Modi Bashing and Roads Ahead....

Modi bashing is increasingly becoming favorite sport in Indian media & political space. Recently his Puppy and Hindu nationalist remarks created a wave of criticisms across all party lines. Yet there was quick response from his party to defend his stand and clarify the intended interpretation of his words but all efforts went in vain. Other parties left no stone unturned to capitalize upon the available opportunity to launch attacks upon him.

Prima facie it looks like a situation where he has been sent into a political exile. In the puppy remark case without any exception, everyone else criticized him for a reason which he may not have ever wondered. If there is any occasion of criticizing him, almost all parties, are found standing in a long queue waiting for their respective term. Country is overwhelmingly getting flooded with Secular parties. There is an increasing understanding among political elite that more you bash Modi, more secular you become so no one wants to forgo this wonderful opportunity.

Serious questions were raised over the secular credentials of Nitish Kumar post 2002 period, neither Tilak nor Topi helped him to become secular but quitting NDA over Modi did the job!! Congress itself certified him. Even within BJP there is no unanimous support for him, former communal forces, now a day’s termed moderate, don’t want to see him for the top job. All these factors conclusively make him most communal and polarizing face in the country today.

Ask Congress, they say Modi is our last hope, If BJP projects Modi as PM candidate, the Administrative, Economic, Foreign Policy, Internal/External Security, Law & Order failure + rampant corruption and Price rise are no more issues, election would be fought directly on the basis of secularism and communalism where they may have an edge.

Modi has cultivated more foe than friends, in an era of coalition politics he is left with no one to support, parties are more interested to form a 3^rd, 4^th or even a 5^th front than coming under his reign. If this is the case then why BJP is projecting him as their Prime Ministerial candidate?

Let’s go back to 1977, during the period of emergency (1975-1977) every one suffered, may be it were opposition parties or the general public. Civil liberties were suspended; there were serious instances of human right violations, forced Nasbandis or whatever, Indira Gandhi was termed Authoritarian and Dictator and even compared with Adolf Hitler or the British or any other worst example possible. Four main opposition parties got united together to form Janata Party and rest others subscribed to its alliance.

Baiting Indira Gandhi was common practice at that time, she was left aloof both inside and outside party, there were strong internal opposition in her party cadres too, and a prominent leader Jagjivan Ram even left the party and joined Janata Alliance. It was a situation of Indira vs. rest. The rest were even able to form a government at the centre while Indira loosing near about 200 seats. Newly formed govt. soon started a witch hunt against her, who left no opportunity to portrait herself as harassed women and thus gained electorally by next elections. The happiness of Janata Party was short lived as it failed to deliver a strong leader and out of internal conflicts soon collapsed back into dust.

In 7^th LokSabha Elections (1980) Indira Gandhi won with flying colors (351+ seats) while Janata Alliance settled with mere 32 seats from earlier figure of 298. So what was the main theme of the story?

• Even major wrong doings of ‘strong leaders’ are forgiven.
• Too much bashing and harassment of one leader would win him sympathy votes.
• Any alliance made from large no. of parties can’t expect a unanimous voice and unity. 
• It is nothing but leadership vacuum which voters never tolerate.

Presently, there is a never like before leadership crisis in the country, which even the most prominent leaders of incumbent govt. can’t deny of. That is why, they want bigger role for Rahul or Sonia. Though, Modi’s communal image, which is so intense that in relative terms even LKA is looking moderate, is still troublesome for his universal acceptability. But this trouble becomes opportunity when you can convert your greatest weakness into your greatest strength.

Indira’s weakness was her image of an authoritarian, a dictator which she transformed into an image of strong leader and an administrator, who could provide a stable and strong government, thanks to divided house of Janata alliance which failed to deliver any such dominant leader. Narendra Modi’s weakness is his communal identity, He is perceived as a Hindu Fundamentalist who can’t represent minority’s interests, while trying to calming that aspect, he is more seen as intensifying that image. If we look at his game plan he has no interest in wooing Muslim vote bank which by no means is going to support him but to reckon upon the polarized Hindu Votes.

