The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been returned to office with an overwhelming majority in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament enabled by a coalition of voters from all strata of society, including Muslims.
Ironically, the same leader, who has evidently broken the regressive vote banks of parochial leaders of caste and regional factionalism across the country, was besmirched by a member of the erstwhile Lutyens cabal as the “Divider in Chief” while writing for the Time magazine.
The #Guardian and the #NewYorkTimes have followed suit with equally uninformed diatribes that highlight nothing but selective amnesia, with a great deal of loathing and contemptuous disdain for the common Indian voter. In fact, the New York Times is soaring to greater heights of incredulity each day, with flawed ill-informed narratives, infused with subtle dosages of racism.
To the dismay of most Indians and the inter-generational diaspora outside, this venom spouted by the supposed “liberal” global news outlets, is being lapped up by what the Indian PM rightly refers to as the #KhanMarketGang – whose narrative of fear mongering and negativity littered with examples of ludicrous hypocrisy and selective amnesia have been thoroughly rejected by the voters of India.
The elitist perception of India has been far removed from reality. Sadly, the western media outlets have been reduced to getting their stories from the soirees across Lutyens Delhi. No one, barring the higher echelons of the Congress Party and their cheerleaders in the media, bought into their narrative and the result is out in the open for all to see. But, the Lutyens cabal and their wider ecosystem do not give up so easily. Unsurprisingly, their latest gripe revolves around the myth that the election was won by a religiously polarised electorate and hyper nationalist narrative – once again pontificating without an iota of evidence or a modicum of good sense!
While the liberal elite, cocooned in TV studios, was bashing Modi, with the conviction that he would be rejected by the electorate, the BJP’s grassroots workers were going door to door, reminding voters that almost 400 million poor people have benefitted from more than one of the many schemes launched by the central government in the past five years. They have been provided with houses, toilets, cooking gas, electricity, mudra loans, health and life insurance schemes as well as Direct Benefit Transfers, thereby facilitating inclusive development, financial inclusion and elimination of corruption.
For the first time, the poorest of the poor have the opportunity to avail choices in the public services provided to them. The lives of millions of Indians who previously survived on handouts from the “Mai-Baap-Ki-Sarkar” (a paternalistic form of government that doles out favours), were transformed under Modi’s stewardship. This is also the first time that they have become aware of their rights, as the Prime Minister put them front and square in terms of governance and delivery.
While the global liberal group think was busy reinforcing a flawed narrative within a limited church of illiberal liberals – the voters on the ground saw that the benefits, unlike in the past, did not go to only those belonging to a particular religion, caste, creed or even political affiliation, instead, it went to all deserving households.
In the past 30 years of politics dominated by castes and specific vote banks, this is indeed revolutionary. Of course, the message from Bharat bypassed the cul-de-sac of “liberal” India, who are safely removed from the realities on the ground. This inclusive nature of delivery and governance is the core foundation of the Indian Prime Minister’s overwhelming victory.
The model of governance under Modi was also inextricably linked to the national security discourse. A vast majority of Indians firmly believe, as does the wider world, that Pakistan is the source of terrorism in India and has repeatedly blackmailed India with the threat of a nuclear response, if India chose to take any retributive action. That has been the dominant narrative, since the attacks on the Houses of Parliament to the horrific attacks on 26/11 or Indian security personnel in recent times.
However, Prime Minister Modi refused to go by the same playbook and took retaliatory actions that were measured, restrained and targeted only terrorists, without harming Pakistani civilians or military personnel. The message was clear: India was no longer going to be blackmailed by the neighbouring terror state. Yes, the Balakot incident has accentuated the victory, but it cannot be deemed the raison d’être for the same.
Not only did the Lutyens cabal get it wrong with the reasons of the BJP victory, they appear to be equally wrong about what is going to happen in Modi 2.0. The first two speeches by Prime Minister Modi, after the victory, are cases in point. His victory speech was measured and the essence of the message was that of an inclusive India, united with a common purpose of improving lives and shaping a better world, for all Indians, especially those belonging to the most marginalised sections of society, irrespective of caste, creed or religion.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the responsibility of the Indian society to empower and enable those whose entrepreneurial spirit are catalysts for a transformed India. Importantly, he stressed upon the fact that the elections were over and that the NDA would govern on behalf of all Indians, including those who were in the opposition and did not vote for him.
He also addressed the newly-elected MPs of the NDA about the responsibility of power and the need to avoid its trappings. He urged the illiberal “liberal” media to stop scaring the minorities in the country and appealed to his parliamentary colleagues to effectively engage with minorities, as removing this fear is their responsibility and each one of them must exemplify this responsibility through their actions.
So much for being a divisive leader, the Guardian and the New York Times have gotten their judgement wrong. In the meantime, the “illiberal” liberals must get over their victimhood and practice what they preach, while avoiding group think. History is bound to judge PM Modi as one of the most iconic and transformative leaders of his times and India got it right!
Shamit Ghosh
May 28, 2019
source https://indiaoutbound.org/india-got-it-right-with-modi/
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