On 6 September 2016, the former CPI(M) General Secretary and politburo member Prakash Karat interrogated the current debate on "Indian fascism". He analyzed the current Indian political climate since the rise of the BJP. However, the only threat to Indian democracy for Karat is in the form of authoritarianism which, according to him, is only semi-fascist in character at the moment. For Karat, there is no sign of a fully developed fascist rule in India.