Narendra Modi - A Messiah or a Marketing Gimmick

NARENDRA MODI

Symbolism , Demonetization , Beef , Ram Mandir ,Black money, GST ,Gujarat Elections and the Reality Check

The blog does not intend to be a political commentary and is merely based on some  Top of Mind recall of issues around Brand Modi as highlighted by an erstwhile hostile media and presently by spineless one.

8th November 2016 , while most of the urban India was busy struggling to wrap up the day's work and rural Bharat preparing for the next day, the prime minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi decided to act as a disruptor . It took couple  of hours to absorb the message and then all hell broke loose when people realized the cash in their hands was as good as a politicians promises during election campaigns .

Demonetization would be next only to declaration of emergency or the wars with Pakistan and China which impacted everyone in the country irrespective of class, caste and religious affiliations. There was no escaping or visible shortcuts available. Irrespective of one being rich or poor or being a black money magnet hoarding cash under mattresses or a farmer who still believed banks to be less safe than putting the cash in sacks of grains,the "Demon" seemed to unify India in its collective grief,  if news channels are to be believed .The usual chaos which is normal in Indian conditions for even a very thought out process was bound to be chaotic with several implementation issues,deaths in ATM ques, shifting in marriage dates etc. and ultimately reached its immediate goal  with pink notes replacing the less appealing currency colors of the past. By the time the dust settled people were more releaved having  recieved access to their own cash and hence didnot bother about the larger goals of the exercise . By the time this realization hit the opposition parties who were busy safeguarding their own hordes of cash , Mr Modi along with Mr Amit Shah had already captured Uttar Pradesh. 

Mr Modi's journey to Delhi has battled,survived and emerged victorious despite of being in the cross hairs of various elements including detractors from his own party and those who proclaimed to be supporters of the Bajpayee mode of inclusive BJP as against the non inclusive nature which Mr Modi personifed.

His rise to power in 2014 has been attributed to the extreme right propaganda at the cost of several thousand lives . Coming from a political party whose rise to power has been primarily on the clarion call of Ram Mandir  and destruction of Babri Masjid it is logical to associate his rise to a similar sinister propaganda. 

RISE OF NARENDRA MODI- THE DARK HORSE
His meteoric rise from the ranks and files of the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) to being the most successful chief minister of one of the most successful states  of India - at least in terms of overtly visible economic prosperity is unparalleled. He is an aberration in a democracy where dynasty, money or a caste identity is a necessary requirement for achieving any position of significance. Mr Rahul Gandhi's message in the University of California was an honest, if not politically correct, emphasis on dynasties which makes Mr Modi an odd man out among politicians and hence as a corollary also absolves him of all the vices associated with this class. 

GUJARAT MODEL - ITS DISPARAGEMENT AND ITS ROLE IN STRENGTHENING MODI
The Gujarat model of development which probably has more to do with the entrepreneurial spirit of the Gujaratis rather than any political parties patronage or statesmanship has become a well known punching bag. The anti Modi brigade ridicules the Gujarat Model and in doing so has been able to alienate the Gujaratis. The prosperity of Gujarat, the safety among women and all else which the pro Gujarat model proponents seem to gush about may not be universal but the doomsayers emphasis on failure of Gujarat Model seems to place it at par with the BIMARU states struggle with governance. The opposition camp helped Modi become the symbol of Gujarati pride. Any attack on him ,which interestingly has never been on any personal or moral grounds, but on the supposedly administrative failures, has done nothing but belittle the progress which Gujarat has made over the years. This has boomeranged for opposition many times and the recent defeat in 2017 elections seems to point that this may be a strategy which needs to be overhauled by the think tanks of the opposition parties. 

MODI THE NERO
Mr. Modi has been declared evil owing to his non handling or as some suggest his connivance with those responsible for the carnage, killing a much higher number of Muslims following another carnage which had caused a lower number of Hindu deaths in Gujarat of 2002. Modi was a declared evil a la Hitler style to the genocide of minorities as if the hatred between these two communities was a result of his leadership . The two communities have been at loggerheads for multiple centuries and have bayed for each others blood at some context or another despite of living and sharing miseries together during normal struggles. 

