Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a prominent Indian political scientist, asserted that populist leaders worldwide rarely prioritise addressing economic challenges, instead focusing on issues that fuel popularism.

Speaking during the third session, “The Wave of Populism,” at the Kantipur Conclave organised by the Kantipur Media Group, Mehta noted that from the United States to India, populist leaders avoid making economic reforms a central part of their election agendas.

He cited examples of election strategies in both countries, observing that “populist leaders do not prioritise economic challenges as campaign issues.” Mehta did, however, point out that some Latin American populist leaders have raised economic reform as part of their agendas.

He explained that leaders like Narendra Modi in India and Donald Trump in the United States often depict traditional structures as their adversaries. “In India, Modi portrays nepotism as one such adversarial structure,” Mehta noted. He also highlighted that these leaders tend to weaken democratic institutions and often resort to identity-based politics to strengthen their appeal.

In recent elections, he added, leaders from various Indian parties and figures such as Kamala Harris in the United States have raised strong voices on the crises faced by democracy around the world.