Like him! Like him not! His is not a persona that invites hollow smiles and ‘balloney’ talks. He works tirelessly, which is in itself an indication of his dedication to duty. He has no family baggage, not many friends that we hear of, at least in public discourse. All work and no play, does not make him any ‘dull boy’; in fact, he is constantly challenging himself, to achieve more. He is less likely to endear himself to most, except on merits of doing good work. From all accounts, he is a tough task master, his agenda, for the most part, is visible and has been true to his beliefs, which some appreciate while others don’t.
Like him, like him not. He is here to stay! He has been the longest serving CM/PM, without any interruption. Held power in his home state, for 19 long years, moved to the centre as PM, now in its 11th year, putting together a 30 year long reign. In power, almost absolute!
So, there is talk of him becoming 75! An age, a milestone that he himself had set for retirement from public service, a yardstick he imposed while removing some of the perceived opposition to him, when he became PM. Thus going by his own norms, it would be normal to ask the question, who next? It has always been the case, not just in India but elsewhere, too, the concern being around age.
At this time, in our nation’s history, it becomes even more crucial. Who after Modi? Even more importantly, could be the question, do we have an alternative to him? Either within his own party, none that anyone can guess, or in the combined opposition. Within the government, PM Modi must be the single biggest vote catcher, on his own, by far, even if pitching him against the rest of his cabinet put together! Outside, yes, there can be an individual or two, though their appeal is restricted to one state or two; can they muster a majority to run any alternative government at the centre? Not likely, if not impossible.
Firmly in the Saddle, PM Rides High!
PM Modi is widely understood to be firmly in saddle. With no opposition to him in either his own party or outside. If there was any doubt, which perhaps there never was, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat put an end to the idle talk around the subject. He was reported across a large media saying that he had never said that 75 years was an age to retire. In fact, stressing the opposite, he said the contrary was truer, that pracharaks never retire and can be called to duty at any time; therefore, he said he could be asked to take up a new assignment when he was 80.
Doubling down on stories that the two organizations, the party and the Sangh had disputes, he said that the Sangh had little to do with appointment of the BJP chief; if it had, they would have appointed the incumbent long ago. He is quoted to saying there could be differences but no disputes.
Bhagwat was replying to more than 200 questions at a more than two-hour long press conference at the end of the three-day event celebrating 100 years of journey of the RSS.
The one other truly national party must be the Congress, but they are still a scattered lot, unable to come together to make any sustainable opposition on their own. They often show flashes of coming back, only to disappear, for one reason or the other. Across the nation, looking at the combined opposition, who will support whom, to lead any government in office, and for how long will any such ‘experiment’ last?
Regionalism has played up across states – say in Tamilnadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Maharashtra, Bihar and Jharkhand, as examples, where the Congress, the other ‘national’ alternative, is missing? Can the Congress double its tally, yet again? If they went from 50 to 100, can they now notch 200 on their own? Most unlikely, unless some wonders happen. Therefore, can the opposition put up a credible ‘face’ as an alternative to Modi? Or, should we say no matter, we should plunge into a deep abyss and leave it to Ram bharose! And, further to this, is this the time to experiment with governments? Can India afford such uncertainties, that too in times of such global churning, and ambiguities in the region?
Maybe difficult to digest, but the irony, and also perhaps the truth as well, is that PM Modi has held the country together, in tough times like these. Modi at 75 is as strong as ever, not with-standing media reports of differences within the party and the government, there is never smooth sailing, but few alternatives if any! And Modi is the single biggest rallying point! A disclaimer here may be in order. Not that one supports everything his government does, or what PM Modi says. And one may not, agree or disagree. But there is also some good work going, and one should remain aware of it. There are areas where we wish there was a different narrative, but then it is also pure politics, at one level, grassroot support and expectations, lobbies at work, and what ever else it takes to run governments.
