Before our Modi fans jump to a conclusion that I'm a congress supporter, let me admit that I'm as frustrated as any Indian with close to 10 years of Congress rule at the center. Though in their defence, global slowdown, remarkable increase in oil prices, media coverage of corruption and scams like never before have added to the general feeling that they've done horribly worse, I do agree that we have not seen any impressive steps taken by the government to tackle any of the problems. Our Prime Minister has been very torpid and Mr Rahul Gandhi doesn't seem to be interested in politics. When I look at him, I remember those kids who hardly want to get up from their beds but are forced to get ready and go to school. It's like someone pushes him out of his house everyday, reminding him that he is supposed to lead the party. If you ask me whether I want to give them another chance in 2014, my answer is a definite "No". When being in power becomes a habit for a political party, it's dangerous. No party should take people for granted and BJP in Karnataka has learnt its lesson lately.
This brings me to thinking of an alternative to Congress which easily draws my attention toward BJP. This election is going to be a very special one for BJP. All the hype around Modi and visibly strong support for him in public forums and social networking sites have brought in more hopes for BJP. Modi, no doubt is a better contender than others because of his not-so-great-yet-not-very-bad record in Gujarat, because it looks like he genuinely wants to do something to improve country's economic situation, curb corruption and importantly, is courageous and strong enough to at least voice his opinions and stand by them which is very essential at present given our current Prime Minister's inability to do it all these years.
I tend to categorize Modi supporters into three groups -
1. The Hindu fanatics, who for a long time have felt insecure because they think India was supposed to be a Hindu nation and Congress being in power for such a long time hasn't let that happen. They hate Gandhi, they hate congress unconditionally. These people are unapologetic about what they want and with their own multiple groups believe that Modi at the center, given his background and image, makes it easier for them to feel more secure and superior. Though they are not sure if Modi would entertain their interests completely, they believe that he would be much better than Congress. These people do not want to talk facts, their arguments generally wouldn't be rational and they know it. Such groups exist for all parties in India, but at the moment, the Modi fans who belong to this group are more angry and appear more strong. As we all know, anger is scary.
2. They are more or less the same as group 1, but they don't openly admit it. Unlike the group 1, these people try to appear more rational. They try to give you a sense that they are supporting Modi only because they think he has done very well and is the best option we have. In this process, they try to justify his actions, however ruthless they are, with a famous argument that unnecessary and extra attention is being paid to his background and that we should look at positives. Unfortunately and sometimes unconsciously, they look at every critic of Modi as a Congress supporter. People who suffer because of these groups are the ones who genuinely want to be neutral and rational. Since there is a good chance that such intellectuals do not tend to forgive Modi, want to look at authentic data and support rational debates, this group tags them as congress supporters. I see two main reasons for this - One is the inability and laziness to have a look at verified facts and rational arguments, second is that they believe tagging someone as congress supporter makes it easy to debate. This group too, I think exists in every party, but here it's much stronger and more irrational.
3. This group supports Modi for the sole reason that they are fed up with Congress. They aren't ready to think of the possible consequences of him coming to power. They are understandably too pessimistic about Congress and hence their only hope is the change of government. They readily agree to the flaws in Modi, yet want to give him a chance to prove that he has learnt his lessons.
