Believe me when I say I’m sick of the Congress and the UPA. They’ve mismanaged the economy, haven’t protected fundamental liberties and have introduced some atrocious legislation as well as actively taken measures to block good judgments of the Supreme Court like banning those who have been convicted from contesting elections. So I want an alternative. Someone – anyone who can provide me with an alternative will do. And yes Modi, I’m looking at you. Despite your many flaws, your rhetoric, and even the misuse of state machinery to spy on a woman, I accept that we’re not going to get a fully “clean” politician at the center.
But so far you’ve given me nothing. Your speeches are full of attacks against the Congress – which I admit is a necessary part of any political campaign. But it can’t be the only part. For most of us, you’re preaching to the choir. We already know about the UPA’s misdeeds. We’re already convinced that we need a better alternative. But you haven’t shown us why you are the better alternative.
There are any number of burning issues in this country that need debating. We need a leader who has a clear vision for India. What’s your stand on fiscal policies? FDI in retail? Reservations? Climate change? Section 66A? Police reforms? All you and your supporters have done so far is say “Look at Gujarat”. I’m sorry, but that’s not enough. You can’t just say “Trust me. I won’t tell you what I’m going to do, but I’ll do something wonderful”.
Now to an extent I can understand that such policies don’t make good speeches. Fair enough. But speeches are not the only avenue for you to talk about your plans. There are other platforms more conducive to reasoned debate where your points will be more fully appreciated. Interviews and social media are just two examples. Come in front of us and tell us what you’re going to do.
Even those who support you simply parrot out the usual lines of “Congress is bad”. Great. Tell me something I don’t know. The elections are 6 months away and I’m telling you now that I’m already getting sick of this negativity coming from you. I’m beginning to get the feeling you don’t have anything else to say. I would love to be proven wrong. I would be thrilled to learn that there’s some real substance underneath that bluster.
So go ahead. Surprise me. Show me your platform is not based on merely opposing the other party.
Because I’ll tell you that as of now I’m going to opt for my new friend – the None of the Above (NOTA) option. That’s what happens when your only platform is to show the other fellow in a bad light. You’re not doing yourself any favors. It’s sad because the bar is set really really low. I need very little convincing. The Congress has made sure of that. But you’re not even matching up to this pitiful standard. I’ve heard nothing but negativity all the time from you. And that’s not what I want in a future PM.
Trust me, we’re not idiots. We’re not incapable of understanding the workings of government. If you’re going to do something wonderful for us, tell us how! We may agree or disagree but at least we’ll know you have some vision. Some plan. Something concrete. Without that, you’re just defining yourself by the opposition. Without the opposition you have nothing. You’re not standing by yourself.
And it’s not enough to make me vote for you.
Intially, I was Pro-Modi, because of my anger and frustration against the Congress especially their potential PM candidate, Mr. Rahul Gandhi. I agree to Bhagwad fully on this. Other than promising a Sardar Patel statue over looking Narmada, Modi has not stood his ground on various burning issues. He has been showcasing his Gujarat achievement, however, we all know it was made by a total autocratic fashion, which I am afraid will not work in the center.
In reply to Vinod
I’m hoping to be proved wrong. I may not like many things about Modi, but I’m willing to give him a chance if he can just tell me what his plan is and what his stand is on various issues.
In reply to bhagwad
he can offer smart namo phones, namo namah bhajan cds, tees, namo mask, gloves, nimonia, posters at every nook, world biggest sardar patel statue, history notes and an ample opportunity to be his fan.
Here’s my response to your question: http://sabhlokcity.com/2013/12/bhagwad-modi-stands-for-the-destruction-of-liberty-and-the-justice-system-and-for-corruption/
Liked your website and liked your article on Modi. I am also quite sick of the constant jibes, the attacks and the rhetoric. Nothing is being said about substantive issues – no plan, no specifics, nothing.. just a lot of noise. UPAs performance sucks as well.
The situation has gotten so bad that I may be willing to vote for AAP even though I think Kejrival has at least a few screws loose.
In reply to Prem
Lol, yeah Kejriwal does seem a bit “odd”. But considering the competition if that’s the only thing against him, he pulls ahead of the others by miles!
In reply to bhagwad
Islamic Terrorism in India is a complete myth
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/131206/news-current-affairs/article/tension-hyderabad-old-city-babri-masjid-demolition-anniversary
http://www.newswala.com/video/load/2402-Full-Video-Stone-pelting-issue-at-Makkah-Masjid-after-Friday-Prayers-on-6th-December-2013.html
whats your take communal violence bill
In reply to heart bleeds
I think it’s ridiculous. We don’t need another classification of violence.
