“Humbled And Grateful”, Modi Seeks New Avatar In The “Temple Of Democracy”!
Under his absolute and authoritative command, Narendra Modi’s downright refusal of giving his party’s zero representation to Muslims in the Gujarat state legislature is also part of his legacy.
By Promod Puri
In the dazzle of his “landslide victory”( BJP securing just 31% of votes across India to gain over majority seats alone) should we dim the legacy of Narendra Modi as chief minister of Gujarat during the past over ten years.
If so, it would be a suppression of our perception and sensibility that in this celebration of near eclipse of dynastic and corrupt Congress regime, and dawn of promised economic prosperity under Modi’s premiership that we simply think no more of the massacre in Gujarat.
And that we turn back on serious human rights violation, the rule of intimidation, false police encounters and killings, protection and rehabilitation of convicted genocide criminals.
And that we notice almost dismissal registry of human development as laid out by Noble laureate Amartya Sen and adopted by the United Nations in our obsessiveness on ambiguous “Gujarat Model” of economic growth which has not trickled down to underprivileged and poor.
Under his absolute and authoritative command, Modi’s downright refusal of giving his party’s zero representation to Muslims in the Gujarat state legislature is also part of his legacy.
Fast-forward, Modi is now the prime minister of India after a grueling fight whereby the issues of Gujarat riots and the poor human development records in the state got lost in the hot and often ludicrous personal barbs among the campaign leaders of all the parties. Perhaps the BJP leader steered it that.
As well he strategically put the Hindutva agenda on the back burner and saffron card close to his chest.
However, his entire election drive was more focused on the terse maxim “it’s the economy, stupid”. All throughout the poll operation Modi asked for votes in the name of development, jobs and economic opportunity and stability. In return he promised less government and more governance, decisive leadership as compared to a decade of dithering, and economic growth as against stagnation.
“The government should hear from the poor and work for the poor. My government will be dedicated to the poor, youth and women. It will be a government of villages, farmers, Dalits and deprived sections. All efforts will be aimed to live up to their hopes and expectations,” Modi said as he stepped in first time the Indian parliament.
In the “temple of democracy”, as he epitomized the institution of parliament, “humbled and grateful” Modi seems to be in the process to attain a new avatar.
In all fairness, after winning a mammoth, clean and fair election with a promise of strong leadership, India’s new democratically elected prime minister has certainly “given wings to the hope, aspirations and dreams of millions”, and that includes the 69 percent who did not vote for him.
Promod Puri is a veteran journalist, publisher and writer. He is also the former owner and founder of the South Asian LINK Newspaper.