I tend to agree with group 3 sometimes while I'm particularly scared about group 2 and much more scared about group 1. Most of the debates or discussions with Modi as their subject turn as dirty as they can. All attempts to silence his critics start rushing in, sometimes forcing critics to come up with a statement which also criticizes congress. We saw the viscous environment that was created everywhere when Anantmurty made a statement recently. If you go through all the comments for the articles that question Modi's credibility, you'll know what I'm talking about. At present, it stops just there. I'm afraid if Modi becomes more powerful, it won't. I'm afraid that all this insecurity and hopelessness residing in Hindu fanatics for a long time will translate into actions. We saw what happened in Karnataka when for the first time BJP came to power. As far as I remember, at least 13 churches were attacked, women were beaten up in pubs and only after certain groups and media started making enough fuss about it, the government curbed it (or did all of it stop on its own?). I understand that I'm cherry-picking and it wasn't Modi who was Karnataka's leader then, but it's not very difficult to predict similar incidents happening if you have a look at the restlessness and hatred displayed in public forums. Like I said, group 1 is unapologetic about their motives. A common mistake that group 2 and group 3 does is to give Vajpayee's governance as an example to argue that this hadn't been the case in the past. Problem with this argument is that today, the man in question is not Vajpayee who I'm a fan of. The man who wants to be the PM is someone who given his records, deserves a lot of scrutiny. Even today, he has not indicated (except for the recent "toilets and temples" statement) that he is a changed man. He still calls himself a 'hindu nationalist'. After 2002 incident, Vajpayee himself wanted to take action against this guy.
A party that is ideologically pro-Hindu with it's leader as Modi is not very healthy for the democracy. We could take this chance when Vajpayee was the leader, but I doubt if we can take this chance with Modi as the leader. The 'saffronisation' of textbooks here in Karnataka for example was shocking. Congress on the other hand, though probably just with an intention to grab minority votes, do not have anything on their agenda to support one religious group more than the other. At least the groups that encourage and display fanaticism don't feel powerful under congress rule (that's why they want BJP in power so badly!). If I have to choose between wrong-doers, I would pick corrupt and inefficient governance over a governance that directly or indirectly encourages bigotry. When I read a bit of Indian history of the times when groups like RSS started, the statements they've made and the opinions they've had (I'm sure they wouldn't deny those even today), I feel extremely relieved that a political party which was not backed by these groups has ruled us for these many decades. When I look at the options of political parties we've had since independence, if not for a non-BJP party ruling us, things might have been better, but things could have been much much worse.
Although congress has done really bad, the assumption that BJP would have done better is absurd. Until now, Mr Modi or BJP hasn't told us what they could have done differently to check inflation for example. They have not told us what changes they want in the food security bill, we don't know what they would have done differently to handle the economic crisis. See what Modi had to say on this here. Please let me know if you could make any sense out of it. All he does in every public speech of his is - make personal attacks on Sonia Gandhi or her son or the PM. As long as we keep applauding, he'll continue the same. Group 3, by making an assumption that they'll do better and by voting for them, is committing a mistake. Let us remember that we have an option to choose "none of them" now.
I think it's foolish to be hopeful of BJP changing its ideology and therefore the solution that comes to my mind is the growth of a powerful political alternative. There is a need of one or more political parties which would serve as an alternative to congress. The minimum requirement is that they should be equal to BJP minus its religious ideologies (BJP - religious fanaticism). Parties like Loksatta and AAP are such examples. The various civil society groups and media can play a major role in emphasizing a need for such parties. It will take years, but all they have to do is making sure they are growing at a good pace. The group 3 should also understand the need to vote for these parties and encourage them even though their votes might not make a lot of difference to current elections, but can be the first step in the right direction. We need more qualified leaders, who talk more sense and who have clear-cut plans and opinions, who are not very self obsessed and who really want things to change and that's why they join politics.
In a country like India, this is easier said than done. In a lot of places, people vote when they get money and liquor as incentives. A lot of well educated folks unfortunately are religious fanatics. Lack of education, poverty, lack of information all add to the wrong choices that people consistently make. Given these situations, parties like AAP and Loksatta have a long way to go. Till then, the genuine thinkers of modern India have their role to play. I'm happy to see a lot of them coming out and voicing their opinion lately. Mr Ramachandra Guha, who I've been a admirer of recently (though I'll make sure I don't turn into a blind worshiper of anyone), spoke in response to Anantmurty's statement that he would not want to live in India if Modi becomes PM - " I wouldn't have said that. I would have said, if Modi becomes PM, I'll live here and scrutinize him." That's what we need at the moment. It will take sometime for us to understand that nobody in politics should be unquestionable and hero-worshiping is unhealthy. As of now, a lot of intellects that I admire seem to be talking sense, media has been effective though not without occasional blunders, human right groups are getting stronger, supreme court has been effective, and all of these is a good start. One association that I'm very impressed with lately is 'Association of Democratic Reforms'. Check their website http://adrindia.org/ to know more. While there are hopes, the last thing we need is religious intolerance to grow. As long as we take care of that, I and you, at the least can talk.
