Narendra Modi (NM) is seeing victory in the recent SC decison to direct the Gulbarg Society massacre cases to the trial court and has asked the court to examine the findings of Special Investigation Team. It is quite shameful that Mr. Modi has chosen to treat a mere postponement in the hearing as vindication of his stand. His and BJP's flawed & premature interpretation of the order is also extremely worrying, as the verdict is being seen as sufficient cause to clear the way for Mr. Modi to be projected as the party's next prime ministerial candidate. The fact that somebody like NM can get away with the most horrendous of crimes and even consider running for the PM post should make us rethink of how our country works.
Bolstered by the verdict, there are few people within the BJP who will find it difficult to oppose NM's grand intentions. After all, what can you pin on him, now? The BJP should have acted much before and removed him as the CM. Now as the notoriously sluggish judicial process drags on, victories are being pulled out of thin air, there is little ammunition to stall NM's rise in the party. People outside the party are helpless and will have to just watch from the sidelines as NM continues to consolidate his stock in the biggest opposition party the country has. The only way to stop him will be at the next general elections and in this country nobody can ever predict what might happen, even after the results are declared. We can sit idly by and hope that he does not become the PM. Just like we did when Sonia Gandhi, Laloo and Mayawati were within sniffing distance of the big red chair. This helplessness that our democracy imposes on the electorate is dangerous to say the least.
Mr. Modi unfortunately has a lot going for him too. Gujarat is performing exceedingly well on the economic front, NM is the darling of the corporates, Indian and foreign alike. Massive investment has been infused across manufacturing, infrastructure & the education sectors, generating employment opportunities for the 6 crore strong state. The state contributes handsomely to the national growth, in spite of the prevailing recessionary environment. The brilliant performance of the state has established him as an able and willing administrator.
On the political front too his stock has been rising; he is about to complete 10 years in power. There is little sign of any real leader emerging within the BJP in the next few years. His image as a non-corruptible leader is a big asset considering the number of chief ministers who are embroiled in some scam or the other, across party lines. As a testament to his increasing influence, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) a research wing of the US Congress has recently published a report citing him as a strong candidate for prime ministership in the 2014 elections. In the few business conferences I have attended, international corporate leaders have showered lavish praise on NM and his efforts in bringing about efficient governance in the state of Gujarat. They are amazed at his and the state government's un-India like business acumen and the sheer ease of doing business. Not very surprising, that profit driven corporates are ignoring the small insignificant details that are of no concern to them!
The Gujarat scenario highlights the uncomfortable contradiction that we live with today. A country yearning for growth and prosperity, yet ignoring the ugly realities of our politics. While almost everyone will agree that the state of Gujarat has done exceptionally well on the economic front, it is in stark contrast to the developments on the social front. Many argue that the Muslim community too has grown with the rest of the state (including leading Muslim leaders such as Mr. Vastanvi), and the economic growth has been all encompassing. Agreed...maybe. But that is shying away from the truth. While I think, we do not need to deny his capabilities as an able administrator, we should definitely not ignore his massive failure as one in 2002. He is not fit to be the CM of the state, let alone the country! Regardless of how the judicial system eventually assess him, history has proven him to be a person not fit for governance. The sad thing here is that we are at a point of time in this country, where we could have voted the incumbent out based on real issues like governance, performance, corruption, etc. Unfortunately the next election too seems to be moving in a direction where it will again be all about politics. The BJP will leave many voters with no option but to tolerate more of the same, if they continue to be defensive and are unable to provide honorable alternatives to NM.
It is a sad reality of our country, where the people are willing to not only overlook but defend leaders like NM. Even if he had not led the economic growth in the state, he still would have been the CM. Now that he has managed to perform well in that role, a case is being made to portray him as a probable PM candidate. As a maturing democracy one would hope we will not be subjected to that possibility. It is really up to the people now. There are instances in history of able administrators with murderous tendencies rising to power riding on the indifference and sense of well-being prevailing among the masses. Germany is yet to shake off its notorious legacy completely because of one man, despite being an economic power for most part of the last century.
Is this how we want our country to be judged, are we willing to pay any price for growth? We should all ask ourselves these questions.
No comments:
Post a Comment