Is the Modi Magic on the Wane?

Undoubtedly, Modi's party has not performed according to the predictions of the exit-polls. His personal popularity has also taken a hit. His victory margin has been reduced to mere 1.5 lakh votes.

Modi became Prime Minister in May 2014. During his last ten years in office, he has earned the displeasure of many segments of the society. Informal Interaction has revealed that he is disliked by many for the reasons discussed below.

Modi is a 'usurper of power'. He has tried to replicate the reign of the Slave Dynasty of the thirteenth century by seizing Delhi Sultanate, an inheritance of the Gandhi- Nehru dynasty. How dare a petty tea-vendor have the audacity to gatecrash into the hallowed portals of Lutyens' Delhi? Howsoever ill-equipped, inept and unqualified the dynasty may be, Delhi throne is its family heritage. In any case, the country can be easily ruled through a network of sycophants and stooges. A servile dummy can be appointed head of the government as a stop-gap regent. As in the past, no competence is required to plunder India. It is just a question of fine-tuning the remote controls.

Modi is a 'sadist'. How dare he discard the long-practiced tenet of 'khao aur khane do'? His mantra of 'naa khaunga, naa khane dunga' is symptomatic of his aversion for the well-being of the ruling elite. It smacks of jealousy for the privileged. Remember how smoothly the previous coalitions functioned. 'Creamy' ministries were dished out to the partners as fiefdoms. It was left to their ingenuity to garner funds. Modi must not forget that leaders and bureaucrats have families. They have to amass enough to secure the future of their progeny.

Modi is a 'workaholic'. Worse, he expects others to work equally hard. Introduction of a biometric system to mark presence in government offices has been terribly painful. Earlier employees could walk in leisurely at any time and leave whenever they felt homesick. Many did private side-business during office hours. Movement of files was never monitored. Offices were meant for rest and recreation. Long gossip sessions with colleagues in the canteens were intellectually stimulating. Group cohesion was developed during long hours spent under the winter sun in the office lawns while sharing peanuts. All the charm of government service has disappeared. One is expected to work now. Even senior bureaucrats have been deprived of their life-style of yore golf in the morning, relaxed hours in the office and evenings in the Gymkhana. Modi has ruined the happiness of all government employees.

Modi is 'anti-media'. Ten years in power and not a single scandal or scam. Just not done. Media cannot be starved. Editors have no issues to embellish their headlines with. TV anchors have no hot topics for conducting high-decibel debates. They have to convert innocuous statements by some fringe elements into national controversies. No wonder the media is unhappy with the present dispensation and is nostalgic about those good old days of scam-a-day. Anchors did not have to look for topics for 'breaking news' and evening debates. Media's discomfort can be gauged from the fact that it has to stoop down to faulting Modi for not issuing statements on every single occurrence in the country. By depriving the media of sensationalism, Modi is deliberately asphyxiating it. Worse, by establishing direct rapport with the citizens through his 'Mann ki Baat', he is making the media irrelevant. In the good old days, many reporters acted as opinion makers, of course for a price. To top it all, he has deprived the servile media-men of free foreign jaunts in the Prime Minister's plane. They continue to be nostalgic about those days of lavish hospitality and luxurious travel. How cruel can Modi get!

Modi is 'anti-employment. All his promises of generating jobs through economic growth are phony. In fact, he has been busy shutting down existing businesses. Look what he has done to the patronage industry. It had taken India decades to evolve such a fool- proof and credible patronage regime: far more reliable than the much-hyped match-fixing in cricket. All appointments, licenses and contracts were available for a price. Every appointment had its MRP: it could be governorship of a state or directorship of a government bank/company or even chairmanship of the Railway Board. One could obtain a chit from the PMO office and get a coal block. Full satisfaction was granted to all applicants, bureaucrats and ministers. Most unfairly, Modi has put an end to such a thriving business, thus rendering numerous agents, fixers and power-brokers jobless.