As human minds are tuned to simplify complex problems or at least want to be in denial of presence of complexities, it Is an acceptable proposition to blame a single person and wash away the sins of the multitudes who are responsible for such savagery. The blaming of Hitler for the murder of millions of Jews is a case in point . The hatred among the Germans or other Anti Semitics or even the western powers who allowed the holocaust to happen is seldom a point of conversation. It was easy to make a Hitler as a vodoo doll and assume that all evils rest with his death, the Nuremberg Trials and its verdicts (or the lack of it) seem to verify this intent, close our eyes and pat our backs for justice delivered and remove our guilt. 

In 2014 Mr. Modi was highlighted as a proclaimed anti Muslim and hence by default a pro Hindu with no caste identity. This was traditionally predicted as a loosing combination. In the political environment and practices followed by various so called secular parties where Hindu votes are considered fragmented requiring effort , resources and patience while Muslim Votes are believed to be as easy as getting a muezzin give a call and dalit votes at the mere indication of the intent to provide reservations in a non existent job market. 

THE OPPORTUNITY PROVIDED BY DR.MANMOHAN SINGH  

The  UPA Government under a leadership projected as rubber stamp by Narendra Modi and supported by  Dr Manmohan Singh's own party members including Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi gave enough ammunition to highlight the sad affair of governance under UPA. The tumbling out of various scams during the second term of Dr Manmohan Singh and the weak excuse of blaming the greed of his coalition partners for all the scams and corrupt practice's projected and verified the rubber stamp status of the highest office of the country. An otherwise honest, competent person with integrity who himself grew based on his own merit from a humble background and was projected as the person who steered the country of the disasters of economic doom under PV Narasimha Rao (who gets less credit than his protege) presented a very sorry picture during his exit. A man disowned by his own party seemed to  take the blame of all failures of the grand old party. 

The massive scams with mind numbing figures of aggrandizement by the likes of D Raja (2G Scam), Suresh Kalmadi (CWG Scam) ,Coal Scam were beyond imagination of even the bollywood potboilers on political corruption. The PMO, perceived as subservient to the Dynasty,the visible arrogance of several lawyers and diplomats turned politicians , mis-management of media all pointed to a house in shambles incapable of fighting any external onslaughts . The various identified vices of the previous government varied from corruption, leadership failure , appeasement politics which was understood by many, to selective and more technical dissatisfaction with economics and foreign (Pakistan)policies . 

THE SAFFRON TERROR NARRATIVE AND THE COMMUNAL CARD GONE WRONG
The  evil face of Modi was portrayed as being only anti Muslim instead of anti human. Gujarat Riot became a narrative of Muslims being killed while conveniently making Godhra murders as a footnote. The narrative backfired when the footnote was used to bring together the Hindus who were made to feel guilty to be in majority. Instances of terrorist activities like Malegaon blast , Samjahuata express, Ishrat Jahan encounter etc led to a constable turned home minister invent Saffron terror as the counter to the western concept of Islamic terror.

States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar ruled by parties like Samajwadi , Bahujan Samaj party , Rashtriya Janata Dal had perfected the caste and religion dynamics to perfection. The Hindu majority which has been known to be fragmented more on visible factors like caste , region, language , etc rather than ideological or political considerations made for a difficult vote bank. The "saffronization" of terror by the UPA however seemed to have worked wonders in bringing together this fragmented vote bank. 

The elections of 2014 were held while the above churning and opportunities were handed over by the then incumbent government itself. The need for coming together of Hindus and the frenzy created of the possible decimation of the Hindu way of life was fanned by the cadres of RSS. The Muslim votes as well as the caste based vote banks were constantly reminded of no change in their situation despite of being the blue eyed boys of the ruling parties for more than 6 decades , the exhaustive non stoppable juggernaut of Modis Vikas Yatras plank rubbing salt on the seeping wounds of these vote banks further fanned the anger towards the UPA and all the ruling parties even at the state levels. 

