Sticking to pretty much the same theme as my last post, thought it was worthwhile to ponder at the subsequent 90-days too. As a long-time supporter of Modi, my sense of disillusionment is growing. Despite his massive mandate, his politics is that of survivorship. Serious policy making is yet to commence. Administrative decisions while firmly pronounced seem to solve for the lowest common denominator. There is overwhelming emphasis on showmanship and propaganda. Its almost like he has either forgotten the elections are over or he believes 2014 marks the beginning of the 2019 campaign. He often resembles a runner who keeps running after breasting the tape little knowing he has won the race.
At one level it is apparent Modi brings a superior grasp of the issues confronting the country. His diligence and singular commitment to development is exemplary. Having been a Chief Minister for the last 15 years, there is no honeymoon required for the administrative rigmarole. He can therefore hit the ground running albeit on an expected higher plane. The prioritisation and the chosen level of playing field is where one is confused. There seems to be a need for him to convey he is the PM of India and not just Gujarat. Parochialism comes through a bit too strongly. This holds true in his choice of support system, conduct in cross-border interaction and some say, choice of snacks in important meetings. Exposing the Chinese premiere to an India beyond Delhi was a great thought. To do so on home territory queered the pitch. It felt like Xi was the guest of honour at Modi's personal birthday celebrations. There was opportunity to showcase the financial capital, an alternate manufacturing hub or IT power-centre. A brilliant opportunity for statesmanship reduced to myopic grandstanding.
Communication with the masses is important. Repeated and focussed messaging gets the nation to rally around a common cause alongwith a sense of overall pride. However, the phenomenal band-width being devoted to this activity early on, seems to point at an obsessive intent for self-promotion. To do so before any real delivery is the proverbial cart before the horse. Lulling the nation into a false sense of early optimism is one downside. The more damaging one is the impact it has on the upper echelons on administration. One is given to understand senior level discussions in ministries focus entirely around whitewashing of walls, cleaning of toilets and installation of biometric devices for attendance. The priority of the leader rubs off onto the team. Issues of greater import get relegated to the back-burner and that shows in the 1st 100-days of the new government.
There are more similarities between the BJP and the Congress than average opponents. There were 2 flanks where the BJP stood head and shoulders above. The absence of personality driven sycophancy was the first. Calibre of the cabinet was another if one were to go by the only long innings they played under Vajpayee. Modi has chosen to reverse both in his first 100-days. Let us accommodate for some realities here. Human egos tend to get swollen with repeated and consistent success and there is no dearth of willing sycophants. Also, a political leader is expected to be suitably Machiavellian in cutting potential political threats to size. However, there are many political lightweights who are capable of punching way above their weight in order to make a difference to governance. Some of these available options were no-contests compared to the chosen minions. Suresh Prabhu vs Piyush Goyal for instance. Arun Shourie vs anyone for that matter. For all the promse of youth, promising contenders like Jayant Sinha werent even shoo-ins for anything relevant.
Politically too, conventional logic seems to be turning on its head. It may be important for the PM to keep Vasundhara Raje at bay. Nil ministerial representation from Rajasthan with 25 MPs is a bit extreme. Odisha with 1 Lok Sabha MP has 2 ministers ostensibly because there is no similar threat. Many political formations were formed by breakaways from Congress when the high-handedness got unbearable. Most regional parties were formed as a consequence. It is prudent to guard against such eventualities by avoiding needless provocation. The alliance with Shiv Sena is another such incident. They were overtly sidelined during cabinet formation. The next logical step was marginalisation on home turf. The party had no choice but to fight on its own. One relevant ministry would have changed it all at least in a perception sense.
Modi is infinitely smarter than yours truly. It is therefore possible I am missing a larger gameplan. Many argue that he is far superior to any other possible alternative. His sequence of priorities could have a method that I am missing. As a supporter I am irked that somebody I looked upto for "execution" is being hailed for "oratory". Even a mature democracy like the US voted twice for Obama on the back of grandiose speeches and absence of worthy challengers. So we cant really be blamed for getting carried away by empty rhetoric at Red Fort or Madison Square Garden. I just hope the Modi tenure is not akin to the Obama era. High on charisma-induced initial hope but little on delivery.
