Straits Ahead For Modi

The human body goes through wear and tear. Aging is a natural process and it becomes visible as time passes. But the wear and tear on the mind is not that visible. PM Narendra Modi arrived with grand fanfare in 2014. There was huge celebration across the country and euphoria among Indians across the globe. His first term was reasonable although his misdeeds and diffidence was showing repeatedly. I had written the first caution “Goody two shoes” within a few months of his taking office. In seven years, Modi has obviously aged but not so much physically as mentally.

The expectation from Modi was not exactly huge. It was only that he would set the country on track again, punish the corrupt and work like a professional. However, since 2019 he has degenerated more into excessive sermons, excessive imagery and lipstick as substitute for substance. The inability and unwillingness to confront rioters and agitators of Shaheen Bagh that led to riots, failure to handle the farmer agitation that has cost 75000 crores (in Punjab alone) of business losses, disrupting the lives of law-abiding citizens, taking over temples in Uttarakhand – all these have portrayed Modi as a gutless wimp. Additionally, there’s the criminal reversal of the SC ruling on SC/ST Act, fuel price hikes and inflation. The farm laws and takeover of UK temples have been reversed.

Under Modi’s regime, a culture of nonsensical discourse has invaded Indian society. Anyone and everyone in public life sermonizes people. The CJI talks of diabetes and whines about judges being trolled. That RSS Mullah Mohan Bhagwat constantly talks rubbish. Apart from his “same DNA” blabber his latest was some garbled Hindus survive, Hindus don’t survive, Akhand Bharat again. Modi has worked very hard to get the monkey of Gujarat riots and his “anti-Muslim” image off his back. His coolies “engineered” all kinds of awards and collars from Islamic countries. And now, out of nowhere, CBSE rakes up Gujarat riots in an exam paper. This alone reflects how badly Modi has failed in controlling institutions that have poisoned Indian discourse and society for a long time.

A long time ago when Modi was Gujarat CM I had written “Gujarat Breaking Rules” and explained that development has two faces – one that is visible and one that is experienced. In some cases, it is both visible and experienced. A “Swachh Bharat” railway station or a great expressway is visible and can be experienced. Tap water in remote households or better power supply is not visible but experienced. Voters vote based on these experiences and not TV debates. Modi understood this well. However, for the last few years, Modi has been high on the visibility part and low on the experience part. To put it differently, high on style and low on substance.

Thus, his obsession with ribbon-cutting, foundation-laying. Modi was ribbon-cutting even goods trains and milk plants. In some cases, like the Purvanchal expressway, Modi plays the “Double Engine” actor. He lays the foundation stone and also does the ribbon-cutting. Such is the obsession with the camera and name-stamping. But his failure to attend to price-rise, inflation, unemployment, law and order, social strife, invasion of Hindu temples is all being covered up by appearances. The manner in which he bends and crawls are telling examples which his cameraman religiously captures like a reality TV show. In response to the farmer riots Modi mollycoddled Sikhs in Kutch, in Bhopal and finally ran to a Gurudwara in Delhi to crawl. The way he bows to statues of Gandhi is also very telling:

Contrast all that bending and crawling with how he prays to a Shivling. His “Cave stunts” and pujas at Hindu temples have become symbolic nonsense. Since he became a PM, Modi added a shawl to his attire and wears it across his shoulder like some scholar which he is not. He has more sunglasses than Tom Cruise and more shawls than Nirupa Roy. Modi was not voted because is an “intellectual” – he is not. He is not a “Gyani” but pretends he is one and sermonizes Indians on almost every topic from passing school exams to satellite and rocket and radar science. There are many laughable incidents like making tea with “gutter-gas” or creating an acronym for “STREANH” (instead of STRENGTH) or the comic “Extra 2AB” stuff. The only thing that pops up every now and then about Modi is his “Reality TV” show with Cameraman Raju. It’s all about Modi doing things:

All these silly photo-life doesn’t impress anyone anymore. Visibility beyond a point is repulsive and has the opposite effect from the desired one. Modi being a megalomaniac doesn’t have any sensible advisers to guide him on how much to “appear” and how much to “sermonize”. Add to all this, Modi’s “Selective Pain” of crying and feeling sorrow over only Muslim, Sikh or Christian issues or tragedies and ignoring Hindu situations.

