Irrespective of
the political spectrum (right, left or centre) one associates to, nobody can
deny the attention Narendra Damodardas Modi commands in Indian politics. With
three consecutive victories in Gujarat, Modi has
become a self-proclaimed seal of authority and public trust which very few
Indian political figures dare to claim. This
self-proclamation has not been affected by a controversial past which gives
tremors of unjust and fear in a sizable chunk of our population. The 2002 riots in Gujarat under this same
administration openly applauded for the Gujarat
growth story is still an unhealed wound for many. Indian judicial system would
take its time and course to decide Modi’s role in the massacre but till then I feel
this man has done enough to keep us all interested. I write this blog to
reflect on the reasons behind the recent charismatic rise of Modi and the
dilemma (and so MODI-lemma) it brings for India in 2014 national polls. I
shall start with the situations facilitating Modi’s discussion on a national
scale where I think Dr. Singh has played a big “silent” hand.
A Silent Decade with
a Silent Prime Minister: A Night Watchman as a Friend Described
The silent image
that Dr. Manmohan Singh, our current prime minister, carries has left a lot of
us wondering and to an extent frustrated. Political elites like Sushma Swaraj
have been on record saying “Pehle to hamare Pradhan Mantri bolte nahi hain or
jub bolte hain to aap unki sunte nahi hain” (First our prime minister hardly
speaks and when he speaks nobody listens to him) this in one sentence summed up
the country’s impression about our leadership. Not limited to politicians, the same sentiment
is shared in jokes on Facebook and other social networking platforms. Compared
to this, someone like Modi just by his oratory skills gives an impression of
being in control all the time (I think his stand of not being in control in
2002 is very hard to believe). Modi’s
recent popularity has had a very big contribution from the ruling Congress
party which has kept a dummy head of state leading to disappointed voters. Dr.
Manmohan Singh might be a man with unmatched intellect but his inability to win
elections suggests that politics and leadership is not only about being learned
and wise. I feel, a decade without a charismatic leader makes an outspoken
confident Modi an easily sellable proposition for many political pundits.
Dwindling
Economy: India
Shining Dependent Upon Cheap Capital in the West
It is now clear
that a lot of growth observed in Indian economy till the 2008 meltdown was
fuelled by cheap western capital. Except for few intellectuals nobody could
predict the global asset bubble brewing and for India it wasn’t different
either. In fact, it was even worse; we were
blind-folded with a double allusion. One there was this cheap capital which
very few could smell and secondly we had Dr.
Singh at the helm, the man credited to lead the famous reforms of early
90’s. However as the world economy
slowly returns to “normalcy” the news is not encouraging, we had one of the
worst performing currencies in year 2012 and a GDP growth rate is hovering
around the 5% mark. The 5% growth rate is a dream in the west but for a country
like India
it’s not enough to satisfy the aspirations of the ever-growing urban young
population. On the contrary, the growth stories in states of Gujarat and Bihar are making headlines across the nation. The rise of politicians like Nitish Kumar
from Bihar and Narendra Modi from Gujarat
definitely indicates that Indian politics and democracy is slowly maturing to
overcome the old cast, creed and religion bias for economic performance and law
and order situation to play an increased role. Betrayed by inaction or
incapability of Dr. Singh, I feel people hope Modi to deliver for the entire
country what he has done successfully for Gujarat.
Whether this can happen or not is still to be seen but again I feel Dr. Singh’s
inaction is making Modi’s case stronger day by day.
Corruption: 2G,
CWG, Coal, Oil, Defence – Government Just Did It
The sitting
prime minister has an unquestionable honesty but in the times of social media he has
been quickly crowned as the head of one of the most scandalous governments. The
corruption portfolio is astonishing and the 2G and CWG scams literally put India on the
world corruption map. Can we consider a man honest if he himself is clean but
leads a team accused for corruption cases? Modi on the other hand not only has
a very clean record in corruption also heads a team with equal dignity. Personally,
I feel corruption is deep rooted in our society and I find it very difficult to
eliminate it just with the change in governance. However, our nation of 1.2
Billion is definitely capable to provide an honest cabinet on which Dr. Singh
has failed miserably. I think this is again big time helping Modi to gain
attention as he seems to have delivered this at least at a smaller scale.
Readers up to this point may assume that I am for
granted taking Modi to be the prime-ministerial candidate and winner for the
right wing Bhartiya Janta Party. This is
not the case and now I discuss the MODI-lemma which we shall face in case Modi
actually contests for the prime ministership.
An Expensive
Experiment: Can We Even Afford It?
Living outside my own country has definitely given me a glimpse of how quickly a
“minority” can be targeted or blamed for individual and political gains. I am
fortunate to live in a country with a reliable law and order situation but in India history
shows us how easily the situation can escalate to go out of administrations
control. If India
decides on Modi to be the next prime minister we risk giving a free hand to
right wing fundamentalists. Modi has once already failed to control the
spill-over effect in 2002 would he be in a position to stop the same at a
national scale is anybody’s guess. A
deteriorated law and order situation specifically hostile to a chunk of the
population is the last thing India
needs at this point in time. India
is a unique county with so many religions and cultures living together and as
citizens we should do everything to protect that identity and heritage.
Judicial
Process: The Law Shall Take its Course
Indian judicial
system is well recognized for its pace and it is no different in Modi’s case. I
am very much sure that before 2014 polls judiciary would not have given its
final verdict and I think that is the most sensitive point in the story. There
is almost no guarantee that judicial process will remain independent and bold
enough to take action against a sitting prime minister (in case Modi contests
and wins). The dismal record we have in sending our Netas behind the bars
should make us think twice before
electing or even discussing a man with a tainted past for one of the most coveted
positions in the country.
The Indian Irony: Is He the Only One?
Yes Modi has
been discussed widely and very enthusiastically in various circles and this
being one of them. However, it is still not clear that whether he shall be
acceptable on a national scale. For example his acceptance in Uttar Pradesh
(having most seats in the national assembly) would hold the key. Can we take
the riots in 2002 as one off and forget that heinous crime against our country
men? We need to remind ourselves that the “secular” congress instigated the
Sikh riots in 1984 but since then has “comfortably” ruled the country. I feel, in case Modi contests and wins
(without his name being cleared) then a political party would have again used
the “short” public memory to its advantage.
Internationally speaking, Modi means controversy, recent discussions
about him in European circles, US
visa issues, and invitation followed by decline from Wharton does suggest that
this man has an identity confusing enough for many. How shall India as a
nation respond for such controversies surrounding a sitting prime minister? I
don’t think anybody has an answer right now.
Modi is not the
only chief minister to win three consecutive elections. Shiela Dikshit has done
that for congress in Delhi.
However, in the current political sphere Modi exhibits almost an unmatched
charisma and a pro-growth agenda which indeed is the need of the hour. I
definitely feel that MODI-lemma would have been less acute in case Dr. Singh had
lived up to his expectations and not delivered a puppet show. I think, it’s an Indian irony that Modi has a
past very difficult to forget and forgive.
