Yet there have been few attempts at explaining this flagrant nexus between politics and crime in India. Milan Vaishnav’s new book, When Crime Pays: Money And Muscle In Indian Politics, fills this void with admirable rigour, clarity and elegance. Second, all these arguments turn on an idealized picture of the Congress party in the period between 1950 and 1965. Such embedded muscle-power was arguably central to the Congress’ preponderance in Indian politics for the first 15 years—especially through traditional forms of caste dominance in rural India. Tackling this problem is fundamental to addressing the crime-politics nexus as well as corruption, more broadly speaking.

Source: Mint February 19, 2017 18:07 UTC