The mood of the nation in 2014 and the consequences can perhaps be summarized in the following 3 points alone:  

• The realization of being exploited among the traditional vote banks 
• Increasing cohesiveness among the erstwhile fragmented communities. 
• The incompetence of the UPA and the huge baggage of greed reluctantly led by a dynasty aware of the enormity of the losses put the blame squarely on the god old Professor and took a strategic retreat. 

What no one anticipated was the cruel surgical removal of the grand old party paving way for the congress mukta bharat (India Without Congress) in the general elections of 2014 . It was a an unprecedented assault leading to a unanimous voting for a Government under a villainous , anti muslim , non dynastic , modest background , limited English speaking Narendra Modi. A man who sold dreams to a nation which had been let down by a dynasty which had hijacked the Gandhi name in order to get a licence to be in power , fooled by a prime minister who was considered an aberration due to his honest image but was reduced to becoming a yes man and molested by the exposure of the naked arrogance and greed of the various politicians with ill gotten influence .

The wave which swept the nation was catalyzed by the promises of better days and one mans charisma along with the support from RSS with its massive reach.helped achieve this. The man accused of genocide , pronounced as Nero , denied visa by the US became the Prime minister of the worlds largest democracy.

SYMBOLISM AND POSTURINGS

The posturings of Shri Modi have been dramatic and non one can afford to let it go unnoticed . From the day of oath taking he made it clear that times have changed and the PMO being subservient to a dynasty will not , at least explicitly, bow before anyone. The big brotherly attitude in inviting the various heads of states including Pakistan was welcomed as a grand step towards outreach, so was his impromptu landing in Pakistan to wish his Pakistan counterpart on his birthday, his address to Indian diaspora in Madison Square in the US , and now uncountable foreign visits including addresses to the US congress and the UN were representation of India's intent and forthright demand to be considered seriously on the world stage. 

The communications and the body language of its officers showed an invigorated and assertive stance.The insatiable thirst of doing the same continues even in 2018 with the ongoing visits to the Middle East and opening up Temples in the bastion of Islam, a symbolism not lost to the electorate back in India. The bonhomie shown to Israeli PM while making visit to Palestine makes even the staunchest of critiques see a man on a mission. Even the more seasoned diplomats in the opposition acknowledge the dynamism which Modi has brought in to the foreign policy ,though would continue to denounce it on some pretext in the same breath. The opposition takes immense pleasure in mocking the hugplomacy which could not prevent instances like the Dokhlam standoff with the Chinese or the regular cross border violations by Pakistan.

On the domestic front he forced upon the Universalisation of Identity cards which the previous government could not complete, forced an otherwise lethargic bureaucracy and PSU banking to open crores of accounts for erstwhile unbanked and "bank ignored" population.The GST which remained a low hanging fruit of reforms got finally plucked under his determined leadership. His stance, assertiveness also read as aggressiveness,hard hitting oratory resembles a man in a hurry. Unfortunately , this hurry has been construed as being in haste , and a polity which is used to layers of bureaucratic red tape found it scurrying to please a hardworking, Khichdi Eating PM adept at dealing with administrators,politicians as well as reaching out to the common man . Modi is Governmnet and Governmnet is Modi at the cost of other leaders and ministers is most visible with the PM rather than foreign minister having more Air miles.  The unimaginable timings at North and South Block , the  constant pressure of a boss who is at the top of his game and is immune to the bureaucratic skulduggery has been the bane of the otherwise competent but lethargic babus. 

PROMISES AND RHETORIC-JUMLAS

One of the poll promises which ignited the imagination of the populace was the hard hitting posturing against ill gotten wealth , the rhetoric of putting Rs 15 lakh in everyone's account from the supposed stash of black money was used as a stick by which the opposition as well as detractors beat around. While none of the  common people ever expect such wealth to suddenly appear , Mr Rahul Gandhi seemed to have taken the PM literally and leaves no opportunity to mock the same.  This is significant as this mockery in a way also show the arrogance and confidence of many among the detractors who have by virtue of their decades in the elite circles amassed significant proposition of the very wealth which Modi had marked as target . This also explains the sadistic pleasure of the common man standing in long ques on whatever hardships the elite had to face. 

