Modi and the idea of India from an NRI

These days, Narendra Modi, the current chief minister of the Indian state of Gujarat is much in news. The main opposition party of India has virtually endorsed him as their choice for the important post of Indian prime minister. In a parliamentary democracy, this position is of utmost importance. Barring two terms by the incumbent, where the sanctity of this position was defiled, it is a position that governs India and defines it to the world.

India never had a proper right wing party because the whole idea of India is unique to its diverse population. India being an ancient country with a 5000 year old history is but a modern state that is only 66 years young. The fuel for any right wing party to encompass the feelings of ‘being a part of a nation’ with the populace, hasn’t had a chance to materialize yet. In the early years of its existence as a modern state, socialist policies exported from the erstwhile Soviet Union were used to sustain the enslavement of the Indians. When the latter collapsed in the beginning of the 90s, India was left with no other choice, but to change, else perish. Capitalism was finally ushered in the country, disguised as liberalization.

Liberalization spread like an epidemic in India and within a decade, a seemingly right-wing party called the Bharathiya Janatha Party was able to cobble up a coalition of convenience and stake power in India. Though eventful, the 6 years of this government was highly successful in ushering India to the modern 21st century with the help of an emerging middle class, which grew into the largest in the world. However, a majority of the population still stuck in the socialist ideologies of past, enticed with the benefits of alms, voted out the right wing party and returned the country to its erstwhile socialist rulers.

Socialism like communism is dangerous because it always fed the people rather than teach them how to feed for themselves. Sans any ideology but with due reverence to the dynastical rule of a family of sycophants, the new feudal lords of India disguised as politicians, and under the umbrella of a ‘Congress’ party, looted the country along with other privileged opportunistic oligarchs. The common man of India was fed always with freebies from the state to quench any dissent. This arrangement worked well when socialism had its hey days. In today’s world, where there isn’t enough wealth in this world to catch up with man’s aspirations, socialism is a sure cut route to total social anarchy.

It is to this India, a man called Narendra Modi comes into the picture. A few years into his term, he was caught in the muddle of the worst sectarian violence his state witnessed. Despite conflicting reports, his involvement in the carnage to this day has never been proven. But what happened after the bloodshed, changed many a narrative for the bourgeoisie. Three convincing election victories, rapid development in almost all sectors, innovative growth, he rewrote the growth story of an entire state. All this while, the socialist ‘Congress’ party, mimicking the very same coalition formula, it once disdained, ruled unchallenged for two whole terms, the entire country, with an ex-Italian waitress at the helm and her band of corrupt, chauvinistic sycophants. Widespread looting in all sectors of the economy stunted the growth story of the emerging Asian tiger to a whimper. While the other Asian dragon in the North roared, the socialistic contradictions of the Congress hegemony was in full display, where growth was diminished and the aspirations and dreams were reduced to a carcass and shovelled into the abyss.

Today, while the whole world is growing old, India is growing young because three quarters of its population belong to the youth variety. The 21st century is different from the earlier ones, because the challenges are enormous.How will we take care of our battered planet ? How will we address the issue of population growth? How will the humankind open up and ensure equality and fairness for all human being despite of colour, religion and ethnicity? How will we conquer worlds afar from our heavens? These questions needs to be answered by the youth of today. A majority of this youth reside in the South Asian tiger’s den.

It is to this youth, that a leader like Modi is needed to usher and guide them. A closeted approach being used today in India to shunt the messenger with a different message, will deny India of its place in modern history. He might or might not be a sinful man, but his sins, if any are to be hated, not him. The idea of India is owned by Indians all over the world. Our opportune time in the humankind history has arrived, but can we be able to grab it ?