The so-called Fringe Groups were always existent since Independence but did not have a loud voice. The middle class instead of rejecting these groups through a socialist social change kept alive these groups through its non-enlightened "education". In the 90s certain films and TV serials brought back regressive rituals like Karva Chauth into prominence among the middle class, destroying what little social progress had been attained by the socialists in past decades. Read my thread on Karva Chauth
here. It is an article by a middle class woman questioning the ritual.
The "fringe groups" became mainstream after the victory of Modi in 2014. BJP leaders, even the Chief Minister of Tripura, even the Prime Minister of India, openly began speaking of glorious Hindu technological achievements 10,000 years ago, like spacetravel, satellite-supplemented internet, motor cars and
in vitro fertilization. Much of the middle class did not reject these leaders, did not even made fun of them. Watch
this middle class woman doing the "Thaali bajao Corona bhagao" on Modi's orders ( enable the volume button ). Read
this article about crackpots, including the former DRDO chief VK Saraswat, who have been allotted government support for RSS' "scientific research" branch called VIBHA which seeks to bring to light the aforementioned "ancient Indian achievements". They also promote cow urine and dung therapy and reject Darwin's theory of evolution by saying that their ancient texts don't speak of a transition from ape to human, but these people contradictorily believe in Hanuman, a talking, fighting and Ram-following monkey.
These charlatans are not being mocked by the masses. In fact all those hordes of computer engineers and MBAs are in awe of them. Hence crooks like "Sadhguru" Jaggi Vasudev, Baba Ramdev and Sri Sri Ravishankar find countless followers.
And those few who do mock these crooks and charlatans are being shouted down, threatened, jailed and assassinated by the government and its adoring ignorant, superstitious masses, amplified by the presence of social media.
I don't know why you said about economy but milk, curds and ghee should become staple diet for every citizen. Along with chicken eggs.
Can you please tell me why are cats on the verge of extinction in India ?
To be fair there is Caviar outside of India.