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Narendra Modi
The emergence of Narendra Modi as the joint opposition candidate against the candidate of the Congress- led coalition poses a threat to India’s status as a secular state. The absolutely professional public relations team that has been put together appears to have mounted an incredible exercise to project the image of Modi as the only man capable of developing India and obtaining for her, her rightful place in the world. The PR team ought to be congratulated (even if their candidate fails at the forthcoming national elections) for what they have achieved thus far for changing the image of their candidate.
Modi brings with him a heavy bag of misdemeanors, the foremost of them being his role as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2002, where no less than 71 Muslims were slaughtered in Ahamedabad after a train carrying Hindus was stopped by a Muslim mob and the Hindus were killed by Muslims. A riot is said to have followed and the Muslims were said to have been massacred by the state; though Chief Minister Modi was not charged, it is still widely believed in India that he was the mastermind behind the massacre of the Muslims. To live this down he needs a massively supported PR exercise in a country where there are over one hundred million Muslims.
There can be little doubt that this massive India wide PR operation which surely cost millions of USD or multiple crores of IRS would be funded by the corporate sector which he supported rather aggressively in Gujarat. Chambers of Commerce around the country would also chip in as Modi is considered to be business- friendly. The PR companies are said to be also using the social media to reach out to the youth. Modi, during his three terms as Chief Minister (he is on his fourth term, he had first become CM in 2001), had done much to promote corporate interests and also improved infrastructure in the state tremendously, but he had, like our own Nissanka Mallala, claimed credit for what others had achieved before him.
Modi was the head of the hard line pro- Hindu Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He holds a Master's Degree in political science. RSS and key strategist of the BJP, as stated earlier, he is credited with creating the environment for the high economic growth in Gujarat.
What politicians the world over promise to do when they come power and what they actually do after they assume power is too well known; so when Modi and his team are seeking to project an image of him as a political, secular leader, I wonder whether the Indian voter would buy it, but then what we should not forget is that more than 50% of those entitled to vote may vote with the heart than with the head! Modi, widely considered to be an aggressive hard-line Hindutva leader, once elected, could seek to establish the ‘Hindu Rashtra’ (in 1978 our President JR spoke of establishing a Dharmishta Samaj but the dream has ended up as a nightmare for us). Yes, the fear in many minds in India is that the ideology of Hindutva will come into its own.
The Sangh Parivar with the Vishva Hindu Parshad (the VHP), the Bajrang Dal, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the many other state level organizations of the Sangh Parivar, will be activated to campaign during the election and they will, of course, demand their pound of flesh if Modi triumphs. Another interesting feature is the support being enjoyed by the Sangh Parivar from retired officers of the armed services. This is probably because of Pakistan’s many ‘misadventures’, such as, Kargill, the Kashmir issue and Article 370, the more recent Bombay Bombing and the attack on Parliament. Fortunately, Modi may have a difficult time achieving his goal for he has quite a few obstacles in his way; the first being with Advani sulking, he will certainly not lend his wholehearted support, then, we have the Janata Dal United and Biju Janata Dal, led by Nitish Kumar of Bihar and Naveen Patnaik of Orissa respectively, saying that they will not have any truck with the BJP with Modi at the helm. Next we have Mamata Banerji of West Bengal, who has said that she is floating a Federal Front for the protection of the states' rights enshrined in the constitution. Naveen Patnaik is thinking of joining her and Jayalalitha, a valiant fighter for states' rights, may eventually join the Federal Front, ditching her friend Modi.
Above all, will Modi be able to carry a diverse country like India if he sharply defines himself as a representative of the upwardly mobile but essentially non-voting Hindu bourgeoisie, hooked to the social media? His divisive politics may work in communally polarized Gujarat, known for its Hindu-Muslim clashes since the 1960s (despite it being the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi). But it may not work elsewhere. Only a couple of weeks ago, the BJP got a drubbing in Karnataka, despite Modi's campaigning for the BJP government there. Finally, like Pramod Mahajan's "India Shining" media blitz, Modi's media onslaught may come a cropper, a slap in the face of the shamelessly pushy Indian corporate sector.
If India most unfortunately becomes less of a secular state with secular pretensions, this would not augur well for the region and for us as well. Personally, I cannot understand why the BJP appears to be taking chances by fielding such a controversial candidate when the party could win the next election with a person such as Sushma Swararj! Do hope they finally decide on her, she can certainly be projected as a formidable noncontroversial Prime Ministerial candidate. She as Prime Minister would be good not only for India but for us as well.