The "ghar wapasi" of several maligned netas to BJP is a melancholic reminder of the difference between polity vs morality and statecraft as against the perceived notions of goodness. The dilapidated opposition unfortunately is unable to remove the web of dreams which still seem to blind a vast majority of the population to Modi's unfulfilled promises . The impunity with which the scammers have been poking fun at the judicial proprietaries leading to acquittals and in some cases plump postings remind the hopelessness of the system which keeps protecting the mighty and are only used for the sake of igniting popular sentiments.  

Narendra Modi has positioned himself as one of the most visible faces in the international arena . No prime minister, at least of India, has ever had the air miles or the reception which Modi commands. A rock star prime minister who has time and again, if not silenced, at least made his critiques sound irrelevant in the flashlights of recognition given by the international media (Pakistani media included) and world leaders.

From a wannabe power the gesturing proclaims that India has arrived as against the perpetual arriving status which our previous prime ministers represented. There was a time when Indian Prime ministers seemed to cow down in front of their counterparts in Pakistan while the wave of Modi has given an adrenaline rush to even diplomats sitting in the UN who seem to have gained the assertiveness not previously associated with Indians. The ease with the Maleeha Lodhi and other Pakistan representatives are tackled by the likes of Eenam Gambhir and her team represent the confidence and goodwill their boss has been able to garner with the strongest possible allies in the present world order. 

THE INCOMPETENT OPPOSITION AND THE GUJARAT ELECTIONS 2017

The hostility and frustration of failures on all these fronts sometimes lead to an outburst from leaders like Manishankar Aiyar and Mallikarjun Khadge whose personal attacks on Modi including his marriage,his occupation and caste have always backfired. Modi has the knack of turning around the turret of the gun.A skill which he has been able to hone by fighting at the front as foot soldier against his detractors most of whom have come from backgrounds which did not give them an opportunity to soil their hands in the mud of life skills required to survive at the bottom of the food chain of politics. 

His emphasis on making a congress Mukta Bharat which initially seemed to be "Jumla" for sound bytes seem to have become his mantra and vision at least in the way Shri Modi conducts and takes the drivers seat in every state election of importance. The resounding victory in Uttar Pradesh, the ease with which the seats of power were handed over to Yogi Adityanath, the strategic moves in Goa in forming the government were the reflective of the hunger to wipe out congress from the imaginations of the people. The Gujarat Elections of 2017 became a battle of wits and more important even than the combined wins or losses of both the congress and BJP. For the first time Mr Rahul Gandhi seemed to give a fight , he made the right moves, did what politicians are supposed to do by readily willing to join forces with the likes of Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mevani . The prodigal sons wanting to correct the injustices to their ancestors and in the process enjoy the power fuelled by the sufferings of others of their caste found support with a desperate congress leadership which endorsed their legitimacy.  

Mr Gandhi was ready to make a pact with the devil on issues of reservations and Dalit pride which at best are Bhasmasurs in the long run and an albatross for any winning party. He went on to embrace a religion and its rituals in a desperate attempt to connect and make a dent on the anti Hindu narrative woven by BJP for the Gandhi family. The different religion of his grandfather and mother still did not wipe out the need to project himself as a sacred thread wearing Brahmin .While these attempts are complimented for the average victory for BJP and considered as a wake up call to Narendra Modi's eclipsing popularity by detractors , the long term consequences are yet to be seen. 

The GST implementation which was supposed to push away the otherwise traditional vote banks of BJP , together with the  incumbency, still lacked the fatal blow required to uproot the giant of Gujarat. The implementation and the initial chaos which once again the detractors thought as an easily available stick to beat the PM could not have the desired effect with the speedy recovery which the executives under the PM managed to pull off. 