This brings me to thinking of an alternative to Congress which easily draws my attention toward BJP. This election is going to be a very special one for BJP. All the hype around Modi and visibly strong support for him in public forums and social networking sites have brought in more hopes for BJP. Modi, no doubt is a better contender than others because of his not-so-great-yet-not-very-bad record in Gujarat, because it looks like he genuinely wants to do something to improve country's economic situation, curb corruption and importantly, is courageous and strong enough to at least voice his opinions and stand by them which is very essential at present given our current Prime Minister's inability to do it all these years.
I tend to categorize Modi supporters into three groups -
1. The Hindu fanatics, who for a long time have felt insecure because they think India was supposed to be a Hindu nation and Congress being in power for such a long time hasn't let that happen. They hate Gandhi, they hate congress unconditionally. These people are unapologetic about what they want and with their own multiple groups believe that Modi at the center, given his background and image, makes it easier for them to feel more secure and superior. Though they are not sure if Modi would entertain their interests completely, they believe that he would be much better than Congress. These people do not want to talk facts, their arguments generally wouldn't be rational and they know it. Such groups exist for all parties in India, but at the moment, the Modi fans who belong to this group are more angry and appear more strong. As we all know, anger is scary.
2. They are more or less the same as group 1, but they don't openly admit it. Unlike the group 1, these people try to appear more rational. They try to give you a sense that they are supporting Modi only because they think he has done very well and is the best option we have. In this process, they try to justify his actions, however ruthless they are, with a famous argument that unnecessary and extra attention is being paid to his background and that we should look at positives. Unfortunately and sometimes unconsciously, they look at every critic of Modi as a Congress supporter. People who suffer because of these groups are the ones who genuinely want to be neutral and rational. Since there is a good chance that such intellectuals do not tend to forgive Modi, want to look at authentic data and support rational debates, this group tags them as congress supporters. I see two main reasons for this - One is the inability and laziness to have a look at verified facts and rational arguments, second is that they believe tagging someone as congress supporter makes it easy to debate. This group too, I think exists in every party, but here it's much stronger and more irrational.
3. This group supports Modi for the sole reason that they are fed up with Congress. They aren't ready to think of the possible consequences of him coming to power. They are understandably too pessimistic about Congress and hence their only hope is the change of government. They readily agree to the flaws in Modi, yet want to give him a chance to prove that he has learnt his lessons.
I tend to agree with group 3 sometimes while I'm particularly scared about group 2 and much more scared about group 1. Most of the debates or discussions with Modi as their subject turn as dirty as they can. All attempts to silence his critics start rushing in, sometimes forcing critics to come up with a statement which also criticizes congress. We saw the viscous environment that was created everywhere when Anantmurty made a statement recently. If you go through all the comments for the articles that question Modi's credibility, you'll know what I'm talking about. At present, it stops just there. I'm afraid if Modi becomes more powerful, it won't. I'm afraid that all this insecurity and hopelessness residing in Hindu fanatics for a long time will translate into actions. We saw what happened in Karnataka when for the first time BJP came to power. As far as I remember, at least 13 churches were attacked, women were beaten up in pubs and only after certain groups and media started making enough fuss about it, the government curbed it (or did all of it stop on its own?). I understand that I'm cherry-picking and it wasn't Modi who was Karnataka's leader then, but it's not very difficult to predict similar incidents happening if you have a look at the restlessness and hatred displayed in public forums. Like I said, group 1 is unapologetic about their motives. A common mistake that group 2 and group 3 does is to give Vajpayee's governance as an example to argue that this hadn't been the case in the past. Problem with this argument is that today, the man in question is not Vajpayee who I'm a fan of. The man who wants to be the PM is someone who given his records, deserves a lot of scrutiny. Even today, he has not indicated (except for the recent "toilets and temples" statement) that he is a changed man. He still calls himself a 'hindu nationalist'. After 2002 incident, Vajpayee himself wanted to take action against this guy.
