Any minute now India will be the most populous country in the world. But is it still the largest democracy? Apparently not. According to those who measure such things (CBC needs to cite its sources), India's democracy has slipped to 161st out of 180 countries. To put this in perspective, India is now behind Afghanistan when it comes to democratic freedoms.
Napoleon referred to China as a sleeping giant ("Let China sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world"). Mao Tzedong was not a communist but saw a version of it (Maoism) as the only way to organize and control a population as large as China's. Has India reached a population of no return? Is it to late for a communist solution, or will authoritarianism have to do?
On Valentine's Day this year Indian tax officials raided BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai for airing an item critical of prime minister Modi. Did the BBC in turn claim political interference, given that it is Britain's public broadcaster? No, the BBC doesn't seek political support, as it prefers to see itself as separate from the British state. Ah ha! says that rocket launching autocrat-in-waiting. But it's not! Nor is the CBC, NPR ...
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