Sidharth Bhatia 
Professor Christophe Jaffrelot, one of the most respected scholars of India, says that all what has been seen at a national level in the last 10 years is a replication of his stint as the chief minister of Gujarat.
The polarisation of society, control of the police and the judiciary and the building up of a larger than life persona-all of this was visible in Gujarat first, he tells Sidharth Bhatia in a discussion.
Jaffrelot says de-institutionalising, that is taking direct control of independent institutions, is a hallmark of the Modi style of administration. Policemen who helped the administration in Gujarat were rewarded and some were even moved to Delhi, those who did their job professionally were sidelined, he says.
Much of it is in his latest book Gujarat Under Modi: Blueprint for India that has just been released. The book was done in 2013 but could not be published because of some legal issues and has been only slightly updated and released now.
Jaffrelot says the opposition parties finally realised the dangers and got together to fight Modi. They will have to keep the momentum going. “It is time now to revalorise the Constitution,” he says.