The United States et al, aka the "free world" is not a natural ally to India.
United States and its allies are known as "free world" in their own world only. In most of world, they're same imperialist and fascist states with accumulated wealth, hounding country after country to halt their rise in name of arms control while themselves maintain too big stockpile.
As for Indo US relations, indeed "natural ally" is mere a diplomatic lotion. US has been pretty "undemocratically minded" in its diplomacy. It was openly even hostile to India in most of past century and has always been ally of undemocratic theocracies.
Any electoral country is democratic till it's not anti US, otherwise it's a majoritarian or elected autocracy etc.. Anything for justification.
Why? Simply because India isn't a part of the free world, as much as it like to claim it is.
India neither claims nor ever it's actions have represented anything like that. Left wing or right wing, for any average Indian nationalist or even neutral Indian thinker, USSR & PRC are oligarchies masquerading as communists and western countries are oligarchies masquerading to be democracies.
Challenge to run a true democracy does not come after genocide of native populations, looting people around world, accumulating wealth, building all the supply chains and securities and then opening the state saying "We are free". It most certainly lies in inheriting an entirely ruined state with its blood sucked, having a huge population to feed with limited resources, staggering diversity to a degree of a demographic nightmare to manage, facing foreign lobbies and agents in higher agencies, having 90% of land border covered by two hostile neighbors backed by global powers and still with aspirations to become a great power.
The "Indian democracy", "are they like us" is an initiative from western thinkers itself to see a counter weight to communist China. If India ever even really had tried actuated on any western proposals, we wouldn't have been in a loose knit and uncertain relationship today. India isn't their enemy. But was never an ally either.
So no, India never claimed membership of any "club" of self appointed "free countries". India loves to refer to itself as "world's largest democracy" in it's own context, not any hypehnation with western world.
Democratic nationalism in Indian context is antipathic to western version.
The recent wave of dangerous populism is only a representative of the deep rooted feudal mindset within the populace.
Western population is no less feudal or religious than Indians. And in fact, is even more extremist in nature, just sitting humbled stability of security of wealth for some period what won't live long after relative erosion of western wealth.
Principally, Indian "religions" are about culture, are monotheistic, polytheistic and atheistic and extremely tolerant in nature. Instances of clashes between any Indian religions are too insignificant in both numbers and duration themselves.
If western leftists have crazy communists, western right is equally full of neo nazis as well. So, everything in their politics is justified. Same doesn't apply here in east. Definition of religion in Asia Pacific is different from that in middleast and Europe. We aren't obliged to have a sky daddy God and not threatened to be burnt in hell for it.
Moving ahead from their heritage and from nation to states, foundation of most western countries (including USA) was over white supremacy and white nationalism contrary to diverse and liberal state of India. Their founding fathers disgusted other races and deprived them first to finish their populations before implementing "democracies". Even their national slogan remains "In God, We believe", reminding us what their foundation was.
WW2 ended up with demise of lot of great powers and 21st century will be marking rise of lot others. So nationalisms everywhere due to closing gaps of powers, will revive in their native forms. And western nationalisms are far more vitriolic and ugly in nature.
The Ethno/Religious populism needs to be fed with constant diet of a show down every now and then. That means a clash between groups, or killing or two.
In particular case of India, the group(s) involved in conflict are cause of conflict everywhere in world and have their institutions funded from beyond India's frontiers.
There is absolutely no issue with Indian religions at least for conflict.
Otherwise, sooner or later a lot of people from the subcontinent are going to be maligned for their country/culture/religion.
As if they already weren't. Blatant misinterpretation and misrepresentation of foreign cultures and portrayal of savages as reformers, is an essential characteristic and tool of western establishments to keep their people in bubble of superiority.
Unfortunately, India (or rather the party in power) is mixing religion and politics.
I would appreciate it now if you elaborate and exemplify this particular ignorant rant prevalent these days? How exactly they mixed religion with politics? By forcing foreign religions as well to reform or proposing same laws for everyone?
India's HDI rank is 129, right around that of Sub saharan africa, and not too far from Pakistan.
No sure what you are trying to say.
Pakistani and Sub Sharan Africa's HDIs are 0.56 and 0.54 against India's 0.65. It's quite a good gap. Former low income/very early lower middile income countries while later one is close to graduation as upper middile income country.
Over that, India's HDI and other indicator sources are improving much faster yet while there's a competition between population growth and GDP growths in Pakistan and Africa, keeping their ranks stagnant or negative for decades.
Maybe put that effort in actually lifting people out of poverty. Rather than headline management.
Pulling down from 21% to 5% in 8 years isn't bad IMO.
Most people in india do not have access to clean water. You probably live in your bubble.
No body cares for a airport in the world. United states has a few trailer parks. That doesn't mean the whole country lives that way. People focus on the majority. Not the small picture you want them to focus on
Bubble part applies on you better. You're a direct reflection of standard ignorance on any street of a north Atlantic country.
"Most people in india do not have access to clean water."
LOL, I mean where did you get that?
India's representation in western juvenile is concentrated to pictures captured by BBC/CNN from India's remotest areas and those even from previous decades.
India isn't a great place to live in yeah. But it isn't a bloody "third world nation" contrary to coverage it gets. Average Indian populated landscpae looks like more of that of Southeast Asia.
