Chetan Aggarwal

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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Seizing the Opportunity

Apologies for the delay. I had written it on that very day. But there were some unavoidable circumstances. In post-independent India three leaders have stood out. They came in the most difficult of circumstances. They inherited the burdens of state at the worst junctures of recent history. All three were able only to partially fulfil their potential. Sardar Patel emerged during the ravages of partition and independence. His legendary iron will is the sole reason for the existence of Indias geographic boundaries. Sadly, he did not get a chance to be the Prime Minister. Lal Bahadur Shastri appeared when the nation was in deep depression post the crushing 1962 defeat. He gave to the nation the things it needed. Confidence gained by the victory against Pakistan, and self-sufficiency from the green revolution. An untimely death, however, did not allow him consolidate the gains. Atal Bihari Vajpayee gained ascendance at a time when the country was going through massive social and political churning. Indian society was in the midst of a fractious and deeply divisive battle over the regaining of national consciousness. His political sagacity and fortitude gave the country the contours of Bharat Nirman. But a loss at the hustings did not let him complete his vision. Nevertheless, fate has smiled again on India. There is a person on the horizon whose star is on the ascendant at a time when the country is going through a particularly difficult phase. A large section looks to him to provide leadership to take the country forward, the lack of which is seen to be responsible for the impasse we find ourselves in. Similar to the previous three leaders, he faces much opposition and scepticism from a powerful section with vested interests, which, is unwilling to give him a chance. This includes a section of the media. The address at the India Today conclave was aimed as much at letting the average voter decide on his candidacy for PMship, as at engaging with the opposition. The invite itself was an acknowledgement that his direct contact with voters was rendering the media inconsequential. Besides, the TRPs were too lucrative to be disregarded. Narendra Modi came on his own terms to the conclave for a session lasted around two hours. NaMos entry was similar to a rock stars. The video ensemble was a direct response to the Tulika ads, which, the Congress played through out the Gujarat assembly campaign as part of its propaganda that development in Gujarat is a myth. Through detailed points and heavy doses of statistics, the video laid rest, once and for all, the allegations. More importantly, it gave the nation a real comparison of the performance of the Modi government in Gujarat and the UPA government in the centre. It covered a wide range of topics from physical infrastructure to social infrastructure. It painted a tantalizing picture of what India could achieve through the NaMo mantra the topic of the lecture. Many pundits by comparing it to a Doordarshan presentation missed the point. Modi avoided making a babu-type speech plodding through hundreds of figures. He let the facts speak for themselves. Besides, the video was more like a documentary than an advertisement insofar as the validity of facts was concerned.

In his speech, Modi gave specific examples of what could be achieved for the country. The topics covered were the same as previous speeches. India first, good economics is good politics, the need for a backbone in administrators, avoiding populism, and most prominently, the mantra of taking initiative. Most criticism of the speech was centred on the fact that it did not have the same erudition and passion as his previous speeches. In his defence, one can argue that almost nobody can make administration sound interesting. What could not be missed is his deep passion for governance, which, was evident from the number of ideas and energy that bubbled in him. By avoiding the usual platitudes that politicians are wont to give at such occasions, Modi struck a different path. He gave specifics to people to convince them that he has the right ideas and the will power. All he needs is the mandate. These were ideas that would thrill almost anyone. To my mind there is no Chief Minister in India who can speak of allowing the private sector into the railways, speak against free power, and simultaneously give evidence of how neo-liberal policies have actually benefited the common man including relatively deprived sections of society particularly tribal and women. He gave nuanced arguments on disinvestment and FDI in retail, and the stress on incremental reform made eminent sense. To the politically minded, most evident were Modis attempts to differentiate his record with the UPAs. His remarks on action versus acts, leadership crisis in the country, and development guarantee programmes instead of employment guarantee ones were shots that hit home. Comments on federal structure were clever. In an earlier article, I have argued that he is a federal leader, who should be the prime choice for any third front leader since, he is most likely to deliver the goods they need most. The session was wrapped up by a detailed question answer session. One journalist tweeted that it was a cat and mouse game. I would say it was a tennis game where the media served and Modi slammed. Sure there were a few misses. The answers to FDI and malnutrition left much to be desired. Not because he has a poor record, but because a marathon two-hour session can exhaust even the best. The mandatory question on 2002 was also served at the last minute. That the questioner made no attempt to hide his hatred for Modi and lack of respect for the judicial process was distasteful. Modi, to his credit, did not let irritation get the better of him, and gave a strong reply on being exonerated by both judicial and peoples courts. However, this episode is a warning that last-ditch efforts will continue to be made to make Modi slip. Modi made a bold pitch. No political leader in India is willing to engage with the public for over two hours, and take detailed questions, most of them hostile. No political leader can today match Modi on oratory, administrative knowledge and skills, and most importantly, passion and ideas for governance. There is a need for a leader with two essential qualities ideas and will power. Modi gave the former the video detailed the latter. The UPA will help with the rest. Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skilful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better. Harry S. Truman To state the obvious, Modi has seized the opportunity.
Chetan Aggarwal at 8:58 PM
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