A party that is ideologically pro-Hindu with it's leader as Modi is not very healthy for the democracy. We could take this chance when Vajpayee was the leader, but I doubt if we can take this chance with Modi as the leader. The 'saffronisation' of textbooks here in Karnataka for example was shocking. Congress on the other hand, though probably just with an intention to grab minority votes, do not have anything on their agenda to support one religious group more than the other. At least the groups that encourage and display fanaticism don't feel powerful under congress rule (that's why they want BJP in power so badly!). If I have to choose between wrong-doers, I would pick corrupt and inefficient governance over a governance that directly or indirectly encourages bigotry. When I read a bit of Indian history of the times when groups like RSS started, the statements they've made and the opinions they've had (I'm sure they wouldn't deny those even today), I feel extremely relieved that a political party which was not backed by these groups has ruled us for these many decades. When I look at the options of political parties we've had since independence, if not for a non-BJP party ruling us, things might have been better, but things could have been much much worse.
Although congress has done really bad, the assumption that BJP would have done better is absurd. Until now, Mr Modi or BJP hasn't told us what they could have done differently to check inflation for example. They have not told us what changes they want in the food security bill, we don't know what they would have done differently to handle the economic crisis. See what Modi had to say on this here. Please let me know if you could make any sense out of it. All he does in every public speech of his is - make personal attacks on Sonia Gandhi or her son or the PM. As long as we keep applauding, he'll continue the same. Group 3, by making an assumption that they'll do better and by voting for them, is committing a mistake. Let us remember that we have an option to choose "none of them" now.
I think it's foolish to be hopeful of BJP changing its ideology and therefore the solution that comes to my mind is the growth of a powerful political alternative. There is a need of one or more political parties which would serve as an alternative to congress. The minimum requirement is that they should be equal to BJP minus its religious ideologies (BJP - religious fanaticism). Parties like Loksatta and AAP are such examples. The various civil society groups and media can play a major role in emphasizing a need for such parties. It will take years, but all they have to do is making sure they are growing at a good pace. The group 3 should also understand the need to vote for these parties and encourage them even though their votes might not make a lot of difference to current elections, but can be the first step in the right direction. We need more qualified leaders, who talk more sense and who have clear-cut plans and opinions, who are not very self obsessed and who really want things to change and that's why they join politics.
In a country like India, this is easier said than done. In a lot of places, people vote when they get money and liquor as incentives. A lot of well educated folks unfortunately are religious fanatics. Lack of education, poverty, lack of information all add to the wrong choices that people consistently make. Given these situations, parties like AAP and Loksatta have a long way to go. Till then, the genuine thinkers of modern India have their role to play. I'm happy to see a lot of them coming out and voicing their opinion lately. Mr Ramachandra Guha, who I've been a admirer of recently (though I'll make sure I don't turn into a blind worshiper of anyone), spoke in response to Anantmurty's statement that he would not want to live in India if Modi becomes PM - " I wouldn't have said that. I would have said, if Modi becomes PM, I'll live here and scrutinize him." That's what we need at the moment. It will take sometime for us to understand that nobody in politics should be unquestionable and hero-worshiping is unhealthy. As of now, a lot of intellects that I admire seem to be talking sense, media has been effective though not without occasional blunders, human right groups are getting stronger, supreme court has been effective, and all of these is a good start. One association that I'm very impressed with lately is 'Association of Democratic Reforms'. Check their website http://adrindia.org/ to know more. While there are hopes, the last thing we need is religious intolerance to grow. As long as we take care of that, I and you, at the least can talk.