Party programmes like Hindutva have been on their agenda for long, it was a plank on which the party came into power; that there is need to examine some of the assumptions around Hindutva, is another issue. It was the supposition on which the party came to power! And, a moot point could be to ask how much is the Hindutva agenda driven by the PM himself, how much by the ‘enlightened’ right. No wonder then that a critic like Prashant Kishore recently said that after Modi, one could expect a more hardened right ideology to assert.
Experts, many of them, have written extensively while conducting a post mortem of the 2024 national election results, have often said the BJP tally fell short of absolute majority not because of an increased mandate for the Congress that almost doubled its Lok Sabha numbers. Was it a self-goal, as reports have often suggested, inflicted because of issues between its support base, the RSS, and its political wing, the BJP, that the numbers got lost, especially in Uttar Pradesh, where recall how a popular leader such as Smriti Irani lost her seat in Amethi! Others had attributed losses due to turf wars within the party, between the centre and the state. There can be shades of grey in such conjectures, it rarely is simple black or white.
So, what does PM Modi mean, at 75, which he attains later this month? Not going into the politics of this, but simply, to say that Donald Trump is 79 and going strong, there are reports that he often thinks of an unprecedented third time, not permitted under present laws. Modi lives a simple life, eats frugally, exercises regularly, appears fit as anyone else, if not fitter. His walk is firm, climbs up the aircraft ladder swiftly, shows no signs of fatigue. If ‘the power of the seat’ he occupies, keeps him like this, why not?
Yes, he has his detractors, who doesn’t? And for strong minded person that he is, there would be for sure, people who do not agree with him. While, on the one hand, he has faced criticism on many occasions, he has also commanded awe and respect, an understanding that with all the years of governance behind him, both at the state level and now at the centre, he knows how to move the wheels in government. Globally, he is well respected, has held the flag high for the country. This, even as President Trump does not want to see eye to eye with him, which is also perhaps a reflection of India showing a determined pro-national stand, all cast in rigid stone.
Among his notable successes would be the recent OP Sindoor that goes squarely to his credit, autonomy at the execution level whilst retaining control at the directional level (no intrusion of air space), the use of DRDO arsenal that came into display, laying bare US vulnerabilities and exposing the nuclear bluff of Pakistan, now and for a long time, quietly and swiftly giving the adversary a bloody nose. The situation arising out of Pahalgam massacre was sweetly avenged. Voices can always be heard, why stop when success was so near, but then India has preferred the path of peace often – remember when Lal Bahadur Shastri could have taken Lahore, and did not.
The strong position adopted with regard to the Indus Water Treaty, which stands sorted, becoming a point of rare bargaining in the future. This hard-line position underscores his unrelenting and unforgiving character when India gets challenged.
Global successes are plenty for the government. India has acquired the heft that a growing economy like ours, deserves. We cannot be written off, not any more. And much of this comes from a steady and strong leadership which is there for the world to see. If it’s China, the USA, Russia, you can see how strong leaderships have provided stability – never mind the immediate adverse impact on global affairs brought about by President Trump; the fact is that he remains unchallenged, almost, in the biggest democracy in the world.
On a chess board, it is never one side playing, but two. Both sides make moves, often the ‘other’ side appears to challenge. But it does not mean every challenge is a loss in itself. The game goes on. Our engagement on the global stage is one such, and Modi has by far proven to be the Chanakya of our times!
So, there have been some very recent new challenges. Like the new found bonhomie between the Trump family and the powers that have arisen out of Pakistan. For the time being, losing out on American support is temporary, at best.
In recent years, the political narrative has acquired an undue focus, over and above all else. Even the air we breathe has become political. The hope is that in the coming years, we as a nation can put aside this game of politics and take on the task of nation building. That, too, PM Modi can do with elan, the mindset is there, and given his strong leadership, he has the clout to bridge any chasms there are, making ‘unity’ the foremost objective of his remaining years in power.
Whatever, this month, Narendra Modi celebrates his 75th birthday. In more ways than one, we need Modi more than ever. In a more statesman like avatar, becoming the glue that binds all Indians, and only he can do this best. We wish him long life, healthy and strong, ever determined to carry the India tricolour high!
