Narendra Modi – The man who can change the destiny of India.
The unprecedented success of Bharatiya Janata Party under the leadership of Narendra Modi in the General Election of 2014 has put him among the galaxy of leaders who changed the destiny of India since Independence – Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and P.V.Narasinha Rao.
An eminent professor and author,Ashutosh Varshney, has compared his overwhelming majority to that of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1952 when the newly enfranchised people of India voted for building a modren and democratic India. The 1952 election established India as the largest democracy in the world, and enabled Nehru to lay the foundation for a modern state. Similarly, Indira Gandhi received a massive mandate with the slogan of "Garibi hatao", and she changed the direction of the country towards socialism with the nationalisation of banks and insurance companies, and abolishing the privy purses of the princes. Narendra Modi highlghted the need for good governance and development for the country in his campaign speeches, and now, he has the chance to usher in an era of economic, political and social progress. He has already declared that his government would work for the betterment of the poor – farmers, workers and backward classes.
The campaign.
The huge response for Modi's campaign for good governance and development is the most positive sign of the 2014 election. He talked mostly of development, but his critics from the Congress and other "secular" parties repeatedly mentioned the Godhra riots though the SIT ( Special Investigating Team) constituted by the Supreme Court did not find any incriminating evidence against Modi.
While Modi called Rahul Gandhi as ' shehajade' (prince), the Congress leaders derided him with epithets like 'Hitler', 'fascist', and Sonia Gandhi said Modi indulged in ' khoon ki kheti'. She had called Modi ' mouth ka saudagar' ( dealer in death) during the 2007 election and handed over a big win to him in that election.This was a clear indication that Congress has no achievement to talk of and in consequence, failed to catch the imagination of the people.
Congress did not dwell much on its achievements ( rural employment, subsidised ration and fuel etc.) as these programmes had failed in many states due to corruption and mismanagement. These programmes benefited only a limited number of people. It was a repeat of NDA's 'India Shining ' campaign.
Modi spoke mostly about 24-hours of electricity and availability of water to all the villages in Gujarat. Commenting on the Indian election, The Economist of London, under the headline, Modi's Mission, writes, " many firms in Gujarat say that the bureaucracy works well, that the courts are fast and that graft is non-existent. The state has some impressive bureaucrats, ministers, and institutions."
Many jouralists like Tavleen Singh had felt the Modi wave during the state elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Delhi. The immense majority that Vasundhara Raje obtained in Rajasthan is a testimony to this wave, and Raje had acknowledge it. Modi wave had also helped Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. The Modi wave was stemmed by Amm Admi Party to a certain extent in Delhi.
The Congress had started a number of programmes on health, old-age pension, rural employment, roads and housing. However, it was not implemented properly. There were health centres but no doctors or medicines. Most of the poor did not get 100 days of work, and many were not paid in time. Old people had to pay a bribe to get pension. These were the result of collusion between the politicians and bureaucrats.
However, the things were different in Gujarat. Many people from Rajasthan, UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa go to work in Gujarat, and they painted a rosy pictures of Gujarat to their friends and relatives back home. They took their friends and relatives to Gujarat for work. They were the real supporters of Modi who validated his words in these states. Whereever Modi spoke, he asked people whether they got 24-hours of electricity supply, and when they said 'no', he would say that Gujarat has it. He told them that if they supported him similar changes would be possible in their states. He sold them a dream of a better life.
Keen observers of political scene have noticed that expectation of the people have risen, thanks to television, education and migration to other states. They are no longer happy with doles and freebees. They want jobs and they want a better life. P.Chidambaram, the Finance Minister in UPA II, acknowledged as much when he said, " India has moved from a petitioner society to an aspirational one.Treating people as petitioners is a mistake...even the poor demand a better life and no longer resigned to their fate."
Gujarat Model of Development is based on good governance and development – providing basic amenities such as 24-hours of water and electricity, good roads netwrok, responsive administration etc. This was the theme of Modi's campaign. People of the country overwhelmingly suported him to bring about the change in the governance in the country. Response for his campaign transcended the barriers of caste and creed. Young want jobs and opportunities, and nothing else matters to them. They catapulted Modi to power.
