Have you ever been asked, “Are you a leftist or a rightist?” Or maybe, you’ve pondered over your political leanings while deciding what to put on your social media profiles, ultimately opting for the safer route of ‘apolitical.’
The truth is, political identity extends far beyond the simple binaries of “left-wing” and “right-wing.” One might identify as a socialist, communist, anarchist—or perhaps as a libertarian, liberal, neo-liberal, or even a nationalist, conservative, regionalist, or authoritarian. The spectrum of ideologies—populist, progressivist, or otherwise—is vast, and the list goes on.
India’s political landscape is a complex web of diverse ideologies, historical influences, and socio-economic realities. The labels “Left” and “Right,” originally rooted in the seating arrangements of the French Revolution, have been imperfectly applied to the Indian context, often failing to capture its nuances. Where does a friend who criticizes the BJP for its stance on secularism but holds casually casteist views fit? Or an uncle who’s a staunch nationalist but also supports extensive welfare programs?
Perhaps you’ll have a better idea by the end of this reading. In this article, we explore the evolving definitions of “Left” and “Right” in the Indian political context.
How did we do this?
Well, imagine a room filled with AI engines and politically diverse editors, poring over India’s political history, manifestos, declarations, and party constitutions. We combined this with a careful review of peer-reviewed papers, a range of news articles, and an analysis of political party manifestos to understand the evolving ideologies. We also spoke with academics and party workers to gain insight into how these ideologies play out in everyday life.
The result?
A guide to navigating the murky waters of Indian politics—one that’s as trustworthy as your preferred political party. 😉
1. Religious and Communal Tensions
Left View
The Left emphasizes secularism and religious pluralism, advocating for the equal treatment of all religious communities under the law. They oppose any form of discrimination based on religion and promote policies that foster communal harmony.
Right View
The Right prioritizes the Hindutva ideology, emphasizing Hindu interests and cultural nationalism. They advocate for policies that promote Hindu religious identity and support measures aimed at protecting Hindu culture and traditions.
2. Caste-Based Politics
Left View
The Left supports caste-based reservations and affirmative action, advocating for policies aimed at uplifting marginalized caste groups. They view reservations as a tool to address historical injustices and social inequalities.
Right View
The Right exhibits varied views on caste-based reservations. Some factions argue for a merit-based approach, while others support reservations but advocate for reforms to ensure fairness and efficiency, such as implementing reservations based on income levels. They often believe that reservations can disadvantage the unreserved and undermine meritocracy.
3. Economic Inequality
Left View
The Left advocates for redistributive economic policies aimed at reducing income inequality. They support state intervention in the economy, welfare programs, and measures to protect workers’ rights, emphasizing social justice.
Right View
The Right favors free-market economic policies, deregulation, and privatization. They prioritize economic growth and job creation through initiatives that encourage entrepreneurship and investment, believing that a thriving economy benefits all societal segments.
4. National Security
Left View
The Left emphasizes diplomatic solutions, peace talks, and addressing the social causes of terrorism, such as poverty and inequality. They advocate for human rights and peaceful conflict resolution.
Right View
The Right prioritizes national security and adopts a tougher stance on terrorism. They advocate for strong military responses, counter-terrorism measures, and increased surveillance of suspected extremists to protect national interests.
5. Environment and Development
Left View
The Left prioritizes environmental conservation and sustainable development. They advocate for stricter environmental regulations, renewable energy initiatives, and the protection of natural resources to ensure long-term ecological balance.
Right View
The Right emphasizes economic development and infrastructure projects as essential for growth. They prioritize industrialization, urbanization, and infrastructure development, sometimes placing these goals above environmental concerns.
6. Gender Equality and Women’s Rights
Left View
The Left advocates for gender equality, women’s empowerment, and policies to address gender-based discrimination. They support affirmative action to increase women’s participation in politics and the workforce.
Right View
The Right supports women’s rights but may prioritize traditional gender roles and family values. They may oppose certain feminist movements or initiatives perceived to challenge traditional norms, emphasizing the preservation of cultural values.
7. Foreign Policy
Left View
The Left prioritizes non-alignment, diplomatic engagement, and cooperation with multiple blocs of countries. They advocate for a balanced and peaceful approach to international relations.
Right View
The Right may prioritize stronger ties with countries aligning with national interests, advocating for a more assertive foreign policy. They envision India as a key global influencer (Vishwaguru) and resist foreign interference in internal matters.
8. Freedom of Speech and Expression
Left View
The Left emphasizes the importance of freedom of speech and expression as fundamental democratic rights. They advocate for protecting dissent, promoting media freedom, and opposing censorship, even if it involves controversial speech.
Right View
The Right may prioritize national security and social cohesion over absolute freedom of speech. They advocate for restrictions on speech deemed seditious, offensive, or harmful to public order and support measures to regulate online content.
9. Urbanization and Land Use Policies
Left View
The Left prioritizes equitable urban development, advocating for inclusive urban planning and affordable housing. They support measures to prevent forced evictions and displacement of marginalized communities, including land reforms.
Right View
The Right prioritizes economic growth and infrastructure development in urban areas. They advocate for ease of land acquisition and streamlined approval processes, emphasizing private sector participation and urban beautification initiatives.
10. Alignment with Political Parties
Left View
The Left supports parties like the Indian National Congress (INC), Left Democratic Front (LDF), and the Communist Party of India (CPI) and its affiliates. They oppose the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other right-wing parties. Their support or opposition to the government aligns with these affiliations.
Right View
The Right supports the BJP and other right-wing parties, opposing the INC, LDF, CPI, and left-wing affiliates. Their stance towards the government depends on which parties are in power.
11. Judiciary
Left View
The Left advocates for the independence of the judiciary and supports the collegium system for judicial appointments. They express concerns over the lack of representation of oppressed classes at higher judicial levels.
Right View
The Right believes the judiciary can be influenced by liberal ideologies and advocates for the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), criticizing the collegium system for breeding nepotism. They caution against judicial activism and overreach.
12. Basic Structure of the Constitution
Left View
The Left upholds the basic structure doctrine as established by the Kesavananda Bharati judgment, frowning upon attempts to alter it for populist measures.
Right View
The Right believes in the flexibility and adaptability of the Constitution to meet the people’s demands. Some leaders have unofficially expressed a desire to introduce changes upon achieving a supermajority in the legislature.
13. History
Left View
The Left prefers maintaining the status quo in historical narratives and believes there have been attempts to distort and “saffronize” history in school education by the ruling Right.
Right View
The Right contends that the existing historical narratives were fabricated by leftist historians, ignoring significant aspects of Hindu history while giving undue prominence to periods of Islamic rule. They commit to revising what they consider “falsified history.”