The next general election is two years away. The contours or nature of the next government is anybody’s guess. The only thing that seems certain for now is that it will not be a government led by the Congress party. However, speculation about the next prime ministerial candidate is rife. Strange as it may sound, but for some political formations and many among the paparazzi, the question is not who should be but ‘who should not be’ the prime ministerial candidate.
Narendra Modi himself has not spelt out his desire to become PM. He may have an ambition to become prime minister, but frankly which politician does not harbour such ambitions? Some time back, asked whether he had any prime ministerial ambitions, Lalu Prasad Yadav shot back, ‘why not?’ There may be many Deve Gowdas who secretly hope to be ‘the monkey that arbiters between the two cats’! This category includes Chandra Babu Naidu, Jayalalitha, Mamata Banerjee, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Naveen Patnaik, Nitish Kumar and maybe, quite a few others. The name of Chandra Babu Naidu may be out of sync in this list as unlike the others, he lost two successive general elections and if the present is anything to go by, there is no hope in the world that he would win the next. But stranger things have happened in the past. In 1991, a concatenation of events resurrected P. V. Narasimha Rao from a self-imposed politicalvanavas and anointed him PM.
The BJP is yet to take a call on ‘who’ its prime ministerial candidate will be. The party claims – maybe, truthfully - that it has a number of ‘prime-ministerial candidates’ in its ranks and Narendra Modi is only one among them. There are a number of state elections between now and 2014 including one in Gujarat, where obviously Narendra Modi would like to see his party ensconced for a third term in office. He is entitled to it on the strength of his development record which, those in the know say, is comparable to no other state in India but to China, the epitome for development in the twenty-first century.
But speculation about ‘Narendra Modi as PM’ has electrified the mainstream media. Just google “narendra modi as pm” and the query returns a mind-boggling (for once the phrase is no exaggeration) 17,700,000 results in 0.39 seconds! There may be strong opinions ‘on both sides of the divide’ to use a media cliché but none can deny that he is a serious contender.
Before we consider the reasons his detractors might put forth against his candidature let us look at the positives in Narendra Modi’s favour:
Does he have an ennobling vision for the future?
He does not believe in offering sops but putting in place mechanisms for empowering people. In his vision, the first step for building the value chain of empowerment is developing infra-structure. It includes sources of water supply (both for drinking and irrigating agriculture); hassle-free power supply (again for homes and industries) road and internet connectivity and more importantly education for all.
The second step is generation of employment opportunities by encouraging investment in industry. In most states starting industries is mired in bureaucratic red-tape and corruption. The difference that Gujarat under Narendra Modi makes in this aspect is demonstrated in the setting up of the Nano car factory. When the Tata’s had to exit Bengal because of Mamata Banerjee’s cussedness and myopia, at least five states including three developed southern states and Maharashtra were vying for its location in their state. Even while these states were scrambling for the acquisition of land, Narendra Modi was ready with an offer. The land he offered was immediately handed over, with all infra-structure facilities in place. As a result of the one quick decision-making and acting on it, car manufacturers from all over the world are scrambling to build manufacturing facilities in Gujarat. The setting up of such major industries has a spin-off effect. It spawns setting up of a spew of ancillary industries generating jobs in lakhs.
While the ongoing foreign NGO-funded agitation has been delaying production in the Kudankukalam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu, work has been silently going on in Gujarat for the construction of the first nuclear power plant under the Indo-US civilian nuclear co-operation agreement.
Speaking on the economic crisis that is currently gripping the nation and on how to overcome it by attracting investments in industry, he has this to say in an interview to the Economic Times (Red carpet, not red tape for investors, is the way out of economic crisis: Narendra Modi, June 7, 2012):
“It is a crisis. In the new economic scenario, the government can’t do all that is needed to pump growth. We have to encourage private investment, not just in infrastructure but also in the social sector. We have to open up new investment avenues for people who want to invest.
But before any individual or company invests, they look for safety of their money and profit from the investment. We can provide safety for their money through clarity in policies, transparency in decision-making and decent implementation.
Can he make his followers see his vision through expressive language and communication?
If the recent BJP Natioanl Executive Committee conclave in Mumbai is anything to go by, he certainly can make his followers share his ennobling vision for the future. His every word was lapped up and the points he made lustily cheered by the crowds. This is but an example. His every speech in every meeting is crafted to paint glorious visions of the future for the listeners to visualise.
Does he take personal risks and makes personal sacrifices?
Narendra Modi leads a spotless Spartan life, works eighteen hours a day for realising his vision of a glorious future for his state.
No other political leader in India or anywhere in the world would have faced the kind of relentless onslaughts and vilification campaigns as Naredra Modi did in his career as Chief Minister of Gujarat in the last ten years. Undeterred by these, he has been marching ahead in his single-minded pursuit of development for his people.
Does every citizen identify with and believe in Narendra Modi’s ennobling vision?
His detractors and sections of the media might say what they want but the people of Gujarat, of all sections and communities have unshakeable belief in the leadership of Narendra Modi because of what he has already achieved. They identify with the golden future that he has in store for them.
Viewed differently, the question also means whether he can provide strong and effective leadership to his followers. The answer to it is a firm ‘yes’. One needn’t elaborate, for the all round development of his state and the rapid strides the state is making in different fields is proof positive of his strong and effective leadership. Just to mention two areas, the state saw deserts bloom and agriculture has been galloping at over 10% growth year on year whereas in the rest of the country it has been hovering at 3%. Some might say that his leadership lacks a consensual approach and is autocratic. One must remember he is an elected leader and he has been consistently delivering results. If he were to act only after all objections are convincingly answered it would lead to systemic sclerosis resulting in policy paralysis, something which we are witnessing with the central administration.
