My Beef with Modi

 I first heard about Modi in the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat riots. I learned about how Vajpayee wanted to sack Modi as CM and how Advani came to his rescue. My political leanings were towards left back then. I was convinced that Modi was complicit. I absolutely hated Modi for that crime against humanity. I admired Chandrababu Naidu for showing some spine and withdrawing support to the NDA government. I resented BJP for a long while after that.

In the years following, Gujarat came to be recognized for its business friendliness. I remember one particular comment of Ratan Tata – “You are stupid If you are not in Gujarat.” Modi came to be recognized for being incorruptible, accessible, and business friendly. I watched the 2007 interview of Modi by Karan Thapar in which he forcefully tried to make Modi express regret over the Gujarat riots. Modi walked out respectfully instead. I remember him saying, “Hang me if you find me guilty.” Slowly, my attitude towards Modi started changing. Maybe he did not orchestrate the riots. I felt that Congress was going great lengths to hound Modi and Shah.

And then came the 2014 elections. I began to see more and more posts on Social media about Modi and his Gujarat Model of development. The images of Ahmedabad reminded one of Singapore. Modi’s campaign generated great hope amidst the policy paralysis of UPA II in the wake of 2G scam, other corruption allegations, and Anti-Corruption Movement. Modi’s Hindu pride and assertiveness felt like a breath of fresh air as opposed to the minority appeasing Congress government. Having seen enough world and having understood how the world works, my economic leanings too shifted towards the right of the spectrum by then.

I celebrated the 2014 victory of BJP in the 2014 General Elections. I was ecstatic. Modi’s “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance” slogan generated a lot of hope. Finally, there is some politician who understood that Government needs to be reduced. I believed economic reforms will pick up pace. Modi will pick up from where Vajpayee left off, I thought. Little did I realize that my hopes were soon going to crash in a heap.

The red flags started appearing soon after the government was formed. The first one occurred when Smriti Irani was given the HRD ministry in spite of lacking any credible educational qualifications. Madhu Kishwar, who supported Modi throughout the election campaign, openly questioned about it. HRD ministry deals with handling the aspirations of the youth who is the future of the country. Doesn’t it warrant education and experience? It would be a great opportunity to someone who is hungry about reforming India. How can it be callously handed over to a washed-out television actress who is only known for her gift of the gab? Was it Modi’s way of thanking Smriti Irani for standing firmly in support of him, after some early opposition? How can a Prime Minister mortgage the future of the country just to reward loyalty?

As months and years pass, it becomes clear that Ministers don’t get to run their ministries. Modi works 18 hours a day and runs the ministries with the help of babus. One upshot of this arrangement is there is no scope for ministers to indulge in corruption.

(To be Continued)