Introduction The character of the Indian state in the decades following Independence has remained one of the central debates in Indian political economy and political sociology. While the Constitution proclaimed the ideals of justice, equality, democracy, and later socialism, the trajectory of economic development revealed a complex interaction between state-led planning, mixed economy, democratic politics, … Continue reading Examine K. K. R. V. Rao’s characterization of the Indian political system as a class alliance that employed socialist rhetoric while facilitating capitalist development, and evaluate its explanatory value in understanding the nature of the post-independence Indian state.