You are going for NOTA? Fantastic! That’s one vote less for Congress… Honestly, we don’t even want the fake intellectual types. We want our Modi who is not ashamed to admit he is a Hindi/Gujarati speaking Hindu in front of the Doon school wallahs…
In reply to Abhishek
Doon school? Ashamed to admit hindi? I don’t understand…
In reply to bhagwad
Doon school?! admit hindi?! Well, what he meant to say is that all of us who don’t drool over Modi are from Doon school. That kind of rhetoric makes a lot of sense to the Modi fanbois.
In reply to prem
I wish I understood this secret language. See this comment thread for more examples of how I’m completely confused by Modi supporters making assumptions I have no clue about: http://www.bhagwad.com/blog/2013/rights-and-freedoms/privacy/dear-modi-please-provide-me-with-protection-as-well.html/comment-page-1/#comment-19869
In reply to bhagwad
Just you wait; it is only a matter of days.. perhaps even minutes before the Modi boys suffix a “maino” to your name, because clearly, if you aren’t sucking up to Modi, you must be a congress stooge .. perhaps even from Sonia’s inner circle. You wouldn’t be Sonia’s brother by any chance? Cousin?
Because, come on, who in their right mind wouldn’t be a Modi fanboi? What are you hiding Bhagwad Maino? And were you sponsored by Quattrocchi? No? Stop lying.. you slimy you!What about the Pope? He must be financing you too? Also, stop putting up some poor indian dude’s picture on your blog – all of us know you are left-wing, commie, liberal, catholic, missionary-loving, Pappu-loving, Italian.
:)
In reply to prem
This sounds familiar :)
In reply to bhagwad
The reason Modi supporters are so hostile is because they have been treated that way by elites like you. We are winning now; we have no incentive to be polite to people like you who rejoice in our deaths.
Let me remind you of Oct 27, 2013: Gandhi Maidan in Patna. Modi stood on the dias, responsible for a crowd of 5-7 lakh people. Bombs were exploding all around. He could have died any moment (there was in fact, a bomb right under the dias!) and yet he made sure that no panic appeared on his face. The crowd was enthralled by his resolve. There was no stampede. The crowd listened to him speak and dispersed in an orderly manner.
A miracle. Thousands of lives had been saved by the resolve of one man. An unflinchingly brave leader can make ordinary people do wonders.
And what did you talk about that night? Did you guys bow down and salute the leadership of this man?
No! You guys were laughing and falling all over each other telling jokes about how Modi had mixed up this Chandragupta and that Chandragupta. For 1 full week, the media was bursting with jokes about how Modi had messed up on Class X history trivia. Wonder how well you would do with Class X history syllabus if you knew there could be a live bomb under your feet….
And then you guys say WE are rude.
In reply to Abhishek
“They have been treated that way by elites like you.”
See, I just don’t get this attitude. You don’t know me. So what do you mean by “Elite”? What is your criteria for these new and undefined words? As long as you view the world in a “Us vs Them” way you will confuse people who don’t fit into either of the camps you have in your mind.
“You guys were laughing and falling all over each other telling jokes about how Modi had mixed up this Chandragupta and that Chandragupta.”
Again..who is this “you” that you’re talking to? Me? I don’t remember talking about any chandra guy.
Leave the “Us” vs “Them” and the “We” behind and maybe we can understand each other.
In reply to bhagwad
Let’s just say an “elite” is someone who thinks Islamic terrorism in India is a complete myth.
The people who perished at CST station, Taj Hotel and Oberoi on 26/11 were all killed by myths. Several of those myths were caught on CCTV cameras also. One of these myths was also captured alive and executed last year.
In reply to Abhishek
Hmm…that’s a very curious usage of the word “elite’. You can say I have a wrong opinion or whatever – we can have a debate on that. But in my opinion, using “elite” to describe someone holding such an opinion is unprecedented.
In reply to bhagwad
It is a curious usage…because its sarcasm. Pity you didnt even get that…
In reply to Abhishek
Sarcasm usually implies the opposite….Do you mean to say that in reality a person who believes Islamic terrorism is a myth is not elite?
I’m sorry, I still don’t get it.
From what i understand…..if u observe the crowd that goes to watch any political rally or speaker in India, they r mostly illiterates and ignorant naivete who understand only political jibes and leg-pullers frm the speaker….!!! It is sad that one has to appeal to a vast majority of such (say abt 60%) crowd to ask fr votes and win an election…..that is the ultimate vote bank fr them who are willing to believe in the speaker who addresses their day-today issues of onion. and fuel price raise and ghotalas that hav been the reason fr making their lives difficult…..hence such speeches!!