Modi is a 'pseudo-secularist. Although he had been demonised by the self- proclaimed secularists as a communal menace for decades, Modi remains unscathed. Most worrisomely, even negative campaigns like phoney anti-minority allegations and spiteful Intolerance crusades have not provoked him. He is letting all the doomsday-prophets down with his inclusive policies which are well received by all sections of the society, including the minorities. He has said or done nothing to favour any community. If Modi is allowed to establish his credentials as a secular leader, it will be difficult to dislodge him. That cannot be permitted. Therefore, renewed attacks through cooked-up issues must be launched to dent his image. Pseudo-secularism is the sole prerogative of the opposition leaders.

Modi is highly 'pretentious' He has made a mess of India's foreign policy. Instead of following the established diplomatic protocol, he has started establishing personal rapport with the world leaders. More shockingly, he has adopted soft skills, yoga and ayurveda as instruments of his foreign policy. With his spontaneously warm embraces, he has befriended all the world leaders. They admire him for his sincerity of purpose, clear vision and inexhaustible energy. US Presidents Ohama and Trump surprised all by agreeing to be the chief quest at the Republic Day Parades. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended prayers at Varanasi. A grand Hindu temple has come up in Abu Dhabi. Saudi Arabia and UAE are investing in India. Russia is selling oil at concessional rates. By trying to practice diplomacy through personal equations, he is deliberately trashing the very foundation of India's age-old foreign policy of laid-back indifference.

Modi is 'Intolerant'. How can a Prime Minister talk of cleanliness, toilets and sanitary pads from the ramparts of the Red Fort? Who is Modi to deprive the public of the pleasure of defecating in an open and green environment? Height of intolerance. If India could live with filth for so long, who is Modi to question? It is rightly said that 'filth is in the eyes of the beholder and the dynasty never saw any. Similarly, it is for the parents to decide the future of their daughters. Why is Modi forcing them to educate girls? Intolerance once again. Modi has been elected to govern the country and not to don the mantle of a social reformer. He should not exceed his constitutional brief.

Modi is 'misusing his oratory skills. Not only has he been able to inspire the Indian Diaspora, but has also infused euphoric enthusiasm in India's psyche. Pessimism and negativity have been replaced by optimism and positivity. He is deliberately resorting to erudite talks in Hindi and English to show the opposition's caste leaders in poor light. It is most unsportsmanlike. While Modi impresses the people with his vision of a developed and prosperous India; opposition can only talk of 'Agniveer' or target Ambani-Adani or offer money 'Khata-Khat'. Worse, in comparison to Modi, opposition leaders look like cry-babies who had been deprived of their favourite toys Just because he is blessed with oratory skills, Modi is not justified in giving an inferiority complex to the opposition leaders. And, inferiority complex generates frustration and vitriolic diatribes.

Modi is an 'economic maverick'. Through his missionary zeal for economic growth, Modi has been upsetting many who were benefiting from India's poverty. Modi's success in attracting Investment in the infra-structure and Industrial growth through the 'Make in India' campaign will improve the lot of the impoverished. That is also the main worry of the caste-leaders. Economic betterment brings awareness. An aware voter is a discerning voter. He sees through the facade of secularism. He does not get carried away by rhetoric of caste loyalties. He demands results. No wonder that all opposition leaders view economic reforms as a threat to their political relevance. Modi appears to be hell-bent on upsetting their applecart. By remitting cash support directly to the accounts of the beneficiaries, Modi has killed the thriving regime of cut and commissions. Many are wistful about those days when only 15 paisa (out of a rupee) reached the beneficiaries. Modi has cruelly delivered a fatal blow to the thriving industry of middlemen.

Finally, a footnote of caution : Modi may not be perfect, nobody is. But he is the best bet for India. Should Modi fail to deliver or be prevented from fulfilling his promises by the anti-national elements that are stalling growth, India's future will be bleak. We will have Pappu, Akhilesh Yadav, Lalu Yadav, Mamta or Kejriwal at the helm of national affairs. Does not the very thought send shivers down our spine?

Article by




Major General Mrinal Suman

AVSM, VSM, PhD, commanded an Engineer Regiment in the Siachen-Kargil sector. He was also the Task Force Commander at Pokhran and was responsible for designing and sinking shafts for the nuclear tests of May 1998. He is a highly qualified officer – B Tech, MA (Pub Adm), MSc (Def Studies) and Doctorate in Public Administration. He is a prolific writer having published nine books and over 550 articles.