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Here’s Why I Consider Narendra Modi The Best Prime Ministerial Candidate
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By Krishna Prasanth:
Whenever Narendra Bhai Modi is on stage, it almost seems like a performance. His stern look with a sense of coolness, his quirky and witty answers accompanied by emotional appeals and rhetoric are way too captivating and magnetic for anyone to ignore. But his magic does work beyond the stage, which is apparent from the fact that he beat many national level BJP leaders to become the PM candidate, even negating Advani’s influence. Such power, influence and charisma has been missing on the national political stage for over a decade now, especially since the disappearance of Vajpayee from the political scene. But then there is more to Modi than just these qualities, and what is in this “more” is what dominates most of the debates on Indian television, in the political circles, in the academic circles, in corporate meetings, in college canteens, in the by-lanes and alleys , in ‘dhabas’ and ‘thekas’ and where not, Modi has come to capture the minds and thoughts of every Indian for both the right and the wrong reasons. But what is heartening is that never before in recent history have any politician’s credentials been up for debate as much as Modi’s have been, clearly making him a distinctive and influential figure.
So without much ado, let’s understand what this debate is all about. Modi’s supporters believe in Modi’s Gujarat model of development, or the ‘NaMo mantra’. Gujarat is said to have achieved immense socio-economic growth under his CM ship. Meanwhile, his detractors believe that Modi is a communal figure who is anti-Muslim, as he had apparently orchestrated the 2002 Post-Godhra riots and the many ‘fake’ encounters thereafter in order to malign and intimidate the Indian Muslims. Let us take both of them one by one.
So, the extent of Gujarat’s success story has been up for contestation. People have been quick to dismiss Modi as someone who has ignored the poor or the social sector while helping rich industrialists grow. A commonly cited statistic has been the malnutrition rates and sex ratio in Gujarat, which again have been based on reports from surveys which are outdated for analysis at the present point of time. This and this are for a more clearer understanding of why such allegations are simply over the top. What these statistics do establish is that while social indicators were poor earlier and might still be considered poor, what have been phenomenal are the growth rates of these indicators, clearly establishing that he has been working for the social sector, let alone ignoring it.
Meanwhile, BJP has been boasting and bragging about industrial growth and development in Gujarat, which too has been over the top and undeserved, with academic research establishing that while key indicators like Economic growth rate, Industrial growth rates and FDI rate might seem phenomenal in isolation, there are states like Maharashtra, Haryana and Punjab which are doing better than Gujarat in all these indices. But this doesn’t take away from Gujarat’s achievements in the industrial sector, something which even top industrialists in the country have vouched for and the fact that it continues to possess one of the most business-friendly conditions in the country.
So what we do learn about the Gujarat growth model is that it has been over hyped by its supporters and misconstrued by the opponents, with utter disregard for academic analysis and fair judgement. But Gujarat has been progressing fairy well in both the social and industrial sectors, something that’s apparent from the overwhelming support Modi has garnered in Gujarat, winning three Assembly elections in a row.
But it’s this perception that Modi was the orchestrator of the post-Godhra riots which, is the dent in his otherwise flawless image as an able administrator, which continues to haunt him and perhaps is the biggest roadblock in his path to being the Prime Minister. But there are two reasons why there is such mass perception. One is that Congress has ensured that it uses its State power and machinery to malign Modi to the worst extent possible. The second is Modi’s persistent silence in public with regard to what actually happened back then, which then leaves people feeling suspicious. While the former tactic is politically obvious, the latter continues to remain a mystery. But the SIT report which closed the case against him in 2012 and exonerated him of any blame says that he did all that he could in the right time to contain the riots. The Closure report asks important questions as to why it took Zakia Jafri 4 years after filing the affidavit to file a complaint against Modi and many others. It also says that the allegations made were vague and stereotypical. It also questions the presence of Sanjiv Bhatt in the meeting in which Modi had apparently told DSPs to go slow on the rioters. When such blatant questions are raised on the legitimacy of the case, it’s hard to believe that Modi was actually involved. Now the Congress accuses the members of SIT of being hand-in glove with the Modi government, but it’s the Supreme Court which is handling the matter and hence one simply can’t make such accusations that easily.
Lastly, even if we were to not have Narendra Modi as our PM, “what other options does the nation have?” becomes an important question. Anyone else in the BJP is not even half as competent as perhaps Modi is, simply going by the administrative and leadership qualities that Modi has. If one were to think that Arun Jaitley or Rajnath Singh are less divisive figures, then they are under a false impression as it’s the party ideology and party’s decisions that count, not just the PM’s and perhaps Modi is only as communal as everyone else in the BJP party is. Congress meanwhile isn’t even an option. Voting in Congress would simply take away any deterrence for parties and governments in the future from being corrupt, let alone Congress itself.
