Lack of transparency belies Modi govt's claim of corruption-free governance

No Lokpal, weakened institutions and stonewalled RTI make it harder to evaluate the govt's actions

At this fraught, somewhat juvenile moment in India’s political history, when the president of the principal opposition party has declared in effect that the prime minister is corrupt, and in response the entire Union Cabinet has been ordered to tweet a hashtag that his entire family are thieves, it might be useful to look back at two points in our recent history. First, 2011; and second, 2008.

It is odd how distant the concerns of 2011 seem. Does anyone remember that the entire nation — or, at any rate, every television channel — came to a stop, demanding a Lok