The Pope didn’t invite Modi so he seeks an audience with him. The manner in which the PM of the largest democracy on earth bows like a slave to the Pope is why Indians are seen as coolies. The Pope seems to pat him like a pet poodle. Recently, a Pakistan model pranced around at the Kartarpur Gurudwara for a photo-shoot. There was instant reaction from the MEA who summoned the Pak envoy and chastised him. But in this year’s Durga Puja in Bangladesh Hindu temples were attacked, Hindus were killed but the MEA merely said they had spoken to the Indian Ambassador and Bangladesh authorities are taking action. 

Even the farm laws withdrawal was announced on Guru Nanak Jayanti as if Sikhs are the only farmers in India. Modi’s abuse of religions for his politics is now glaring and too unbecoming for a PM. Modi is more theatrical than Deepika Padukone in tears over her depression or mental illness. Those who claim Modi unites Hindus or stands for Hindus hide inside a washing machine when he eulogises a mass-murderer like Francis Xavier with absolute contempt for Hindus:

The Constitution is a document of rules or principles that bind a nation in all its legal endeavours whether its citizenship, laws or businesses. Modi grandly claims it’s a “Holy Book” and that it inspires everything. No, such foolish, lipstick nonsense is uncalled for. Nobody is inspired to become a pilot or a scientist or an actor or a Mujra dancer claiming “inspired by Constitution”. But such nonsensical sermons have become a part of Modi’s worthless dialogues and he started the second term bowing to the Constitution just like he prostrated at the steps of Parliament at the start of the first term:

In absence of brilliance on various issues confronting the country, Modi seeks to dazzle with such bullshit. On 26/11, instead of mourning the dead collectively, the President and Modi held a grand function to celebrate “Constitution Diwas” with moronic speeches. Modi grandly whined about “Dynastic politics” (with some jumbled statement like dynastic parties are bad by dynasts are okay) when people have voted him PM defying dynasties and many states have voted BJP defying dynasties. People have improved their political wisdom while Modi still whines about dynasties – he is the one that is stuck. On the other hand, being from a dynasty is not a crime by itself. You still have to win elections.

The biggest crime associated with dynasties is corruption and Modi has protected the corrupt whether its black money or other financial corruption. All the summons by ED, CBI, IT are used as “electioneering tools” and are used mostly before elections. The BJP may not be dynastic but its conduct of business is pretty much dynastic. Just 2-3 leaders of BJP run the show. Modi himself is the only speaker in every event. As someone rightly said he is the “Dulha in every baraat”. Dynastic politics promotes a slave culture and the BJP promotes a slave culture not very different from the Chinese Gandhis.

Things have come to such a pass that two-bit rioters, Khalistanis, assorted goons now threaten the GOI with another disruption of Republic Day if their demands are not met. Who exactly is this moron Rakesh Tikait and what power allows him to hold a country to ransom? Only the cowardice of Modi and his brainless Cabinet. Modi blabbered about “Collective responsibility” in a recent tweet but announced the farm laws withdrawal like he was the Emperor of India without prudence or preconditions. He didn’t consult the Cabinet before the announcement and now the goons are issuing more threats:

GOI should mend its ways? This is the language of a street thug and this is what India has become under Modi. You were not voted twice with a full mandate to behave like a coward and succumb to goons like Tikait or to attackers of Red Fort. The value of power is only in its assertion when required. And as a miserable excuse for this pathetic failures, Modi grandly states he is not in politics for power but to serve. If you subject millions of citizens to street thugs who indulge in violence, rape and murder then you are not serving law-abiding people, you are serving criminals and blackmailers.

The belief that he has to be on TV almost everyday is an obsession that has now become a repulsive pursuit. Modi’s “Mann ki baat” monologues too have outlived their utility and interest. Actions that once made a great connect with people have been overused and are now showing a disconnect with the realities of life among people. The only answer Modi & Co seem to have for all the ills of the economy is more doles and appeasement. The freeloaders grain supply has been extended till March 2022 to cater to elections. And for the permanent “Soshit, Vanchit, Peedit” the GOI increases direct taxes, rail fares, GST, fuel price hikes any which way it can get money. The FM wants to widen the tax net but that won’t happen easily. Only the existing tax payers will suffer more:

A strait is a narrow path of sea just like the Palk Straits between India and Sri Lanka. Strait also means a crisis or difficult situation caused by severe shortage of resources or money. Modi must realise that by his style of functioning he has stunted other leaders in the party and the fortunes of BJP are now invariably linked to his success or failure. If he sinks, the party will sink with him for a long time. Modi has to, therefore, shun these lipstick games, constant obsession with camera and daily worthless speeches and start attending to issues of serious consequences. There is just over 2 years left for the next general election. If there is no change of course, then there’s dire straits ahead for Modi and BJP.

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