Amit Kushari (IAS Retd)
When Shri Narendra Modi started rising like a sun on the political horizon of India, people looked at him with great expectations, although these aspirations were always mixed with a sense of fear and apprehension also. He assured the people of India by pronouncing thrice—-“Abhayam, abhayam,abhayam” ( fear me not, fear me not, fear me not ) . Perhaps Shri Modi was assuring the public, specially the minorities, that they should forget what happened in the past in 2002. Very soon Indians realised that Modi was a development magician, a vikas purush, indeed. People who travelled to Gujerat from other states came back with great stories about development in Gujerat. They said that there was no unemployment in Gujerat, rapid industrialisation had changed the face of the state, the broad and well lit roads with flyovers impressive malls, round the clock electricity and water made Gujerat look like a part of the developed world. The RSS immediately recognised that this ex- RSS pracharak had the potential of becoming the PM of India and they declared him the PM candidate of BJP. Many Chief Ministers were filled with jealousy and started an anti- Modi tirade. The CM of Bihar broke off his alliance with BJP because he thought that he also was a vlkas purush which was never recognised. Undoubtedly, he had done certain good work but still Bihar is no where near Gujerat. The power scenario is bad, there is huge unemployment and the communication system is still underdeveloped. The CM of Tamil Nadu, who was Modi ‘s good friend also became jealous. “Isn’t Tamil Nadu as developed as Gujerat?” she asked. She forgot that she could not solve the water crisis and power crisis of Tamil Nadu. The Bengal Chief Minister also became jealous although Bengal suffered heavily in Industrial development and is facing acute unemployment problem and law and order problem. The Chief Ministers of UP and J&K also felt jealous although these states have failed to supply regular electricity and employment to its citizens.UP had more than a hundred communal riots in the last ten years, whereas Gujerat never had any riot in the last twelve years—-the last riot was in 2002.
Amidst all these hopes, however, Indians still have a lurking fear about Modi, specially the Muslims. Will he work for only the rich and corporate houses and not for the poor? Will he try to remove subsidies from essential commodities and cause inflation, in the same manner that UPA had done ? In the last 10 years people of India had seen a very oppressive regime, dictated by a single dynasty and their sycophants, and the people of India are voting in Modi with the hope that he will be able to bring down corruption and inflation which had made their lives miserable.But will the Muslims be able to live in peace? The utterances of Shri Giriraj Singh (BJP candidate of Nawada,Bihar) and Praveen Togadia of VHP have alarmed not only the Muslims but the Hindus also. Are they trying to revive the two nation theory of the Muslim League which led to the partition of India in 1947? The Muslims are an integral part of this nation. We had lost 35 crores of our Indian brothers and sisters to Pakistan and Bangladesh. Indians would have been 160crores today instead of 125 crores and India would have been the biggest country of the world surpassing China. A permanent seat in UN would have come to us with veto power. Shri Modi has said emphatically that he does not approve the statements of Giriraj and Togadia but still some damage has been done to Modi’s image and Congress is magnifying these lapses vigorously. In future people like Giriraj Singh have to be reined in with an iron hand.
( The author is former Financial Commissioner J&K.)
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