India – rise in sectarian intolerance

India hasn’t been immune from the nationalist xenophobia which has shaken several European countries and the US in recent times. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi was elected in 2014 on a vision for economic growth, good governance, and reforms with his Hindu supremacy beliefs kept low key. But since then there has been growing intolerance of the fifth of the population who are Muslim or other faiths, undermining India’s previous status as a secular, multi-cultural country.

Not all of his economic policies have been a success, with some of its meteoric rise slowing, though it’s still in better shape than most and in 10 years, forecasters predict that India’s economy will be third-largest in the world, behind the USA and China.

Modi’s birthdate is questionable but he was sworn in on 26 May 2014 at 6.13pm in New Delhi, which does give a fearsomely determined, violent and ruthless, as well as crises-ridden chart with a Cardinal Grand Cross of Mars opposition Uranus square Pluto opposition Jupiter.  Despite some economic setbacks he remains popular in the polls.

Next year’s election due April/May sees mixed fortunes on his Term chart with the tr Saturn Pluto opposing the Jupiter, but it’s a generally lucky chart and will get a boost from Solar Arc Pluto opposing Jupiter the year after.

India gained independence on 15 August 1947 on the Saturn Pluto in Leo conjunction so it will be tuned into the Saturn Pluto mood up and coming in 2019 – normally a sign amongst other things of repression of religious minorities.

What is worrisome is that the Progressed Mars is moving to conjunct the India Pluto and Saturn over the coming year – and Mars Pluto Saturn was around for the very bloody partition of India and Pakistan after the August independence with many hundreds of thousands killed and 14 million peoples displaced. So it could get unpleasant with the over-heated rhetoric and violence likely to escalate.