It is a war-of-rallies, Sunday - as India gets set for a
Narendra Modi vs Rahul Gandhi show.
While the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is all
ready with his armour of words and social media for the much anticipated Hunkar
Rally in ally-turned-foe Nitish Kumar's Bihar, the Congress vice-president
Rahul Gandhi will address a rally in Delhi's Mongolpuri area.
It is Modi's maiden stint at a rally in Patna, it is also
the first time that both Modi and Rahul will have rallies on the same day.
Rahul Gandhi has shied from talking about Modi in his
rallies but the BJP prime ministerial candidate has thrashed and battered the
'Shehzada' despitefully in his recent rallies, last in Udaipur yesterday,
claiming a Rajasthan police officer, who wanted to contest elections, had given
Rahul "information" on Pakistani spy agency ISI contacting Muslim
youth victims of Muzaffarnagar riots.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and other senior
Congress leaders are expected to be present at Rahul's rally. Dikshit, in a
recent interview had said "Rahul is learning. Let us not pre-judge
him,start judging him if he is chosen prime minister when Congress comes to
power."
But it is Modi's Rs.100 crore rally that is a high-level
game with the BJP claiming to change political equations in Bihar. BJP is
eyeing almost one crore first time voters in the state who could be decisive in
seeing its prime minister nominee sail through in 2014.
In order to make Modi's 2013 visit to the state a grand
success, a 15 member BJP's IT-cell has been working day and night behind the
scene to mobilise support for the rally. Seven hard core IT-professionals have
been deployed by the party's Bihar unit to formulate a strategy to make a
maximum reach to the voters. 1.5 lakh people have affirmed their participation
in the rally through social media, online and mobile registration.
From asking the President to reschedule his Bihar visit
to not charging people to attend the rally, BJP has meticulously planned every
move to ensure the making of a historic rally.
But actually, we as a public should consider which one of
these big names as our future Prime Minister of India? Confused? Well don’t
worry, actually everyone is confused on the point, apart from the diehard
followers. Let’s try a chart of comparison
between both of them and see if any one of those leader are better than their competitor?
Let us hope that leaders will not mind our comparison.
Similarities:
Both talk about dreams – of others and of their own.
Both talk about the aspirations of young India.
Both claim to have a vision of a better India.
And both despite the hype surrounding them make little
sense.
That is probably where the similarities in the typical
Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi speeches end. The differences are more
pronounced.
Differences:
One is self-conscious to the point of being diffident
The other is overconfident to the point of being
unbearable.
Rahul appears to be person burdened with a role for which
he has had no adequate preparation.
Modi carries the airs of a man who can do no wrong.
One is aloof, the other desperate.
The former reflects the state of mind of a confused home-grown
philosopher and the latter the cockiness of a man who believes who can get away
with anything, including lies. To put it unsubtly, one comes across as a novice
to the job and the other as a seasoned actor good at manipulating people.
Rahul Gandhi’s speech at Baran in Rajasthan on Tuesday
was insipid and soulless, the same way it was in Jaipur a few days ago. In
Jaipur, he had claimed “I am ready to forgo my own dreams to fulfill your
dreams’’; in his speech yesterday, he spoke about how the poorest in India
should have the biggest dream. “If we don’t let you dream, India can’t
progress,” he said.
The dream theme is surely getting overdone.
The Congress vice-president appears to be running out of
content to make his speeches fresh and lively or he is tiring already. His
speech writers must exert themselves some more.
Not a natural orator like Modi, Rahul fails to build
emotional connect with the audience. He could make this weakness up with
details, specifics and anecdotes. In none of his public speeches, has he
appeared to have enough depth to keep the audience engaged. Possibly, it comes
from his lack of exposure to real responsibility or real understanding of the
people he claims to identify with: the aam aadmi.
Election speeches are supposed to be a communication
exercise.
For someone who has been in politics and among people for
nine years, he communicates very little that’s worthwhile. At least he could
have a couple of good speakers in his entourage. Modi’s case is different. He
is a competent public speaker and like all competent public speakers he knows
what works with the audience. He does not mind making exaggerated claims about
his achievements and he is never embarrassed about letting slip a lie or two to
make a point. By now, the country is aware that this man can carry the audience
with the force of his eloquence. The substance in his speeches, however, still
remains a grey area.
Impressive speeches are alright but a lot more clarity on
issues is required from a man who aspires to be prime minister of the country.
Rahul obviously is more disappointing than Modi.
The feeling of disenchantment is aggravated by the fact
that he shows no inclination to assume any responsibility unlike the latter.
Ambition and hunger for power are not bad until they become an obsession. One
man is at least trying to achieve something for himself and stick his neck out,
while it is difficult to understand what the other is up to.
The speeches of both reflect the difference – Modi’s have
a hint of desperation; Rahul’s a touch of aloofness.
As the whole country views on television and reads in
every newspaper the battle between Mr. Narendra Modi and Mr. Rahul Gandhi, I am
only worried that we have actually come to this. We don’t care anymore about
thought, kindness, honesty, action, responsibility, courage, leadership. We
have one person who refuses to answer any question on the blood on his hands as
Chief Minister and another who is being projected as a mature philosopher when
we actually need a dynamic leader.
