The generation gap of governance

There is nothing preordained about the current demographic mismatch in India between the rulers and the ruled. After all, just a few decades ago, many observers lamented the rather homogenous ethnic makeup of India's political class. Then came India's "silent revolution". But let's not fool ourselves into thinking the most recent Cabinet reshuffle was about bringing in the youth. When asked to explain the government's claim that the new cabinet was younger than its predecessor, a spokesperson responded, "Young is not necessarily seen in terms of age." The government may have a hard time selling that line to those operating under a more traditional definition.

Vaishnav is a South Asia associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington. Swanson is a junior fellow there

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