T H E K E R N E L O F G U J A R A T

The ‘Modi’ fied Radiance – No Change of Decorations !!!

It’s the Saffron flag flying high in Gujarat ! Congress expected a last minute Harry Potter-1 twist but unfortunately seems to have landed itself in the ditch once more !

The final battle has now come to an end although the outcome was predictable and obvious. The graphical backdrop in the CNN IBN studio said it all ! One man wins hands down. The Chief Minster who calls himself a ‘Common Man’ is all geared up for another term of ruling the state single handedly. What is even more intriguing is the fact that the 2002 Godhra carnage seems to have been set aside and people are moving on with time. But hang on ! The Muslims are a minority in the State and this has certainly helped this one man to build up his army massively. What an empire !!! An empire that is not blotted with coalitions but ruled over by just one emperor, a successful emperor ! ‘Change is evitable’- Modi has rewritten the saying. The factors that were predicted to go against him seemed to have very little effect, be it the Anti-Incumbent factor or the Sohrabuddin encounter or the much hyped about betrayal of his own party cadres. The BJP is in a split and the crackdown right in the middle didn’t seem to have a big impact on the elections. Somehow, Modi plastered it way ahead of the elections. Now, the RSS, VHP and Kesubhai Patel have gone down the no man’s lane from which they are trying to recover. The question that keeps reverberating in my mind is ‘How can anybody forget the Godhra carnage where around 3000 people were massacred?’ A statistical analysis reminded me that the kith and kin of these 3000 people didn’t constitute Gujarat in entirety.

I happened to read a book called ‘In High Places’ by Arthur Hailey recently. The book is in and out political. I wondered how a small incident like the plight of a stowaway could affect the stability of the Government in power. The Opposition parties have this uncanny knack of magnifying a small drop in the ocean. What enthralls me the most about Modi is his ability to come out of all criticisms virtually unscathed !It was a decisive victory though the party is down by just 10 and odd seats from the previous mandate. The Tehelka expose was out of the news after a day(The Tehelka is a close ally of Congress ! That is another issue altogether !) How was it possible for him hush down all the criticisms !!!??? I wonder !!!!

Statistics show that Gujarat has recorded a 11 % increase in the state’s development during Narendra Modi’s rule. Well, you see ‘All that glitters is not Gold’ !!! But one cannot take away the credit Modi deserves albeit the fact that darker shades still exist. Just that these shades are dormant !

Modi has become a cult figure in India and more than being loved, all his publicity comes from being hated or to put it more precisely – the media’s continued projection of hatred against Modi.

Political nuances are best learnt from Modi. He is the man with the Midas touch. Let’s see how long his magic whirls around ! The next five years will be closely watched. The Congress’ trump card remained the 2002 Godhra Carnage but now the BJP can very comfortably retaliate with a resurfacing 1984 Sikh riot case. Everybody is masked !!! All of them have their own share of black spots !