‘Modi wants to be king forever’: Why ordinary voters flocked to the Save Democracy rally in Delhi

His family told him not to go. But the 33-year-old man, who chose not to reveal any personal details other than the fact that he works in the Information Technology sector, said he felt compelled to attend the Opposition’s Save Democracy rally on Sunday. Not only because he wanted to express support for jailed Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, but also because he is concerned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “wants to be a king”.

“Modi ji ek raja ki tarah rehna chahte hain,” said the IT professional. “He wants to rule India forever.”

Like the young man, 58-year-old Mohar Pal cut a solitary figure in the crowd. Two years short of retiring from the forest department of Haryana, he rode a train to Delhi because he is convinced that Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is carrying out election fraud. “EVM mein ghotala hain” – the electronic voting machines have been rigged, he said.

In the sea of thousands of flag-wielding, cap-wearing committed party workers that flooded the Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, was just a sprinkling of ordinary voters like Pal and the IT professional. But their presence marked a growing disquiet over the state of Indian democracy now spilling over beyond India’s elite circles.

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