Today, the condition looks quite similar to what at the time of Indira Gandhi but with few minor differences. All parties are united against one man, who is having a public image of a very strong leader. At the same time, he is also facing similar witch hunt, may be, it is Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case or enquiry after enquiry over 2002 carnage. Congress has exhausted its whole party machinery in order to contain Modi, which is giving him quite more time on TV-news channel debates. For congress it has become important to criticize him than to portrait some of their good works.

There is another perception in our political circles that people are tolerant to corruption, show them the fear of communal riots, fear of some particular caste dominance etc. and they’ll give you license of looting the public treasury again and again. Up to extent, the electoral behavior in our country has supported the above argument but not to forget there always exists an upper threshold, best examples may be seen in the 1989 LS elections, where the Rajiv Gandhi lead congress, winning more than 400 seats previously, was thrown out of power due to Bofors Scam, In Bihar, 2005, people tolerating the excessively corrupt government, out of fears of change in caste balance, voted for NDA.

The present situation is grist of all situations, the incumbent government which has been voted for two consecutive terms, has broken all records of corruptions and misrule and the party has no agenda but the same old rhetoric of Secularism vs Communalism.  How many times one will use the same formula? Last elections in 2009, they were having huge economic success story with them, a brighter future prospect and clean image of a specialist prime minister but what about now? There is an 180⁰ shift in the position. Economic miracle is a lost story; the honest perceived Prime Minister is heading a most corrupt government of independent India, even his own integrity is under judicial scrutiny in Coalgate case.

Congress adopted a number of, social security schemes in order to clean its image and it was a high time to portrait its image of a pro people government, opposition was in a state of dilemma, whether to support or oppose schemes like the Food Security Bill bill. As Congress had adopted the route of Ordinance, the bill was already into action wile whole credit resting with the incumbent govt. There should have been huge debate sessions, articles after articles in news papers, websites and blogs over the implications of the bill but what is present scene? Modi is making news not the Congress, media is discussing the possible intentions behind either the ‘Puppy’ or the ‘veil of secularism’ Remark with leaders like Digvijay Singh and Manish Tiwari showing their immature behavior and criticizing him insanely.

Yashwant Sinha was correct in his Economics Time’s article that more they’ll attack Modi, more popularity he will gain. The congress seems completely failed in decoding the Modi’s game plan. He is inviting criticism from each and every corner and working for more. What he actually wants to prove is Secularism (in India) means Muslim Appeasement in the same fashion as Hindutva today means communalism? He is also successful in conveying this message upto some extent, see how Digvijay Singh, now is defending his religious orientation. His opponents mindlessly made a matter of Puppy and Burka remark with everybody asking him for a definition of secularism. This kind of attitude strongly divides people on two lines of his supporters and haters, even if they are in equal ratios, Modi supports vote is united while his haters votes gets divided in 30+ major secular parties in the county and that makes his chances more realistic.

But above everything else, everyone is baiting him but no one has presented any better alternative. Voters would ask, If you say Modi is not right for India fine no problem but whom to vote for? Show us the leader? He is changing the course of Party style politics of India into Person centric politics like what is prevalent in US Presidential elections. Today there is virtually no successful leader in the country, having statue as high as Modi, if there are alternatives like Nitish or Navin Patnayak they belong to such parties which at their best can’t win more than 20-25 seats. In Congress any leader other than Sonia or Rahul will be just another puppet Prime Minister with control remaining at the hands of party president.  So, Congress is hopeless in the case of leadership it could offer.

Manmohan Sing’s 10 year of rule has created a huge leadership vacuum which needs to get filled. Congress may show the fear of Hindu fundamentalism to Muslims or Christians but the fear of Modi’s reign won’t work upon Hindus and related religious minorities like Sikh, Jain, Bodh etc.  Conclusively, all these factors make unbiased class of voters confused if not convinced. So, in the absence of any strong leadership from Congress or third front, voters may subscribe to BJP. Congress must chalk out some effective strategy, if it has to maintain its competitive edge in the upcoming elections and also device out leadership from its barracks otherwise its worst nightmares are going to be a damn reality very soon.