Recently at one of his many public appearances, Mr. Modi
was asked whether he would take moral responsibility for the 2002 riots, to
which he replied that he had already answered questions about the riots
numerous times. But the same man has over the last few months been willing to
answer time and again the same questions about his developed Gujarat.
Every time Mr. Modi’s name is discussed, the riots are a
part of the narrative and the criticism is that we are trapping him within that
event. But why not? Any person with some human essence must ask those questions
time and again. Whether or not he was party to the violence is up to the courts
to decide, but he was the Chief Minister of the State and has refused to say
that he should have acted differently. How can we ever ignore that? In fact we
should not. In my travels I have always met so many middle class Indians who
think Mr. Modi is the Bill Gates of Indian politics. “Go to Gujarat and see the
transformation, development, bridges, roads, IT companies, the speed of
decision making and you will realise why he is the right person for us.” When I
hear these statements I am filled with sadness that we as a society can easily
erase people from our minds. We say that the courts have not convicted Mr.
Modi, but we readily accuse someone else as being a criminal even when no
verdict has been proclaimed. Essentially, economic growth seems to erase all
sense of human decency.
I am also told that “after all the Muslims have also
voted for him.” Honestly, I don’t care if all the Muslims in the world voted
for him. I care that people died, not Muslims, Christians or Hindus. I am not
aware of the voting patterns of Gujarat, that’s for psephologists. But I am
aware that reasons for a minority community to behave in a certain way are
usually driven by the behavior of the dominant group. The “dominants”
manipulate and coerce the weak to act in certain ways. The positive economic
changes seen in the lives of the majority also influences the behavioral pattern of the minority. I am not saying these are the reasons but let us just
keep this in mind.
We as human beings are built to empathize and feel for
others. Let us not lose sight of this basic quality of humanity in the dream of
economic comfort or seeming political “stability.” I would rather be poor than
inhuman! Narendra Modi, I will not stop asking you this: “Will you take moral
responsibility for the riots?” You owe this country an answer.
While this is one end of the political narrative, there
exists another in the form of a smart, genuine young man who needs to know what
he is doing. Someone has to tell Rahul Gandhi that he is not a philosopher and
India doesn't need one in him! We need a strong individual who is honest and
willing to show courage. He need not constantly mention the problems of the
political and bureaucratic class. We are only too aware of its failings, and
are constantly made aware of them. We do not need a “magic wand” but someone
with a will to change things and has not until date shown any will. Rahul Gandhi
has floated thoughts on “what Indian society is suffering from.” But so, what next? There seems to be a state
of unconsciousness hovering over him, a cloud of inertia and intellectual
lethargy. The country can ill afford a slumber of ideas, courage and
determination in a man who is meant to be waking the nation up. What one misses
in Rahul Gandhi is not earnestness of objective, not sincerity, but a crucial
breaking of the trust barrier, a totally convincing breakthrough in winning the
nation’s trust. He can fight all his political battles with Narendra Modi or
anyone else but first he must be willing to fight the battle of his life for
this country. Unless the nation sees him do that how can it entrust its future
to him? His advisers don’t seem to see that the absence of a trust breakthrough
in Rahul Gandhi is what Narendra Modi is cashing in on and substituting with
his own brand of “I can do it” in surplus. India needs a good human being at
its helm but also a proactive person with serious, practical ideas of how to
change this nation. We have in him an exhaustively long prologue; what we need
now is the main action.
Watching this presidential style battle being played out
in the media on an everyday basis has only further increased my disappointment
in us as a society. Urban India is intoxicated by these two people, and the
so-called “real India” is being manipulated by the same individuals. The end
result is that India seems to have reached a political dead end. What other
options do we have? We can not only look for other options but can actually
force a change from these two. It is up to us to demand decency and human
empathy, responsibility-owning from Narendra Modi and courage and determination
from Rahul Gandhi. If neither have it in them then they don’t deserve our
votes, and nor do their parties, bereft as they are of ideas for change.
Unfortunately looking at the situation of Indian
Politics, expecting a bright India would be stupidity. But in consideration with
the no choice situation apart from Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi, we must tell
them what could make them preferred Prime Minister.
Few things to do for Mr. Narendra Modi, in order for him
to be a preferred PM of India:
- He should tender a sincere and unconditional apology to
Muslims for the post-Godhra riots
- He should spell out a precise vision for India’s
future—economic, political and social.
- He should be publically acceptable to at least 10 non-BJP
parties that formed the NDA coalition.
- He should demonstrate his ability to build consensus—both
within and outside his party.
- He should quit as Chief Minister of Gujarat after 6 to 12
months and travel across India, connecting with people.
- He should develop a better understanding of geopolitics
and international relations than he has demonstrated so far.
Few things to do for Mr. Rahul Gandhi, in order for him
to be a preferred PM of India:
- He should ends his splendid isolation and interacts more
openly and more often with the public.
- He must try to build and shares a concrete vision for
India.
- His stand on key economic issues should be made clearer.
- He must demonstrate leadership skills within his party,
rather than mentioning the phrases like 'My Mom, My Dad, My Grand Mom'.
- He must speak his view rather than speaking just a
overdone speech written by those script writers.
- He becomes more specific on points and topic that he is
actually talking about.
Until and unless those things mentioned above are done by
any one of them, in my view none of them is the appropriate or preferred Prime
Minister for better future of India.