What is surprising is that the groudswell of support that he received almost all over India was not recognised by his detractors in all parties and the media, and even by stalwarts like L.K Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi in his own party.
Some have pointed out that BJP and Modi have spent a large amount of money on TV and newspaper advertisements, in addition to Modi's whirlwind tours all over the country, which gave him the victory. However, as has been pointed out by the ad agencies themselves, without a good product, advertisements alone cannot a sell a product.
Historic victory of BJP..
No election since the 1984 has given such a huge mandate to any party. BJP scored an astounding 282 out of the total 543 seats of the Lok Sabha, and with its alliance partners, it gathered 336 seats for NDA, 72 seats short of two-thirds majority.
Winning 104 seats ( including 11 of Apna Dal, LJP & RLSP) out of 120 in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar was a feather in the cap of BJP. It is the result of social alliance forged by Amit Shah, the mastermind and the trusted lieutenant of Modi. BJP managed to get support from 28 small political parties all over India.
BJP completely wiped out Congress and other parties in Rajasthan (25/25), Gujarat (26/26), Chhattisgarh (10/10), Himachal Pradesh (4/4), Uttara Khand (5/5), and in Goa (2/2). It bagged 27 (out of 29) in Madhya Pradesh, 17 (28) in Karnatak, 7 (10) in Haryana, 12 (14) in Jharkhand, and 7 (14) in Assam. The party won the majority of seats in collaboration with state parties in U.P. (71/80 with Apna Dal), Bihar (29/40 with LJP & RLSP), Maharashtra (42/48 with Shiv Sena & Swabhimani Paksha), Seemandhra (17/25 with TDP), Punjab (6/13 with Akali Dal).
BJP has representation from all parts of India except Kerala. However, it was able to increase its vote share to 10.3% (18.56 lakh), thanks to Modi. Observers have noted that there is no elected representative from the Muslim community in the ruling party for the first time in the Indian parliamentary history. In fact, Muslim representation has fallen down to 22 in the present parliament, the lowest in all the elections since 1952. Shahnawaz Hussain, a minister during the Vajpayee's regime, could not make it this time. BJP has to reach out to Muslims to remove their misunderstnding about BJP, and the Muslims are receptive. Many Muslims have said they require equal opportunities, not any special treatment.
Of the total 83.05 crore voters of the General Election of 2014, 55.05 crore voters exercised their franchise, an voter turnout of 66.38%, highest since 1952. Vote share of BJP was 31%, highest since its inception, as against the vote share of Congress, 19.3% , which is probably the lowest since 1952.
The time has come for Congress to introspect. It cannot depend on dynasty for ever, nor can it depend on their old slogans and old programmes which have not brought any prosperity to people all these years. That about 400 million people are below the poverty line is a grim reminder of this fact. People want dignity, not charity. People want jobs, not freebees. Congress has to come up with new ideas, new programmes and new faces to renew itself.
The future.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared that the BJP government would be a government of all 125 crore Indians, including those have not voted for the party. He has already started working furiously.
He invited all the heads of SAARC ( South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation) countries to the swearing-in ceremony of Modi government to build personal relations between the heads of countries and to promote common welfare. He has asked his ministers to prepare a 100-day programme of action. He has asked the secretaries of various ministries to prepare a list of pending projects and how to expedite their execution.
He has issued a 10-point agenda which includes providing people-oriented government and governance, ensuring time-bound implementation of policy, promoting e-auctioning in government tendering, improving inter-ministerial co-ordination, empowering bureaucracy, reforms in infrastructure and prioritize in sectors such education, energy, and water.
Modi's experience in Gujarat has given him the confidence to run the Indian government like a CEO. His quality of leadership is on trial now. If he is able to achieve what he has set himself up do, he will create a new and vibrant India within the next ten years. Then, he will join the galaxy of leaders who changed the destiny of India.
June 9,2014.
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