The policy towards Pakistan and by corollary Kashmir ( pronounced as Cashmere in the elite circles) is another weak nerve which the opposition has been trying to take advantage of. The beginning of Mr Modis prime minster ship saw a deviation from the proclaimed hawkish nature of leadership when Mr Nawaz Sharif was invited to Delhi to attend the oath taking ceremony of a person who many thought would be the symbol of animosity between the two countries. The reciprocation in the form of unannounced visit to wish birthday to Mr Sharif left every one guessing. Unfortunately the love affair could not last long with Mr Sharif shunted out of the office due to improprieties as highlighted by the Panama papers and actions taken by the courts of Pakistan. The coalition government with the Mufti family in Kashmir is a classic case of irony in democracy. 

The surgical strikes following the brazen attack on an army camp in Uri  provided an opportunity to hurt the PM by the opposition. The opposition has blurred the line between being Anti Modi and Anti country . A similar phenomenon in the form of award wapasi and intolerant India made a common person sit back and realize the chasm between those who claim to represent his constitutional interests and himself/herself. Some acts of murder became more celebrated and condemned the whole nation to be a nation of intolerant morons.The projection and exaggerations on the doomsday was more prominent from those who would never get affected directly but fantasize about such morbid thoughts as a past time not realizing that they are creating an aura of stupidity around themselves and could not even sustain the supposedly moral fight to any conclusion.

Stone pelters became victims worth supporting at the cost of the Armed forces just to showcase the PMs vulnerability. What the UN representative of Pakistan could not achieve in the UNGA was achieved by the Indians themselves when they sided with the stone pelters and separatists. Mr Manishankar Aiyar once again visited Pakistan and his need for self actualization made him reattempt getting a peace prize by condemning India in front of audience from Pakistan and meeting separatist leaders unofficially, at his own cost!!, to broker peace and that too without Government sanction! In the era of social media where even  simple statements get twisted , the opposition itself seems to have launched into a self-destruct mode.

The war mongering and cries of eye for an eye be it at the border or following the death of Chandan Gupta is amplified through a Media which has suddenly made a volte face and bends backward to justify each and every action perceived as having blessings of the BJP and its extended family. The  ban on beef and the subsequent killings , the Malda violence, the  controversy created over a Movie before elections are not random ,chaotic acts nor are the outbursts of several hyper nationalists, the overzealous beef vigilantes,the ministers who suddenly found truth in the cultural and technological supremacy of India of the past. Each play a role in weaving the spider web of confusion, deceit, apprehension among the electorate. Distraction is a game which the present government has perfected and taken to a new level which the other parties would soon catch up with.

The advantage of Modi v.1 is that any wrongdoings or failures can be blamed on the policies of the past and to the baggage of incompetence or connivance with the wrongdoers handed over to the present government. The vanishing acts of several tainted but networked businessmen under the nose of the supposedly vigilant government , the latest being the banking scam is passed on as the consequence of the policies of the government of 2014 has already been bought by the media houses.

Statecraft requires such machiavellian machinations which at present the Government under Mr Modi is quite adept at.As long as the development of the nation remains at least a byproduct of such machinations the electorate will accept the promises and rhetoric. Abki Bar Modi Sarkar was on the expectation of a messiah to assuage the collective pain actual as well as created by the shrewd Amit Shah. The Government under Mr Modi knows that the Vikas story is never going to be enough to form a government and its the emotive turmoil and fear which will maintain their hold. The consequences are going to be ugly, but as long as someone actually holds the reign of the chaos there will be no long term damage to the fabric of India.

Mr Modi is not the benevolent leader which his Bhakts want us to believe but at this point of time he is the best we have got. Will he be able to carry on despite of the hostility which he overtly faces within his party from the likes of Yaswant Sinha or Shatrughan Sinha and by several others who would love to see his fall or whether this again is a well orchestrated ploy to muddle the opposition . Mr Modi is at the top of his game and wish he is able to use this strength even partly in getting a few of the promises to conclusion before we get into Modi V.2 in 2019.