Mr. Modi possesses all the qualities necessary for being a Prime Minister. If one were to look back at his Q&A session at the India Today Conclave 2013, one could see the vision he had, the confidence with which he answered questions ranging from Secularism to FDI to questions on disinvestment, governance and international relations. Such knowledge and conviction for someone who has just passed high school and sold tea on the streets speaks volumes of Narendra Bhai Modi’s capabilities. Rumour mills say that he has engaged an American campaign management firm to help enhance his image, but there is only so much they can assist you with when you are grilled by the brightest minds of the nation inside a closed room.
We as nation could always dither and ask questions about his credentials and credibility, but it would be unfair if we didn’t give this person a chance to prove his mettle and character. We can’t risk losing the chance of voting in a force of change, a person of purpose and vision just because of a fear that is unfounded and misconceived.
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Prashant Kaushik
1 ) Modi’s rise in popularity is unique because it has grown manifold inspite of the Media’s HEAVY BIAS against him. Almost all English newspapers, for some reasons, tried very hard to dent his credentials. Still Modi came out as the most popular PM bet. He is perhaps the only PM candidate since independence who has n’t used the state machinery and media to propel his image. This success of Modi’s ows a lot to free platforms like Facebook and social media.
2) His only weak point is his image amongst Muslims and perhaps Dalits also. Obviously Congress would be the chief benefactor and it is quite possible that these fault lines are most exploited and exaggerated to benift his rivals. I dont think there is any reasons for Muslims to be afraid of him because even if, in worst case he were to become a dictator, it is impossible to ignore the needs of a community whose size is as big as 20-30 crores.
3) Majority of Hindus don’t have bias or likings for his ‘Hindutva’ or his RSS background. Hindus who like him like him because they see in him hopes of a developed and corruption free strong India.
arpit goel
Whenever Narender bhai is offstage.. I fear he might be plotting to kill more Muslims or conspiring against them. Muslims are citizens of India and have an equal right to live with dignity as any other person of any religion. But Modi , having a notorious background and his involvement in Gujarat riots is the unsettling part that is discouraging me to vote for him.
Communal-ism is the worst kind of oppression or terrorism one can face in a country. We don’t want a racist person as our PM. Even if it means to have congress adding numerous more scams to its portfolio in coming years by coming back to power.
Krishna Prashanth
Hi Arpit
I completely agree with you when you say “Communal-ism” is the worst sort of oppression. But please think about the violence that the poor people in villages and in urban suburbs experience on a daily basis when they sleep hungry. Violence isn’t just killing and bloodshed. Pain is also a form of violence. The policies brought out by Congress sound great, but when people at the top gobble up funds in millions, imagine what remains by the time the fund reach their destination. Things need to change, and Congress won’t mend it’s ways until it’s taught a lesson. Talking of communal violence, BJP can’t risk engaging in violence big-time as I had explained above. The Muzaffarnagar riots happened because of SP’s inaction and tacit consent, the same SP which supports Congress at the centre. Where does it’s so called ‘Secularism’ go when it takes electoral support. The important question then is development. Modi is great with his development record, which is why he should make PM.
Swarna Mandadi
Itseems, youth ki awaaz has endorsed modi’s pm candidature with this article. though it safely distances itself with the disclaimer, allowing such pro-communal articles published is a sufficient proof to call this portal either politically ameaturish or pro-communialism (hindu). Such disappointment to see this article on this portal.
Veer Subhash
Gentleman , where did you see a communal line in this article ?
Please mention the line number and words , used in this article, which are communal according to you ?
Infact in your own comment, in your 3rd line you have written a word ” pro-communalism(hindu) “.
So do you think ” Hindu = pro-communalism ‘ ?
If you only want to read Modi bashing articles, you can please join the homepage of INC or Digvijay .
YKA had already published 6-7 articles bashing Modi and this is only 2nd or 3rd article throwing positive light on Modi in recent times.
But wow… u suddenly came to senses when some one said a few good words about Modi ..
I think you cant digest someone opposing your views.
Now you are free to use another pseudo name , and write a foul comment on my comment .
Nivedita Rai
Amazing article..simply what people need to read at this point and time. Completely resonate with your views. Kudos 🙂
Jeevan Patnaik
I will be very grateful if you could analyse Manmohan Singh or Rahul Gandhi or congress on the whole as you did with Narendra Modi.
Krishna Prashanth
If you want me to, I would love to write on them as well.
Jeevan Patnaik
Yeah…gud luck! 🙂
Raj
I congratulate the author for writing such an article , even though I strongly oppose Modi as the PM. It is a breath of fresh air in this pile of left-dominated articles.