At one level it is apparent Modi brings a superior grasp of the issues confronting the country. His diligence and singular commitment to development is exemplary. Having been a Chief Minister for the last 15 years, there is no honeymoon required for the administrative rigmarole. He can therefore hit the ground running albeit on an expected higher plane. The prioritisation and the chosen level of playing field is where one is confused. There seems to be a need for him to convey he is the PM of India and not just Gujarat. Parochialism comes through a bit too strongly. This holds true in his choice of support system, conduct in cross-border interaction and some say, choice of snacks in important meetings. Exposing the Chinese premiere to an India beyond Delhi was a great thought. To do so on home territory queered the pitch. It felt like Xi was the guest of honour at Modi's personal birthday celebrations. There was opportunity to showcase the financial capital, an alternate manufacturing hub or IT power-centre. A brilliant opportunity for statesmanship reduced to myopic grandstanding.
Communication with the masses is important. Repeated and focussed messaging gets the nation to rally around a common cause alongwith a sense of overall pride. However, the phenomenal band-width being devoted to this activity early on, seems to point at an obsessive intent for self-promotion. To do so before any real delivery is the proverbial cart before the horse. Lulling the nation into a false sense of early optimism is one downside. The more damaging one is the impact it has on the upper echelons on administration. One is given to understand senior level discussions in ministries focus entirely around whitewashing of walls, cleaning of toilets and installation of biometric devices for attendance. The priority of the leader rubs off onto the team. Issues of greater import get relegated to the back-burner and that shows in the 1st 100-days of the new government.
There are more similarities between the BJP and the Congress than average opponents. There were 2 flanks where the BJP stood head and shoulders above. The absence of personality driven sycophancy was the first. Calibre of the cabinet was another if one were to go by the only long innings they played under Vajpayee. Modi has chosen to reverse both in his first 100-days. Let us accommodate for some realities here. Human egos tend to get swollen with repeated and consistent success and there is no dearth of willing sycophants. Also, a political leader is expected to be suitably Machiavellian in cutting potential political threats to size. However, there are many political lightweights who are capable of punching way above their weight in order to make a difference to governance. Some of these available options were no-contests compared to the chosen minions. Suresh Prabhu vs Piyush Goyal for instance. Arun Shourie vs anyone for that matter. For all the promse of youth, promising contenders like Jayant Sinha werent even shoo-ins for anything relevant.
Politically too, conventional logic seems to be turning on its head. It may be important for the PM to keep Vasundhara Raje at bay. Nil ministerial representation from Rajasthan with 25 MPs is a bit extreme. Odisha with 1 Lok Sabha MP has 2 ministers ostensibly because there is no similar threat. Many political formations were formed by breakaways from Congress when the high-handedness got unbearable. Most regional parties were formed as a consequence. It is prudent to guard against such eventualities by avoiding needless provocation. The alliance with Shiv Sena is another such incident. They were overtly sidelined during cabinet formation. The next logical step was marginalisation on home turf. The party had no choice but to fight on its own. One relevant ministry would have changed it all at least in a perception sense.
Modi is infinitely smarter than yours truly. It is therefore possible I am missing a larger gameplan. Many argue that he is far superior to any other possible alternative. His sequence of priorities could have a method that I am missing. As a supporter I am irked that somebody I looked upto for "execution" is being hailed for "oratory". Even a mature democracy like the US voted twice for Obama on the back of grandiose speeches and absence of worthy challengers. So we cant really be blamed for getting carried away by empty rhetoric at Red Fort or Madison Square Garden. I just hope the Modi tenure is not akin to the Obama era. High on charisma-induced initial hope but little on delivery.
