Skip to main content

Modi music, AK remix: Two wrongs don’t make a right but they make a good excuse


By RK Misra*
Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. If Narendra Modi, the saffron soul-boy, shows inspirational traces of Indira Gandhi-India’s most hardwired political personage, then Arvind Kejriwal, the anti-corruption crusader-turned-chief constable of India’s capital seems to be following in the footsteps of the national captain.
In 2001 when he took over as the chief minister of Gujarat, Modi was a lilliputian. He initially grew in girth through communal cleaving.
After 2004 when the BJP’s NDA gave way to the Congress-led UPA, he gained traction by the simple expedient of a million pinpricks to bleed a slumbering Goliath which was oscillating between smug overconfidence and perilous management of inner contradictions. In Gujarat, Modi operated on three fronts simultaneously . He emerged as the Hindu heart throb (hriday samrat) through rank majoritarianism, sheared and subjugated rivals within, even as he went about neutering the opposition without , while constantly engaging in deft perception management. Combative to the core, aggression was central to his political strategy as he carried hindutva in his pocket and wore the lexicon of ‘development’ on his sleeve.
Hardcore hindutva icon Balraj Madhok once created a stir of sorts when he termed BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a practitioner of Nehruvian politics. Similarly Modi has picked up many a verse from Indira Gandhi’s book of political practice. Big names or huge reputations never overawed her. Whether in her own party or without. She went into battle with rank novices for soldiers and won the day. She worsted the syndicate comprising of the likes of Morarji Desai, Sanjiva Reddy, Nijalingappa, Atulya Ghosh, and SKPatil. Ejected from power, post-Emergency, she banded together a new team and was soon back in the saddle where she remained until her assassination.
The saffron agenda apart, one notices many strains of the Indira style in Modi’s strategisation. Always combat ready, moving rapidly into rival territory to take on them on their own ground with startlingly successful results. The same scenario played out in Gujarat, then taking on mentor LK Advani on home pitch and thereafter the Congress on its own turf in Delhi with similar results to bag undisputed national power.
The old order always gives way to the new and if Modi improvised or inspired ,to suit himself, it is now AAP supremo, Kejriwal’s turn to do so. First the similarities. Both Modi and Shankersinh Vaghela were the driving force that brought the BJP to power in Gujarat on its own for the first time in Gujarat in 1995 with veteran Keshubhai Patel as the chief minister. Vaghela rebelled, not as much against Patel as is generally believed but against Modi. Vajpayee brokered peace, banishing Modi and replacing Patel with Suresh Mehta, but Togadia and Modi conspired to break the truce and Vaghela quit. After Modi assumed the reins of power in 2001,many of the old guards were either forced to quit or sent out to pasture. These included chief ministers, Keshubhai Patel, Suresh Mehta, veterans Chiman Shukla, Narsinh Padhiyar in Saurashtra, Kashiram Rana in Saurashtra, AK Patel in north Gujarat to name a few.
Kejriwal’s return to power in Delhi has seen a similar churn within his own ranks. The mild mannered IITian of NGO stock who spoke a language of camaraderie did not take too long to bare his autocratic fangs, once in the saddle. The purging began in right earnest soon acquiring a gladiator like fury. No room for dissent. Out you go. Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, Prof Anand Kumar, even ombudsman retired admiral Ramdas and activist Medha Patkar, to name a few.
If Modi used the media and subsequently abused the media once in power, so has Kejriwal bared his fangs. The man who hung on to the coattails of Anna Hazare to gain popular legitimacy for political power and was the biggest gainer of media largesse now wants to hang the media. Don’t like the message, kill the messenger. In power, how different is Kejriwal from Modi?
If criticism of Modi and his government in Gujarat was tantamount to insulting the five crore(later six crore) people of the state, a criticism of Kejriwal and his government is a BJP-Congress conspiracy against the people of Delhi. In Gujarat earlier, and now at the Centre one hears Modi and his men repeat to death about the burden they have been saddled within decades of misrule. In Gujarat, all Modi rule self-glorification statistics began with 2001 discounting the fact that the BJP came to power in the state in 1995 ruled up to the end of 1996 and was back in power in 1998 and Modi moved in only three years later in 2001. But,for all practical purposes BJP rule in the Modi almanac begins only thereafter in Gujarat. So, for all statistical purposes, ’achche din’ for India will begin only post 2014!
If the pioneers of the ‘Swachh Bharat’ abhiyan, by their own admission, are now busy in national cleaning of the accumulated garbage of 65 years, they are themselves facing the same combative politics that their own leader initiated a decade back while based in Gujarat. Modi would then rail against the Congress led Centre for shackling and meting out injustice to Gujarat. Kejriwal is now doing the same against the Modi led Centre today in relation to Delhi.
The BJP rode into Gujarat on a mandate for a different sort of politics. The veteran watchers of the Gujarat scene see no perceptible difference including in the corruption index, only that Modi managed to move on. Kejriwal, who heads a glorified municipality going by the name of a state, is now challenging the very same challenger, seeking the very same powers from the very same man, who once wanted the very same say.What goes around, comes around. The future would be interesting to watch. As they say. two wrongs don’t make a right but they make a good excuse.
Let’s watch.
---
*Senior journalist. This blog has also been published in http://wordsmithsandnewsplumbers.blogspot.in

