Not that I’m unaware that Modi bashing is en vogue, but, clichéd as it sounds, this is different. This isn’t about outrage expressed at religious bigotry, or an argument in favour of Mr. Modi, or scrutinizing the validity of his claims of development in Gujarat, or about advocating a change of government. I have two very specific points of contention, which have left me non-plussed.
First, how could a shrewd politician like Mr. Modi tarnish his election campaign, that too at the fag end, by raking up the Sohrabuddin issue and justifying the brutal, cold-blooded killing of Sohrabuddin and his wife? Wouldn’t it have served his interests better to have concentrated on his success at moulding Gujarat into a preferred destination for private investment and if he had let sleeping dogs lie? With his trusted aide and star campaigner Vanjara behind bars and being investigated for the murder of Sohrabuddin and Kauserbi, the disapproval of the post-Lyngdoh, toothless EC notwithstanding, the move to capitalize on the Sohrabuddin killing was singularly maladroit and uncharacteristic of a political stalwart like Mr. Modi. A neophyte politician could be forgiven for this gaffe, but it is simply unacceptable coming from Mr. Modi. If he thinks that whipping up frenzy in the rabble by painting an innocent man a terrorist would translate into votes, then he is seriously off the mark. Culling collective conscience in the last elections may have worked, but the situation seems different this time. Mr. Modi should just have used the “vikaas”(development) defence and be done with it. His charisma, even though some consider him a mass-murderer, should have tided him over.
Second, why didn’t Mr. Modi try to quell the dissension in the ranks of his own party? Why didn’t he clip the wings of his rivals within the BJP and try to address the causes of dissatisfaction? In India, people vote for personalities and not ideologies. Mr. Modi, the crowd-puller, simply has no equal worthy of mention in the opposition parties. So winning the elections would have been a veritable cakewalk for Mr. Modi, if only he had tried to do something about Kesubhai Patel, his biggest, most vociferous critic in the BJP. Mr. Modi places too much credence in Hindutva and Hindu fanatics. Besides, even among the proponents of Hindutva, Mr. Modi has become quite a villain for his policies which seem to have ignored the interests of certain sections of Gujarat. I think this oversight and complacency may well be Mr. Modi’s undoing in these elections.
First, how could a shrewd politician like Mr. Modi tarnish his election campaign, that too at the fag end, by raking up the Sohrabuddin issue and justifying the brutal, cold-blooded killing of Sohrabuddin and his wife? Wouldn’t it have served his interests better to have concentrated on his success at moulding Gujarat into a preferred destination for private investment and if he had let sleeping dogs lie? With his trusted aide and star campaigner Vanjara behind bars and being investigated for the murder of Sohrabuddin and Kauserbi, the disapproval of the post-Lyngdoh, toothless EC notwithstanding, the move to capitalize on the Sohrabuddin killing was singularly maladroit and uncharacteristic of a political stalwart like Mr. Modi. A neophyte politician could be forgiven for this gaffe, but it is simply unacceptable coming from Mr. Modi. If he thinks that whipping up frenzy in the rabble by painting an innocent man a terrorist would translate into votes, then he is seriously off the mark. Culling collective conscience in the last elections may have worked, but the situation seems different this time. Mr. Modi should just have used the “vikaas”(development) defence and be done with it. His charisma, even though some consider him a mass-murderer, should have tided him over.
Second, why didn’t Mr. Modi try to quell the dissension in the ranks of his own party? Why didn’t he clip the wings of his rivals within the BJP and try to address the causes of dissatisfaction? In India, people vote for personalities and not ideologies. Mr. Modi, the crowd-puller, simply has no equal worthy of mention in the opposition parties. So winning the elections would have been a veritable cakewalk for Mr. Modi, if only he had tried to do something about Kesubhai Patel, his biggest, most vociferous critic in the BJP. Mr. Modi places too much credence in Hindutva and Hindu fanatics. Besides, even among the proponents of Hindutva, Mr. Modi has become quite a villain for his policies which seem to have ignored the interests of certain sections of Gujarat. I think this oversight and complacency may well be Mr. Modi’s undoing in these elections.
