Those following currency exchange rates would have seen the almost daily violent fluctuations of the Rupee while on a tr..

The next general election is two years away. The contours or
nature of the next government is anybody’s guess. The only thing
that seems certain for now is that it will not be a government led
by the Congress party. However, speculation
about the next prime ministerial candidate is rife. Strange as it
may sound, but for some political formations and many among
the paparazzi, the question is not who should be
but ‘who should not be’ the prime ministerial
candidate.
Narendra Modi himself has not spelt out his desire to become PM. He
may have an ambition to become prime minister, but frankly which
politician does not harbour such ambitions? Some time back, asked
whether he had any prime ministerial ambitions, Lalu Prasad Yadav
shot back, ‘why not?’ There may be many Deve
Gowdas who secretly hope to be ‘the monkey that arbiters
between the two cats’! This category includes Chandra Babu
Naidu, Jayalalitha, Mamata Banerjee, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Naveen
Patnaik, Nitish Kumar and maybe, quite a few others. The name of
Chandra Babu Naidu may be out of sync in this list as unlike the
others, he lost two successive general elections and if the present
is anything to go by, there is no hope in the world that he would
win the next. But stranger things have happened in the past. In
1991, a concatenation of events resurrected P. V. Narasimha Rao
from a self-imposed politicalvanavas and anointed him
PM.
The BJP is yet to take a call on ‘who’ its prime ministerial
candidate will be. The party claims – maybe, truthfully - that it
has a number of ‘prime-ministerial candidates’ in
its ranks and Narendra Modi is only one among
them. There are a number of state elections between now and 2014
including one in Gujarat, where obviously Narendra Modi would like
to see his party ensconced for a third term in office. He is
entitled to it on the strength of his development record which,
those in the know say, is comparable to no other state in India but
to China, the epitome for development in the
twenty-first century.
But speculation about ‘Narendra Modi as PM’ has electrified the
mainstream media. Just google “narendra modi as
pm” and the query returns a mind-boggling (for once the phrase is
no exaggeration) 17,700,000 results in 0.39 seconds! There may be
strong opinions ‘on both sides of the divide’ to use a media cliché
but none can deny that he is a serious
contender.
Before we consider the reasons his detractors might put forth
against his candidature let us look at the positives in Narendra
Modi’s favour:
Does he have an ennobling vision for the
future?
He does not believe in offering sops but putting in place
mechanisms for empowering people. In his
vision, the first step for building the value chain of empowerment
is developing infra-structure. It includes sources of water supply
(both for drinking and irrigating agriculture); hassle-free power
supply (again for homes and industries) road and internet
connectivity and more importantly education for all.
The second step is generation of employment opportunities by
encouraging investment in industry. In most states starting
industries is mired in bureaucratic red-tape and corruption. The
difference that Gujarat under Narendra Modi makes in this aspect is
demonstrated in the setting up of the Nano car
factory. When the Tata’s had to exit Bengal because of Mamata
Banerjee’s cussedness and myopia, at least five states including
three developed southern states and Maharashtra were vying for its
location in their state. Even while these states were scrambling
for the acquisition of land, Narendra Modi was ready with an
offer. The land he offered was immediately handed
over, with all infra-structure facilities in
place. As a result of the one quick decision-making and acting
on it, car manufacturers from all over the world are scrambling to
build manufacturing facilities in Gujarat. The setting up of such
major industries has a spin-off effect. It spawns setting up of a
spew of ancillary industries generating jobs in lakhs.
While the ongoing foreign NGO-funded agitation has been delaying
production in the Kudankukalam nuclear power
plant in Tamil Nadu, work has been silently going on in Gujarat for
the construction of the first nuclear power plant under the Indo-US
civilian nuclear co-operation agreement.
Speaking on the economic crisis that is currently gripping the
nation and on how to overcome it by attracting investments in
industry, he has this to say in an interview to
the Economic Times (Red carpet, not red tape for
investors, is the way out of economic crisis: Narendra Modi,
June 7, 2012):
“It is a crisis. In the new economic scenario, the government can’t
do all that is needed to pump growth. We have to encourage private
investment, not just in infrastructure but also in the social
sector. We have to open up new investment avenues for people who
want to invest.
But before any individual or company invests, they look for safety
of their money and profit from the investment. We can provide
safety for their money through clarity in policies, transparency in
decision-making and decent implementation.
Can he make his followers see his vision
through expressive language and communication?
If the recent BJP Natioanl Executive Committee conclave in Mumbai
is anything to go by, he certainly can make his followers share his
ennobling vision for the future. His every word was lapped up and
the points he made lustily cheered by the crowds. This is but an
example. His every speech in every meeting is crafted to paint
glorious visions of the future for the listeners to visualise.
Does he take personal risks and makes
personal sacrifices?
Narendra Modi leads a spotless Spartan life, works eighteen hours a
day for realising his vision of a glorious future for his
state.
No other political leader in India or anywhere in the world would
have faced the kind of relentless onslaughts and vilification
campaigns as Naredra Modi did in his career as Chief Minister of
Gujarat in the last ten years. Undeterred by these, he has been
marching ahead in his single-minded pursuit of development for his
people.
Does every citizen identify with and
believe in Narendra Modi’s ennobling vision?
His detractors and sections of the media might say what they want
but the people of Gujarat, of all sections and communities have
unshakeable belief in the leadership of Narendra Modi because of
what he has already achieved. They identify with the golden future
that he has in store for them.
Viewed differently, the question also means whether he can
provide strong and
effective leadership to his followers. The
answer to it is a firm ‘yes’. One needn’t elaborate, for the all
round development of his state and the rapid strides the state is
making in different fields is proof positive of his strong
and effective leadership. Just to mention two
areas, the state saw deserts bloom and agriculture has been
galloping at over 10% growth year on year whereas in the rest of
the country it has been hovering at 3%. Some might say that his
leadership lacks a consensual approach and is autocratic. One must
remember he is an elected leader and he has been consistently
delivering results. If he were to act only after all objections are
convincingly answered it would lead to systemic sclerosis resulting
in policy paralysis, something which we are witnessing with the
central administration.
The criteria that were discussed above form the framework of what
sociologists call the Charismatic Leadership and
fits Narendra Modi to a T, no matter what
paid-piper sarkari sociologists say.
And now
the secularism debate. To be continued at
'Secular' Opposition to Narendra Modi as
PM
Author : Upadhyayula Narayanadas
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Disclaimer: The author is a commentator on issues of national
interest. These are his personal views and do not necessarily
reflect IBTL's opinion.
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Other Opinions ...
# Mumbai: Is it a new beginning for BJP?
# J&K Interlocutors' report: Unconstitutional ploy to
destabilize India
# GDP numbers: A wake up call in the wilderness -
Virendra Parekh
# Misuse of Laal Batti (Red Beacon) by Ministers and
Bureaucrats
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