Modinama
Narendra Modi in
the Arnab Goswami interview displayed a presence and subtlety reminiscent of
the post Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) first season Amitabh Bachchan. Modi on
Times Now quickly received some 17 crore
hits on Twitter and made a ‘trending’ record
on the social media.
Looking back at the resurrection of the Big B ,that fateful
turn on the small screen brokered by then Samajwadi General Secretary Amar
Singh and Subrata Roy of Sahara, revived
Bachchan’s career, refilled his empty coffers, and relaunched him as an A list
Bollywood actor. It was an improbable comeback, in his sixties, into his lost
superstar status.
Modi may well become the Amitabh Bachchan of politics, with
his lyrical stylistic flourishes, growing in popularity and the people’s
affection, as he reaches out beyond Gujarat to the national stage and the
international arena. His reasons for
contesting from Varanasi because Ganga had called him is a case in point.
From the Arnab Goswami interview, Pakistan too, can be expected,
with the advent of an NDA Government, to review its export of terror to India
policies. This, even if the typical Pakistani bluster prevents them from
admitting it in plainly. They know future outrages won’t go unpunished and also
that Modi may get on very well with their big boss China.
On the caste front, always important in Uttar Pradesh and
Bihar, when Modi turned the tables on Neech
Jati and Neech Soch slurs from the Gandhis, the Congress decided to try the
opposite tack. Next Congress made strenuous attempts to call him an upper caste
Vaishya Ganchi-Teli. who fiddled his own OBC caste status as CM!
This comes as a desperate, reactive, Congress ploy, just
before the last tranche of voting, completely tripping over the fact of
insertion of Modi’s caste status in the OBC
list by the Congress State Government in 1994, when Modi himself was
still in considerable obscurity.
Coming after their earlier contemptuous ‘chai-walla’
attempts to denigrate Modi, and the ongoing sneering on caste, character, and
indeed Modi’s capability, understanding of governance, truthfulness, diplomacy
etc. it is not going at all well for
Congress in terms of public perception. Considering the hysterically personal
remarks Congress has been making throughout they should not be surprised and
bewildered at none of it hitting their target.
Besides, 17 crore twitter hits or not, what a contrast
between Rahul Gandhi’s schoolboyish interview with Goswami, smirking and firmly
in charge, accused soon after of ‘child molestation’ by journalist Swapan
Dasgupta, and this one. This time, the same Arnab Goswami, famous for his bullying and
hectoring ways, was obviously over-awed into good behavior.
Meanwhile, it is rumoured that Retuning Officer/District
Magistrate Yadav of Varanasi is a close relative of Samajwadi Supremo Mulayam
Singh Yadav, who is, of course, a close Congress ally, by compulsion as well as
design, with not a little ambition in the third front context.
No wonder the EC top brass led by a Mr. Sampat is scared of
moving him out of Varanasi, even as it certifies itself ‘unafraid’. But the
entire controversy of the state machinery and the EC working in a partisan
manner is likely to benefit Modi and his election at Varanasi, as well as
nationally.
In the East, Mamata Banerjee has been put on the spot with
news that the CBI will take on the Saradha Chit Fund Scam investigation being
handled softly-softly by the West Bengal Police thus far. This may well
persuade the TMC Chief to see the wisdom in supporting the Modi led BJP/NDA
formation post polls because quite a few prominent TMC people are allegedly entwined
with the Saradha Scam. This until the ‘caged parrot’ reputation of the CBI
changes into a more autonomous avatar.
And then there is the financial ‘package’ for West Bengal
alluded to several times by BJP President Rajnath Singh. Bluster apart, West
Bengal is bankrupt, wiped out by its lack of growth and industry over four
decades, and its crushing accumulated debt. Similar considerations, both in terms
of cases against them and need of money for their states will be playing on the
minds of madames Mayawati of the BSP and Jayalalithaa of Tamil Nadu.
Lalu Prasad Yadav in Bihar is relentless in his
bufoonery-laced abuse of Modi and the BJP. His DNA as a Congress pet are now
too prominent to be erased by any attempted cross over. This has not prevented
a number of his key aides from joining the Bihar BJP however. But Lalu, banned
from standing for elections himself, has no choice but to go down with the
sinking Congress ship. Prasad has decided to go down, grimly fighting his
corner, spouting yesterday’s tarnished Lohiaite and anti-BJP rhetoric that gave
him prominence in the nineties.
We can now look forward to a new crop of final Opinion Polls
after the 12th of May and then the moment of truth and destiny on
May 16th.
(817 words)
May 9th
2014
Gautam Mukherjee
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