Modi Versus Modi
| 10 |   |
Tweet |
|
Reporter: Modi Saab Jeetenge tho kya hoga?
BJP Rebel: Chun Chun ke marenge hum sab ko
Any friendly off-the-cuff banter with any one who is against Modi will yield that response.It's a reminder that in Gujarat 2007 the very political survival of the loser is at stake, be it Narendra modi or be it the rebels.The winner in these elections is much like a gambler in Las Vegas he will take it all.The reason it's such high stakes is because in Modi's Gujarat, there's place for no one else. Even an LK Advani or a Sonia Gandhi will only be fighting for a distant second in terms of appeal and political space.
How did Modi become so huge? The answer lies not just in the 2002 carnage, but also more importantly in what happened after 2002.The Gujarati urban middle class treats Modi like a demigod; this urban middle class is the spine of the 'Modi phenomenon'.
It keeps tab of national news and is aware of what New Delhi is saying, and every time Modi's politics of hate was questioned and he was demonised, this class took upon itself the task of countering that image. So in a sense the 'Modi phenomenon' is a combination of what he did to project himself as the development king and what the rest did to question his divisive politics. In questioning Modi, most of his critics ended up branding Gujarat. This in a sense hurt the Gujarati pride and Modi capitalized on this feeling projecting himself as the savior of that pride.
In these elections Modi's biggest enemy was himself, Had Moditva only been a little more inclusive, diplomatic and less authoritarian and had it shown an iota of grief for the lives lost in 2002, the congress and his opponents may have had nothing in their arsenal against him. But that did not happen and these elections have become a fight between the BJP's Version of Modi the hero who blends Hindutva and development and the Congress' version of Modi - the merchant of Death. Gujarat will now decide which one of the two Modi's can win an election.
More about Veeraraghav T M
Veeraraghav has been a TV journalist for over a decade, during which he has worked primarily outside the corridors of power in New Delhi. While he's focussed on reportage of political affairs and elections, he has covered issues ranging from the tsunami, the aftermath of the Gujarat riots, inter-state disputes, drought, floods, crime, terrorism and international conflict in Sri Lanka a country he has visited over 6 times. His focus is to attempt to understand India beyond the urban centers and media perceptions. He worked with New Delhi Television between 2000 and 2005 and joined CNN-IBN in 2005 as the channel's Tamil Nadu Bureau Chief. He shifted to the headquarters in Noida as Senior Edior in July 2009. In India he has closely followed and reported on eight Assembly elections in the four southern states and Gujarat and has also closely followed three General Elections. He was awarded the prestigious Chevening Scholarships for Broadcast Journalism in the year 2007 and trained with the BBC in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Veeraraghav sees journalism and imperfections in the society as a tool in the pursuit to work towards absolute honesty and building genuine relationships. His favourite moments in life are with his wife, son and parents. His obsessions in life include his Enfield Bullet, vegetarian food and readings on International and Indian politics and society.Recent Posts
Archives
Comments
10