K Godage
island.lk
The emergence of Narendra Modi as the joint opposition candidate against the candidate of the Congress- led coalition poses a threat to India’s status as a secular state. The absolutely professional public relations team that has been put together appears to have mounted an incredible exercise to project the image of Modi as the only man capable of developing India and obtaining for her, her rightful place in the world. The PR team ought to be congratulated (even if their candidate fails at the forthcoming national elections) for what they have achieved thus far for changing the image of their candidate.
Modi brings with him a heavy bag of misdemeanors, the foremost of them being his role as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2002, where no less than 71 Muslims were slaughtered in Ahamedabad after a train carrying Hindus was stopped by a Muslim mob and the Hindus were killed by Muslims. A riot is said to have followed and the Muslims were said to have been massacred by the state; though Chief Minister Modi was not charged, it is still widely believed in India that he was the mastermind behind the massacre of the Muslims. To live this down he needs a massively supported PR exercise in a country where there are over one hundred million Muslims.
There can be little doubt that this massive India wide PR operation which surely cost millions of USD or multiple crores of IRS would be funded by the corporate sector which he supported rather aggressively in Gujarat. Chambers of Commerce around the country would also chip in as Modi is considered to be business- friendly. The PR companies are said to be also using the social media to reach out to the youth. Modi, during his three terms as Chief Minister (he is on his fourth term, he had first become CM in 2001), had done much to promote corporate interests and also improved infrastructure in the state tremendously, but he had, like our own Nissanka Mallala, claimed credit for what others had achieved before him.
Modi was the head of the hard line pro- Hindu Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He holds a Master's Degree in political science. RSS and key strategist of the BJP, as stated earlier, he is credited with creating the environment for the high economic growth in Gujarat.
What politicians the world over promise to do when they come power and what they actually do after they assume power is too well known; so when Modi and his team are seeking to project an image of him as a political, secular leader, I wonder whether the Indian voter would buy it, but then what we should not forget is that more than 50% of those entitled to vote may vote with the heart than with the head! Modi, widely considered to be an aggressive hard-line Hindutva leader, once elected, could seek to establish the ‘Hindu Rashtra’ (in 1978 our President JR spoke of establishing a Dharmishta Samaj but the dream has ended up as a nightmare for us). Yes, the fear in many minds in India is that the ideology of Hindutva will come into its own.
The Sangh Parivar with the Vishva Hindu Parshad (the VHP), the Bajrang Dal, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the many other state level organizations of the Sangh Parivar, will be activated to campaign during the election and they will, of course, demand their pound of flesh if Modi triumphs. Another interesting feature is the support being enjoyed by the Sangh Parivar from retired officers of the armed services. This is probably because of Pakistan’s many ‘misadventures’, such as, Kargill, the Kashmir issue and Article 370, the more recent Bombay Bombing and the attack on Parliament. Fortunately, Modi may have a difficult time achieving his goal for he has quite a few obstacles in his way; the first being with Advani sulking, he will certainly not lend his wholehearted support, then, we have the Janata Dal United and Biju Janata Dal, led by Nitish Kumar of Bihar and Naveen Patnaik of Orissa respectively, saying that they will not have any truck with the BJP with Modi at the helm. Next we have Mamata Banerji of West Bengal, who has said that she is floating a Federal Front for the protection of the states' rights enshrined in the constitution. Naveen Patnaik is thinking of joining her and Jayalalitha, a valiant fighter for states' rights, may eventually join the Federal Front, ditching her friend Modi.
Above all, will Modi be able to carry a diverse country like India if he sharply defines himself as a representative of the upwardly mobile but essentially non-voting Hindu bourgeoisie, hooked to the social media? His divisive politics may work in communally polarized Gujarat, known for its Hindu-Muslim clashes since the 1960s (despite it being the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi). But it may not work elsewhere. Only a couple of weeks ago, the BJP got a drubbing in Karnataka, despite Modi's campaigning for the BJP government there. Finally, like Pramod Mahajan's "India Shining" media blitz, Modi's media onslaught may come a cropper, a slap in the face of the shamelessly pushy Indian corporate sector.
If India most unfortunately becomes less of a secular state with secular pretensions, this would not augur well for the region and for us as well. Personally, I cannot understand why the BJP appears to be taking chances by fielding such a controversial candidate when the party could win the next election with a person such as Sushma Swararj! Do hope they finally decide on her, she can certainly be projected as a formidable noncontroversial Prime Ministerial candidate. She as Prime Minister would be good not only for India but for us as well.
K Godage
island.lk