The rise of a leader and his enduring popularity
Modi has turned politics into a kind of social movement. After gaining power he initiated action against complex problems while trying to raise public awareness
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi will turn 75 this week. It is a diamond jubilee for a man who lived his formative years in anonymity, dedicated his middle years to organisational work, and the last quarter of his life at the zenith of power, in Gandhinagar and in New Delhi.
Till a few weeks ago, September 17 was not just viewed as his birthday but also a kind of D-Day in a political suspense thriller, thanks to some needless sensationalism. The question, based on a comment taken entirely out of context, was whether Modi would retire as PM? Those waiting for a response got their answer on August 28. On that day, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said in New Delhi, “I never said I will retire or someone else should retire.” Returning the favour, PM Modi, in an article on September 11, wished Bhagwat (who also turned 75) on his birthday. It was a meaningless controversy; and it ended abruptly.
Few parties have set an age limit for retirement in India and elsewhere. Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar is 84. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is 83, and Kerala’s CPM chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan is past 80. The world’s most powerful head of State, US President Donald Trump, is 79. Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping are in their seventh decade of life.
You may ask why Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Shanta Kumar, senior leaders in the BJP, were relegated to an amorphous margdarshak mandal on the pretext that they were over 75 years old. The truth is, these BJP leaders weren’t as fit or as popular as Modi is. At times, honourable exits are created to ease people out of public life.
In office, Modi has turned politics into a kind of social movement. After gaining power, he initiated actions against vexed and complex problems while trying to raise public awareness for issues like cleanliness, women empowerment, ease of living and doing business, and national unity through Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, GST, abrogation of Article 370 and triple talaq. He’s not invested in the politics of appeasement. Remember his statement during his second term that the country’s middle class will have to bear pain for a few days in the national interest.
In the last 11 years, from providing free ration to 800 million people to all-round development of infrastructure, Modi has initiated many actions to infuse fresh vigour into the bureaucracy. This is his signature style. Let me narrate an incident. In Gandhinagar, Gujarat, he once asked senior bureaucrats what their response would be to a 70-year-old lady if she asked which government schemes she could avail. He asked them to list all the schemes and the number of forms that she would have to fill up to get them. Most of the bureaucrats failed this flash test.
Concern for the last person in the queue is the secret of his enduring popularity. He never compromised on his beliefs and ideas. For example, in a minority gathering, when people tried to put a skull cap on his head, he politely refused. He stopped iftar parties at the PM’s residence.
Modi’s detractors have labelled him a majoritarian. But is this true? You may recall the PM addressing a gathering at the BJP headquarters after the party’s victory in assembly elections in the North-East in March 2018. When the azan was heard, he paused his speech.
This year, he faced a fresh challenge from Pakistan. Operation Sindoor, conducted under his stewardship, not only humbled our neighbour but also set a “new normal” in India’s response to terrorism. Now every terror attack would be considered an attack on India, he said. He has also shown remarkable grit and nerves of steel in dealing with the challenges coming from the US. He knows the stakes are high and the situation is perilous. On the surface, it seems like “tariff terror” unleashed by the US, but the script is far more complex. The global economic order that was built in Bretton Woods in 1944 has entered its decisive stage.
A new economic order is in the works, and the PM wants India’s strong presence in the emerging new global system. His recent meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are a testament to this fact. The effects are visible. The mercurial Trump, who till the other day was breathing fire, is sending conciliatory signals. Modi cleverly ignored President Trump’s outrageous allegations and reacted positively to his friendship overtures. An economic deal with the US will be thrashed out, but the world is gravitating towards another Cold War. India will need to rebrand its non-aligned approach.
It’s a difficult task, but for Modi, things have never been easy. Even his ascent to power was the result of a precarious situation. On January 26, 2001, Gujarat’s Bhuj city suffered massive destruction in an earthquake. The BJP government led by Keshubhai Patel started caving in its wake. Sensing that the party was losing its grip on the state, both Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani chose Modi to lead the Gujarat government. To understand Modi’s leadership, compare the rebuilding efforts in Bhuj and Maharashtra’s Latur, which experienced severe destruction in an earthquake eight years before Bhuj. The shining success of Bhuj was achieved by a man who had no prior experience of administration. This is what separates Modi from the rest. Would you like to congratulate him on this auspicious day of his life and glory?
Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. The views expressed are personal
