Last week we looked at the
qualifications of the leading candidates who want to lead the nation and found
(not surprisingly) that NaMo is the most suitable. Weather he fulfils his
destiny to become the PM of the country will depend on the electoral mood of
the nation, which clearly is yearning for a change.
NaMo’s opponents realise his
popularity with the masses and have some serious allegations against him. On
the eve of our Republic Day let us see if the charges against “the best man to
lead the country” hold up –
NaMo has done little. Gujarat has always been well off
For those who debate that his
state has been “traditionally” high growth and well off, please note that
delivering such growth on the back of such a high base takes serious effort.
Explained simply, for someone scoring 90% in exams, going to 95% needs
unimaginable hard work. On the other hand, for someone scoring 30% to go to 50%
is not so difficult. The critics can always say that the absolute growth in
numbers (20 vs 5) make the second child better. But the fact is otherwise. To
keep a state which is already doing well to keep doing better needs serious
work. NaMo deliverers on this.
No internal democracy
NaMo keeps all the power. NaMo
does not delegate. NaMo is the only face of the Gujarat government. NaMo does
not let other leaders emerge from his shadows.
And who makes these
allegations? The party where one “family” calls all the shots. A party where
the decisions of the family cannot be questioned. A party whose elected
government has to abide by the instructions of a family member on bills and
ordinances. Come on, give me a break!! Let us not encourage such double
standards.
Godhra
This is the most serious
allegation against NaMo. This is the “Brahmastra” which his detractors use when
they are about to lose the debate against him. Mention this and his supporters
are supposed to meekly surrender. He is a communal man from a communal party
and Godhra is proof, they say. It is important to note that Gujarat has a
history of communal riots. Prior to 2002, there were four riots in Ahmedabad
with a toll of 912, and three riots in Surat and Vadodara with a toll of 197.
About 30 percent of the 1,267 killed in the post-Godhra violence were from the
majority community. There have been 17 major riots (more than 100 deaths) since
1967 in India, ten took place under Congress/Allies rule, four under other
parties and three under BJP rule. Outlook did a brilliant article on the
subject
Sanjeev Nayyar also has a brilliant
post on the subject –
Let me also state my position
on the matter very clearly here. I am totally for the harshest punishment to
people who provoke/aid/abet these riots. But the statistics are very clear. The
most secular party has been in power when 60% of the major riots have happened.
But that can also be because they have been in power for long (too long). However
the question that remains to be answered is that why people behind these go
unpunished? Is it not the responsibility of those in power to empower the
system in such a way that guilty in such acts are always punished? If not, how
can you remain secular?
Coming back to NaMo. Godhra
happened in 2002. He has been the CM of the state since then and there have
been NO RIOTS in the previous 12 years. This in a state that used to see one
incident every 5 years. The courts have not found him guilty. However if you
listen to his opponents you would believe that he is a mass butcher of the minority
community. But then, as above, the facts portray a completely different
picture.
Now that we have dismantled
the accusations against him, let us look at why he should lead the nation. We
look at the softer aspects today, the hard facts have been considered in the
last week’s blog –
Moved up the ranks
NaMo started at the lowest
ranks. Look at where he is today. I seriously believe that he has a lot further
to go. He has delivered on all the roles given to him by the party. He has
grabbed all opportunities by both hands. He has no famous last name, no big
daddy to back him up. I like him because can relate to him as most
professionals would. He delivered first and then asked for a bigger responsibility.
No blots on image
This is the strongest point in
favour of NaMo. He has spent more than 30 years in public life, the last 15 as
the CM of Gujarat. He is under intense scrutiny of the media and his political
opponents. I am sure they are trying very hard to dig up NaMo’s dirty secrets,
to find something that can be used against him. And what do they come up with?
Some surveillance of a young woman which was so laughable that it was quickly
forgotten. A hindi proverb potrays this the best “dig up a mountain only to
find a mouse”. We need to think hard about this – 30 years in public life and
not a blemish. No nepotism. No corruption. No misgovernance. No fraud. No
greed. No lapse of moral judgement. Highest integrity. Here is a leader who has
the cleanest of records and an enviable delivery standard.
Is there any leader in the
current crop that can boast of this? This is why my vote in this LS election
will go to NaMo and yours should too.
It is very easy to get carried
away by the misinformation campaigns. We need to dig deeper to see the truth
for ourselves. I hope the above will help people make up their minds on whom
they will support in the forthcoming LS elections. Make no mistake, these
elections are the most important ever and each one of us should take an
informed decision for the betterment of our society and nation.
Comments are welcome!!