Comments

Prof Prem raj Pushpakaran writes -- 2020 marks the birth centenary year of Bal Raj Madhok!!!

TRENDING

Aurangzeb’s last will recorded by his Maulvi: Allah shouldn't make anyone emperor

By Mohan Guruswamy  Aurangzeb’s grave is a simple slab open to the sky lying along the roadside at Khuldabad near Aurangabad. I once stopped by to marvel at the tomb of an Emperor of India whose empire was as large as Ashoka the Great's. It was only post 1857 when Victoria's domain exceeded this. The epitaph reads: "Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! Bar mazaar e ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast." (The rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves. For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough to shelter my grave) The modest tomb of Aurangzeb is perhaps the least recognised legacies of the Mughal Emperor who ruled the land for fifty eventful years. He was not a builder having expended his long tenure in war and conquest. Towards the end of his reign and life, he realised the futility of it all. He wrote: "Allah should not make anyone an emperor. The most unfortunate person is he who becomes one." Aurangzeb’s last will was re...

Beyond his riding skill, Karl Umrigar was admired for his radiance, sportsmanship, and affability

By Harsh Thakor*  Karl Umrigar's name remains etched in the annals of Indian horse racing, a testament to a talent tragically cut short. An accident on the racetrack at the tender age of nineteen robbed India of a rider on the cusp of greatness. Had he survived, there's little doubt he would have ascended to international stature, possibly becoming the greatest Indian jockey ever. Even 46 years after his death, his name shines brightly, reminiscent of an inextinguishable star. His cousin, Pesi Shroff, himself blossomed into one of the most celebrated jockeys in Indian horse racing.

PUCL files complaint with SC against Gujarat police, municipal authorities for 'unlawful' demolitions, custodial 'violence'

By A Representative   The People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has lodged a formal complaint with the Chief Justice of India, urging the Supreme Court to initiate suo-moto contempt proceedings against the police and municipal authorities in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The complaint alleges that these officials have engaged in unlawful demolitions and custodial violence, in direct violation of a Supreme Court order issued in November 2024.

