Narendra Modi and India

Today 3 days before Gujarat Elections results, I turn from tech to the politics.  This is out of interest for "India's future" or development.  Indian polity has been marked with scams, scandal and corruption charges since past last 2 years.  Gujarat Elections have been made out by the media as a acid test for Narendra Modi.  If he wins he will be next PM and if not he will be assigned to the state.  The media has conveniently forgotten that this is a state election nowhere concerned with national level politics.

 

My analysis of Narendra Modi and India are given here, if interested read more...

Anyway my predictions are that NaMo will easily win the Gujarat Elections hands downs, given the amount of developmental works he has done in Gujarat.  Purist may argue and give out economic data that Gujarat was already developing and NaMo has nothing to do with its development.  Economist will give out figures than the growth has actually gone down in Gujurat over the years NaMo has been CM. 

But to understand Gujarat you have to be there.  If you visit Gujarat you will see the ground support for NaMo and get the feeling that this man is indisputable king of Gujarat.  He will will thumbs down; however that is my gut feeling.

No doubt NaMo is ambitious and would like the top chair of Indian politics, the Prime Ministers chair.  However given India's history, the Indian populace has never given a mandate based on religious factors.  This has happened since the times immortal. 

Akbar the Great was one of the Greatest Kings of India who emphasized the universal concept of God and never tried to imprint his religion (Islam) on the populace, so much so that his inner sanctum of people thought he was heretic.  However history remembers today of his great kindness and justice.  His follower, the next to the throne of Mughals, Aurangzeb was a total opposite of Akbar.  He was a religious ruler who imposed the jijiyza and other taxes on non believers of Islam.  This gave rise to Shivaji and Rajputs in the West and North of India and they eroded the Mughal power base to such an extent that Britishers found India a easy prey.  This was possible because the Indian populace revolted and helped the Marathas and Rajputs.   

Then the English came and ruled India,  they ruled India well but towards start of 1900 they started helping Chritian missionairies in setting schools and going about conversions.  They also felt that India was a ready market for cheap goods manufactured in Britain particularly the Manchester cotton goods and had a say over what to eat, wear and how to live.  This fueled anger among the Indians, and they whole heartedly supported Bapu who became their champion and in due course the FATHER OF THE NATION.  You can read all about the Mahatma here.  

Bapu was a ture patriot who studied India and Indians and found out the real reasons of India's dependence on outsiders.  Lack of unity between them based on religion, caste, creed and sex.  During his whole life time he strove to bring about this unity.  Today 60 years after his death this issues still remain a problem in development of a vibrant India.  Read my complete article on the Father of the Nation here.

Post Independence Indira Gandhi took Indian populace for granted and declared emergency in 1975

And India in 1977 overthrew her.  However the experiment by the Indians was cut short for lack of options in good leaders during that time.  The rag tag opposition and the aaya ram gaya ram politics was at its height during this time.  Hence the Indians has no options but to elect her again as they saw in her, the only leader who could rise above the factionalism engulfing the politics at that time.

In 1990 V.P. Singh the then Prime Minister, took India for granted and wanted to impose Mandal Commission reports which gave reservations over and above what was promised in the Constitution of India.  India again revolted, people like Rajiv Goswami and Surinder Singh Chauhan's self immolation  galvanised the nation and ultimately V.P.Singh was unceremoniously thrown out.

In 2002 Godhra happened, why it happened or how it happened is a matter of big debate, and we may leave that to the Courts and higher powers to decide.  But the primary fact is that NaMo was the Chief Minister at the time of Godhra.  And nothing absolves his reponsiblity to the fact. 

Cut to Present : NaMo for PM :  If Narendra Modi has ambitions to become the Prime Minister of India, he has to apologise to the Indians for the Godhra.  This apology shouldnt be to Muslims or Hindus, it should be directed to Indians as from history we learn that Indians unite despite all differences in crisis like situations and support any one who has leadership qualities.  NaMo and his strategist should learn a thing or two from the history of India.  And asking for forgiveness from Indians will not demean him but increase his stature as a good leader.  When a German Chancellor can apologise for autocrities done by Nazi's, it is worthwhile to take responsibility for the actions committed by the people of the state and apologise to the state.  I see no communalism or appeasement in that.  It is a sign of Statemanship.

After that it is a open road for him.  And development as undertaken by China, should be the only one point agenda on his table when he becomes the Prime Minister of India.

Having said that by 2014 he should be in the Prime Minister's Chair with Rahul Gandhi as his worthy rival. 

Hope we will live to see that

I have written part II of this blog please read it here.

Vijay Prabhu