What India’s Protests Reveal About the Future of Liberalism: A Conversation With Pratap Bhanu Mehta

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing his biggest challenge since taking office in 2014. But in an essay in Foreign Affairs, Pratap Bhanu Mehta argues that the youth protests that have swept New Delhi don’t just pose a test for Modi’s authority—they may also mark an inflection point for India itself. “The future of Indian democracy,” Mehta writes, “hinges on whether this contest opens up more democratic space or leads to greater repression.”

Deputy Editor Kanishk Tharoor spoke with Mehta, an analyst of Indian politics and University Lecturer at Princeton University, on October 19 about Modi’s power, about what these protests can and cannot achieve, and about what the battle in India means for the future of liberal democracy around the world.

You can find sources, transcripts, and more episodes of The Foreign Affairs Interview at foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/foreign-affairs-in….