Modi’s march

Sunil Gatade
Notwithstanding L K Advani’s revolt, Narendra Modi has predictably succeeded in the BJP to emerge the leader of the party with Lok Sabha elections less than a year away.
85-year-old Advani has made a self goal by marginalizing himself by his revolt and the subsequent tame surrender with the veteran becoming a butt of a joke in the party he founded along with Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
‘Namo’, as the Gujarat Chief Minister is called by his supporters, has the ‘killer instinct’ and it was but natural for the BJP to see him as the ‘best bet’ after remaining in political wilderness at the Centre for ten long years. It has failed to get its act together since then.
‘Killer instinct’ was the catchphrase of Advani when he brought BJP to the centrestage of Indian politics via the Ram Janmabhoomi movement driving out Congress from power for six long years.
Advani, who was projected as NDA’s Prime Ministerial candidate in the 2009 elections, had always been ridiculed by his detractors of being the permanent “Prime Minister-in-waiting’. Ironically, Advani has now been virtually sent to the retirement path by his ‘chela’ (disciple) with the entire BJP as also the RSS seeing the ‘killer instinct’ in Modi alone.
It was no rocket science to understand that after his electoral hat-trick in Gujarat, Modi was bound to arrive at the national stage, sooner rather than later, notwithstanding criticism that there was nothing democratic in his body language and behaviour and that he was a dictator personified.
The man who started as a RSS pracharak has always been cool and calculative about his political way ahead and has never disguised his national ambitions ever since he made his mark as the Gujarat Chief Minister.
Though the BJP has not formally named him as its Prime Ministerial candidate, Modi has undoubtedly emerged as its top man for the job.The man who led the BJP to power from 1998 to 2004- Atal Bihari Vajpayee is now sick and is in the sunset years.
Politician to the core, Modi has been leaving no chance to further his influence over the people. At a time when the Congress is carrying a nine-year incumbency at the Centre, Modi is offering himself as a panacea for all ills confronting the nation when the climate is thick with corruption, scams and scandals and the common man is faced with a backbreaking price rise.
In such a situation, Modi is the natural leader to lead the BJP-led NDA in the elections.
It is but a matter of time that the JD-U will be leaving the NDA angered over Modi’s elevation.
The talk is that Nitish Kumar is parting company with BJP by next week. The saffron forces are not unduly worried and had factored in the development before elevating Modi.
Modi’s emergence on the national scene has also come at a time when Corporate India is agitated over the policy paralysis and the failure of the government to protect them effectively when a series of court cases and corruption scandals has forced it to run for cover without much success.
Corporate India has already started singing the peans for Modi may it be the Ambani brothers or Sunil Mittal or Ratan Tata. They all see that when globally the chips are down economically, Modi could turn a saviour for India given what they describe as his vision,administrative capabilities and strong leadership.
This was but natural as the corporates have benefited from Modi’s leadership as the Gujarat Chief Minister has been acting virtually as a single window clearance and helping their cause.
The refrain in the BJP is that the nation is yearning for a change and Modi is offering a decisive leadership when expectations of all sections of society are rising and they feel cheated by the lip service paid by the Congress to the Aam Aadmi.
A highlight of the Parliament elections this time is that several crore youth will be the first time voters and youth is always seen as one against the establishment, a matter of worry for the Congress While it is hard to believe, BJP strategists claim that Modi has the pull and the capacity to add one lakh votes to the party kitty in each Lok Sabha constituency. Besides, they say that the party lost as many as 106 seats in the last elections by less than one lakh votes and therefore Modi magic will certainly work there.
They also say that BJP will play the backward card to the hilt in the Hindi heartland to garner votes for the party under the leadership of Modi. The Gujarat Chief Minister belongs to OBC sections which is dominant in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and the backwards rue that none of their leaders has ever been able to become the Prime Minister in independent India despite they having sizable numbers and the next elections is their best chance. Modi has started work in right earnest to project himself in the mould of Sardar Patel and has come out with an innovative scheme to reach out to all the villages in the country through his plans to build a massive statue for the Iron Man of India.
If Modi succeeds in bringing BJP in 200 plus mark, 225 to be ideal, then no power on earth could prevent him from becoming the Prime Minister. If Modi fails to secure more than 150-160 seats for the BJP, the ambitious leader will lose the game to lead the nation. All in all, Modi is no pushover and a hard battle is ahead for the Congress and its leaderhip and amid the plans by regional leaders to prop up a third front.

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