Oh!!-The Prime Minister

By Charandeep Singh
In the Indian democracy, Prime-Ministership is a power slot. But we must admit that the current incumbent is a pioneer of sorts. There are so many, attributes that can be ascribed to Narendra Modi so, much so that all of them can be patented in his name, since most of them defy conformist conventions.

For instance it has happened for the first time in the recent past that the dynamics of Indian economy are governed by the fluctuating TRP’s of PM’s facade. Post the badgering in the electoral battlefield of Bihar, so as to give a booster shot to the flailing popularity of the PM, in an imprudent manner major reforms were carried out in the economy by means of opening up of sixteen sectors for FDI. Supposedly, this has taken the sting out of the Union Budget to be presented in Feb’16, which would now be just reduced to annual statement of financial allocation under various sub-heads. The throb and the tingle of budget are gone.

Then, no serving prime-minister ever has so lustily invaded the electoral battle field, the way he has. The recklessness, with which he staked his shirt for the Bihar elections, has even left his own party law-makers flummoxed. His own party men are at-sea explaining the denigrating level of his political discourse. This earned him the sobriquet of “Pradhan-Pracharak”. He got the mandate to be the leader of nation, but somehow he has summarized himself to be the leader of his own party.

We saw rapturous accolades accumulated by PM, on his grand-standing vis-a-vis, the foreign policy on his swearing in. Fair enough, well deserved credit. But after that, our foreign policy has just got stuck in the vortex of nadir. We are persistent in courting America, but the relationship with our immediate neighbors is on the lowest ebb possible. Currently we are not engaging with Pakistan, Nepal an insignificant country is accusing us of creating humanitarian crisis and the equation with China encompassing all its belligerence is friction laden. When we are facing hostility in sub-continent, how can we even attempt of being a regional super-power, this in spite the fact that globetrotting is high on our leader’s radar.

Never ever since the era of coalition politics has started, the leader of the nation has affronted the Chief Ministers of his own alliance the way Narendra Modi has. When BJP was considered to be pariah in national politics, Alkali Dal gave them backing. After coming to power, the venerable Chief Minister of Punjab had to wait for 11 months to get an audience from him, with demands still in gestation cycle. After getting white-washed from valley in the recent J&K elections, PDP held it hand and gave BJP some recognition and acknowledgment amongst the antagonistic locals, but PM while doling out a package of 88,000 crores on 7th November, in a veiled attack publically snubbed the CM Mufti Saeed by announcing that he does not need any advice or wisdom from anybody on J& K affairs.

Normally the PM is active on Twitter, and taking pride in the number of follower count. He has even initiated a weekly broadcast to share his vision with the citizens on his “Mann ki Baat”. But when there is a gruesome mishap, or the hate-mongers flaunt their parochial indulgences, the PM instead of providing solace goes into his den of reticence. Except for his Diwali Milan, last year, PM has never betrothed with media. Why we don’t hear his take, when the flag-bearers of hegemonic ideology are preparing diet plan for Muslims? Is it to be construed that these hot-heads are spreading rabid mendaciousness and abominating the atmosphere with his endorsement. If not, then why constantly and consistently, the leader of the nation is marked absent? We must remember, that hyper-bole campaigner mocked the previous incumbent with a distortion of his name as, “Maun-Mohan Singh”.

When Narendra Modi, won with a thumping majority last year, even his skeptics drew succor from the fact, that at least as promised he would doggedly pursue “developmental agenda”. But eighteen months down the line, the agenda gets tweaked and is now, “development +communalism+ cow”. The messiah of techno-nationalism is consistently practicing pre-partition politics on communal line, as witnesses recently. We now see an abusive, cheeringly acrimonious, street brawler incarnate, who prefers to be a knuckle duster and accumulator of power. While he dates digital czars abroad to make India truly digital, his government clamps “internet curfew” in Srinagar. Debunking the radiance of head of state, in his events off-shore, insinuations and decrepit remarks are often passed on the principal opposition party, with a feeling that Indians were mortified of their origination before he took charge at the helm. Feeling restless, by the increasing jingoism of his apparatchiks, the think-tank of Indian society is increasingly returning their national colors as a mark of protest. The sophistry of action is getting complemented by verbal machismo. His branded “Achche Din” are still awaited as is the black money, which was to give 15 lacks to each one of us. What was perceived off as a road block in Delhi has now been consecrated and stamped in Bihar. The humongous mandate has been scuppered off in eighteen months, and he still has three and a half years left. Candidly, India is placed on the ‘dilemma of the horns’.

The need of the hour is for Mr. Modi to change his stripes, but his core beliefs and historical do not affirm the mandate for change.