Shekhar Gupta: Socialism of the elites

Scindia's 'non-AC' Range Rover shows how a unique brand of hypocritical - and self-destructive - socio-populism is our national ideology. Reason why Hindu Rate of Growth is India's destiny

In one heady moment when he was being given a joyous welcome in Bhopal by the BJP, Jyotiraditya Scindia made an important assertion. In the entire state’s politics, he said, he and Shivraj Singh Chouhan were the only two who did not turn on the air conditioner in their cars.

Now there were some unkind taunts about a maharaja driving a Range Rover but not using air conditioning. But that’s unimportant. Politically, he was acknowledging a central reality of Indian politics: That even the most powerful and rich, from the royals to tycoons, had to appear frugal even if they couldn’t