Populist Majoritarianism in India and Pakistan: The Necessity of Minorities

Abstract

This paper aims to understand the complexity of majoritarianism and how it converts into populism. It argues that majoritarianism cannot survive without the fodder called ‘minorities’. Further, it is argued that because of the authoritative tendency of majoritarianism, many from the same majority communities hold opposing views on policies and action of their community. Majoritarianism suppresses internal criticism and critics are treated as traitors, the tag used for minorities. Populist majoritarianism is an ideology which believes that the original claimant on the politics and society should be those who form majority in the population—religiously, ethnically, or linguistically. This paper also aims to understand, theoretically, populist majoritarianism in India and Pakistan. The Indian case is highlighted many a times empirically through Hindu–Muslim conflict. In this paper Pakistan is dealt empirically as a special case study of majority and minority conflict.