Democracy and the State

"This book examines the relationship between state, society and democracy in India over the last decade. It does so by exploring the recent careers of three goals that were pre-eminent on the state's agenda at Independence, and continue to inform contemporary debates on Indian politics and society. Each of these goals - welfare, secularism and development - is illuminated through a detailed case study to which the challenges of democracy and citizenship are central." "In exploring some aspects of the discursive terrain of Indian politics, this book provides a narrative which bridges the gap between political theory and empirical political analysis. This well-written and carefully argued book will be useful not only to postgraduate researchers in politics, but also to the ordinary reader interested in debates that confront contemporary India."--BOOK JACKET.