voters with images of national resurgence, others with local development
Just over two hours from New Delhi, in Muzaffarnagar district, Rohit Kumar’s routine revolves around helping his father in the family’s sugar cane fields.
Kumar is 21 years old and graduated in commerce a year ago from a college in Muzaffarnagar, a district that in 2013 saw Hindu-Muslim riots which killed more than 60 people and left tens of thousands displaced.
Kumar, like many Indians, has been struggling to find a job in the private sector. A leaked government report several months ago revealed India’s unemployment rate was at a 45-year high, at 6.1 per cent. Opposition leaders and Modi’s critics blamed the government’s economic policies, but Kumar disagreed.
“We are such a populous nation. How can Modi ji be blamed if everyone does not get a job? We must all understand and control the population, instead,” Kumar said.