How the slogan Jai Bhim gained momentum as movement of popularity and revolution

By Dr Kapilendra Das*  India is an incomprehensible plural country loaded with diversities of religions, castes, cultures, languages, dialects, tribes, societies, costumes, etc. The Indians have good manners/etiquette (decent social conduct, gesture, courtesy, politeness) that build healthy relationships and take them ahead to life. In many parts of India, in many situations, and on formal occasions, it is common for people of India to express and exchange respect, greetings, and salutation for which we people usually use words and phrases like- Namaskar, Namaste, Pranam, Ram Ram, Jai Ram ji, Jai Sriram, Good morning, shubha sakal, Radhe Radhe, Jai Bajarangabali, Jai Gopal, Jai Jai, Supravat, Good night, Shuvaratri, Jai Bhole, Salaam walekam, Walekam salaam, Radhaswami, Namo Buddhaya, Jai Bhim, Hello, and so on. A soft attitude always creates strong relationships. A relationship should not depend only on spoken words. They should rely on understanding the unspoken feeling too. So w...

State Human Rights Commission directs authorities to uphold environmental rights in Vadodara's Vishwamitri River Project

By A Representative  The Gujarat State Human Rights Commission (GSHRC) has ordered state and Vadodara municipal authorities to strictly comply with environmental and human rights safeguards during the Vishwamitri River Rejuvenation Project, stressing that the river’s degradation disproportionately affects marginalized communities and violates citizens’ rights to a healthy environment.  The Commission mandated an immediate halt to ecologically destructive practices, rehabilitation of affected communities, transparent adherence to National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders, and public consultations with experts and residents.   The order follows the Concerned Citizens of Vadodara coalition—environmentalists, ecologists, and urban planners—submitting a detailed letter to authorities, amplifying calls for accountability. The group warned that current plans to “re-section” and “desilt” the river contradict the NGT’s 2021 Vishwamitri River Action Plan, which prioritizes floodpla...

Haven't done a good deed, inner soul is cursing me as sinner: Aurangzeb's last 'will'

Counterview Desk The Tomb of Aurangzeb, the last of the strong Mughal emperors, located in Khuldabad, Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, has this epitaph inscribed on it: "Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! Bar mazaar e maa ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast" (the rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves. For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough to shelter my grave).

CPM’s evaluation of BJP reflects its political character and its reluctance to take on battle against neo-fascism

By Harsh Thakor*  A controversial debate has emerged in the revolutionary camp regarding the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s categorization of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Many Communists criticize the CPM’s reluctance to label the BJP as a fascist party and India as a fascist state. Various factors must be considered to arrive at an accurate assessment. Understanding the original meaning and historical development of fascism is essential, as well as analyzing how it manifests in the present global and national context.

How polarization between different ideological trends within the communist movement sharpened in India

By Harsh Thakor*  This article is a rejoinder to A Note on Slogans of “Left Unity,” “Unity of the Communist Revolutionaries” and “Mass Line” by Umair Ahmed, published on the Nazariya blog .

Implications of deaths of Maoist leaders G. Renuka and Ankeshwarapu Sarayya in Chhattisgarh

By Harsh Thakor*  In the wake of recent security operations in southern Chhattisgarh, two senior Maoist leaders, G. Renuka and Ankeshwarapu Sarayya, were killed. These operations, which took place amidst a historically significant Maoist presence, resulted in the deaths of 31 individuals on March 20th and 16 more three days prior.

राजस्थान, मध्यप्रदेश, पश्चिम बंगाल, झारखंड और केरल फिसड्डी: जल जीवन मिशन के लक्ष्य को पाने समन्वित प्रयास जरूरी

- राज कुमार सिन्हा*  जल संसाधन से जुड़ी स्थायी समिति ने वर्तमान लोकसभा सत्र में पेश रिपोर्ट में बताया है कि "नल से जल" मिशन में राजस्थान, मध्यप्रदेश, पश्चिम बंगाल, झारखंड और केरल फिसड्डी साबित हुए हैं। जबकि देश के 11 राज्यों में शत-प्रतिशत ग्रामीणों को नल से जल आपूर्ति शुरू कर दी गई है। रिपोर्ट में समिति ने केंद्र सरकार को सिफारिश की है कि मिशन पुरा करने में राज्य सरकारों की समस्याओं पर गौर किया जाए।