As I begin writing this piece, I, with all the solidarity I have, want to ensure that I have nothing against anybody nor do I propose so. I just intend to put a point which is bound to have contradictions….
So elections are coming up and all this Rahul or Modi for PM thing might be fuming up your mind. Isn’t it?
Well if the marketing strategies do result in what they claim, you might be supporting Mr. Narendra Modi. Isn’t it? Many a times, I come across FB pages that vouch for Modi. And considering the fan following he has among different sections of the country, it might be the case that we’d see Mr. Modi as the next PM. Whilst I totally respect everyone’s choice, still I’d like to apprehend this whole Support NaMo campaign. Yes you are right that I’m an AntiNaMo, but does that mean that I’ll vote for Rahul? Well I’d say that’s a secondary issue. Besides the limited options we have and my scepticism on Modi as a PM, I would never say I’m a Pro-Rahul.
Moving on, Modi is that kind of a person who always wears his heart on his sleeves. Even his opponents admire him for his bold and fearless stand on sensitive issues that can dent his carefully crafted image of a no-nonsense man. No other Chief Minister in India I’ve heard evokes as much hatred as Narendra Modi but at the same time no other Chief Minister commands as much respect as him. He carries an emperor like image which exudes absolute power and authority. But does that make him the kind of leader we’re looking for? Well the media might make him one, but the whole funny thing is that he’s actually not. He might be a good public speaker who’s not afraid to say what he believes in and no one doubts that he has courage but the question is whether he has too much courage? To successfully lead a coalition one needs a little more than courage – the ability to arrive at consensus and the rift which he has created in BJP lately, I seriously doubt if he has that ability. Even if he tries to transform himself into an unifying figure, he’ll still come out as a Hindutva trumpeter or end up in hardening his extremist credentials.
What bugs me even more is that if you listen to his speeches carefully, you will notice that he never talks in terms of ‘we’ but in terms of ‘I’ and is he the epitome we’re banking upon? We are looking for someone who can restore our identities as INDIANS but if the person you found for this is Narendra Modi, then best of luck!
Not to forget the 2002 incident, well SC might have denied his role in the communal violence incidents, but does that mean he’s clean? Well conviction of his ministers and close aides doesn’t say so. And if the team members don’t come clean, the leader has also got some questions to answer. And even if he’s innocent, why wasn’t he able to prevent the most gruesome state-sponsored genocides in the history of India? Was it really so tough?
Since that incident, Modi has done more than enough to overshadow his past. During late 2011 and early 2013, Modi undertook a series of fasts as part of a Sadbhavna Mission, meant to reach out to the Muslim community in Gujarat (not the right way of playing democracy). Nonetheless, his efforts to woo Muslims in Gujarat have flunked, as even now, the Muslims are unwilling to cast their vote to Modi.
So how does Modi generate such a huge support even after an unfortunate past? It has got to do something with his educational experience in public relations and image management in US. This could be one reason why he has succeeded in positioning himself as one of the most affable and sought after politicians in India. We saw the display of this trait of his in the Uttarakhand calamity. Well one must welcome any positive action in the face of such a calamity. But must we also welcome political profiteering that makes use of people affected by such a disaster? Modi’s PR firm, APCO Worldwide staged such a media stunt to make him the hero in the rescue of over 15,000 Gujaratis from disaster-affected areas which ultimately hit him on his face. And we’re opting to make him the PM of India? (doesn’t he give a glimpse of Bal Thackeray of Shiv Sena? Just saying…)
Apart from obvious reasons, what is most intriguing to me is his marital status. I’m no one to comment but I can’t help but think why he would not accept his own wife. Well, I’m no media journalist so I’d let his personal choices at bay (for now). But still, his personal choices give him no right to make obnoxious comments on someone’s wife. Yes, I’m talking about the time when Modi called Shashi Tharoor’s wife ‘a 50-crore girlfriend’. I mean for courtesy sake, that was mean.
Whenever I used to make a point on why I don’t see Modi as the best PM option, people used to heap me with facts and figures proving how Gujarat has benefited under his rule. But I say that the image of ‘development-oriented NaMo’ is nothing but a bubble. While Gujarat is not ranked among the top five states even in economic indicators, its performance in most social and human development indicators is simply abysmal. Yet Modi claims Gujarat to be a free-market capitalist haven even for the poor and the oppressed, even when stats show how marginalised are the minority groups in Gujarat.
And even after what I feel about him, Modi gets the “Kursi”, I bet people, especially Muslims would live in fear. Post the fake encounters of Ishrat Jahan and Sohrabuddin Sheikh, I really feel this man has the scary power to do away with anyone any minute. He feels all Muslims are LeT associated. If for nothing else then at least to safeguard one of India’s communities, I will never dare to vote for Modi. So, unless you are an orthodox Hindutva purist, there is hardly any reason for you to support him, which is the case for an overwhelming majority in India.
So Happy Voting. Think Before You Vote.