I had been to Gujarat a coupla yrs back……and i almost asked my husband if v had taken a visa to visit the place; coz the town planning, public amenities / facilities were so good in general (wen compared especially fr us chenaiites) and most important of all was the auto rides v took during sight seeing in Ahmadabad…their minimum fare ws Rs.10 only and their meters wer flawless and none of the autowalas were bargaining fr more…!! Modi has abolished streetside Liquor shops absolutely and liquor is served in licensed venues (such as weddings or paries)and star hotels only and wen i chatted up the localities abt common grievances…..they wer all happy abt Modi including the local muslims…..!!! To top it all i cd not see a single banner of any party or leader (even Modi’s) any wer through out the city…!! A transformation from a Riot ridden hopeless state to a model state in a span of 10yrs is indeed a great achievement considering the fact that the state shares major borders with ‘the notorious nation’….!!! That s wen i thought if ths man (modi) can do even haf as much to the rest of the nation as wat he has done to Gujarat……am willing to pardon all his sins and vote for hm…!!!
In reply to suneetha
I still wonder though if it’s possible to replicate a state wide success on the national arena – after all, the center has very little control over what happens within a state. Which is why I’m looking for something more than a “look at Gujarat” response.
In reply to suneetha
My issue with Modi is:
a) It is patently clear to anyone without an agenda that Modi played a significant role during the Gujarat riots. Ok, his supporters would say that he has not been found guilty etc. By that token, we should perhaps also consider the killers from the congress party who went around butchering sikhs in 1984 as totally innocent.
It does not help his case that:
a.1) Kodnani, Bajrangi etc have been found guilty
a.2) Modi’s governments flip flops over Kodnani and Bajrangi
a.3) Some cases had to be tried outside the state
a.4) Hiren Pandya’s death (see Caravan magazine’s comments on this)
I am not even going into other things such the Sreekumar’s report etc.
b) The Modi fan club’s disdain for anything remotely ressembling dialogue without calling the other side Congress stooges or worse doesn’t help their case.
c) The penchant for exaggerating favourable statistics and panning anything which is not completely congratulatory indicates a complete inability for introspection and dialogue. If the Gujarat model is so good, how is that places like Kerala have much better HDI figures? The moment this discussion comes up members of the Modi fan club will pipe up about how the HDI figures are all cooked up. Care to explain exactly which HDI figure was cooked up? Infant mortality, maternal mortality, child malnutrition, literacy, … What of these figures were cooked up and if so by whom – at the state government level or at the grassroots level? Surely, the Gujarat government can give us accurate figures which contradict these “cooked up” stats?
What about statistics like the number of toilets in Gujarat per family? Those statistics are also not particularly flattering to Gujarat. If Gujarat is so rich then perhaps it is the Gujarat governement’s assertion that even the wealthier people in Gujarat don’t have the habit of using toilets and prefer to defecate in the open?
d) Where are the concrete proposals from Modi and his gang for what is going to be done in India? All I hear is rhetoric and grand standing.
As of now there is a wave or upsurge of intolerance against bad governance and corruption and many of the educated crowd hav started coming out into the open to voice it (70% voter turn out in Delhi)and support the right cause…..which is evident with the victory of a novice like (AAP) Kejrival in Delhi…..and the debacle of congress in all the contested states..!! @ ths rate which ever party comes to rule has to play more than carefully in showing achievements in economy and governance……lest ther wd b topling of Govt. and re-poling…..or a “la- Thahrir square” scenario….which is y neither want to collaborate to form Govt nw in Delhi….!!!
It is my understanding that were ever BJP is coming to power now …..it is based on Modi’s Gujarat image (which has manged to tame even the sulking Advani down)……hence he is and wd b in a position to dictate @least his party men and allies to behave worthy of his name and alliance to a major extent. Also (u cd call it wishful thinking) with Kejriwal in the opposition check mating every wrong deal and with Modi leading the nation …..am hopeful of a ‘Golden era’ for India….(keeping my fingers crossed)!!!
I recently saw an interview of Kejriwal b4 the polls on CNN-ibn with Rajdeep Sardesai wer in Kejriwal addressed ppl frm the nation who called to question AAP on the hows and wens of all their agenda on election manifesto and grilled him left, right ad center fr which Kejriwal answered very clearly without hesitation or evading or beating around the bush…..he did sound convincing enuf to the educated crowd and not merely as a ‘vote bank’ gimmick….!!! the very next day Sheila dixit ws on the same platform to take questions and she ws full of trash !!! So am sure with AAP @ its action and power packed opposition Good governance wd b the only way fr any ruling party to survive now..!!! Am a die-hard happy ending fan and may b dats y am looking @ ths as the ‘Light @ the end of the tunnel” ….LOL!!!
In reply to suneetha
Let’s hope that things are changing!
Not disagreeing with you, but this is exactly what Marxists do. Ask any Marxist about the world’s problems and he will go on forever about all the evil forces on this planet. But their own ideology and abuses got them chased out of many countries where they had a vice like grip earlier. Same with feminists — they need to bitch about someone’s husband’s bad behavior or another’s Mother-in-law’s mean mentality on a daily basis to assert that their actions are justified.
The sad reality is that negative campaigns have worked better than positive campaigns all over the world. Ask Yoginder Sikand.