Saturday, January 25, 2014

Why I will vote for NaMo and you should too

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!!

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