I finally saw Narendra Modi’s speech which he delivered in SRCC, New
Delhi and did that leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling of optimism? Hell,
yes! But did that leave me a little confused too about his candidature for PM next
year? I think so! Let me first talk about the reasons which left me buoyant about
India’s future and then I shall proceed to my confusion.
First and foremost, what a masterstroke for choosing SRCC
for his speech! Nation’s best college, the sharpest and brightest of minds and
that too in the city of power- New Delhi. No rallies, no cheap political
gimmick of giving away money or sarees to the aam aadmi and the aam aurat! No
venomous speech against the present government, no name calling for the
opponents; just pure account (which might sound boastful because it was SO
good) of his body of work in the state of Gujarat. All he talked about what his
government has achieved and what his vision for the Nation is. Focus! Single
minded focus and he knows that he has targeted the right people for his lofty
goals- the youth, not the wandering and unfocused ones but the ones with
starry dreams of their own. Modi stroked the passions of his audience and that
in my point of view was a masterstroke! Why delve into the present negativity,
why pull down the competitors when you have a body of work to boast of,
something that the ‘Prince of India’ can’t even dream of!
What I loved about Modi’s speech was his attitude, vision
and an all inclusive model of growth. I am not well versed with facts of his work
in Gujarat but whatever little I know of, I completely endorse it. He touched
upon issues which have been plaguing the country for centuries now. He being a
smart guy didn't touch upon corruption though! He seemed to respect the need to
acknowledge the youth of this country and also the role of technology in the
changing face of the world. Willing to endorse the change and to grab the
opportunities it brings was the essence of his speech. He talked about reforms
in police force, need for quality teachers and improving skills of the working population
for better employability and if that was not upbeat enough, he had me at his
mention of Swami Vivekananda and the concerns he voiced in his lifetime! It has
always pained me to see India losing on the vast opportunities of branding
itself in every sphere. There is no dearth of brains in this country neither do
we lack money, natural resources, tourist places, etc. Why India has never been
confident enough to brand itself as the best in the world. Why we still believe
in mediocrity? And it was heartwarming to see Modi voice the same concern. His
passion was contagious and that was one of the turning points that made me
confused about his PM candidature too.
With every positive thought from and about him, I was
haunted by the Gujarat riots of 2002. Has he redeemed himself or all this
development just a way of burying and camouflaging his political blunder? Do I
forget the blood bath then and focus on the many lives which have been improved
through his work in Gujarat, now? From a spineless PM, would India move to an aggressive,
sometimes arrogant and fundamentalist PM? That is when my mind asks me a
question- Does India have a choice? Is it the case of devil and the deep sea? I
agree, we need someone like Modi to jerk the nation out of the clout of
negativity and to bring it back on the growth path; someone like him can hold
against the land engulfing China but would he be able to handle this enormous
power? Would he be able to remain grounded with the responsibility that this
power will bring to him? As a citizen of this country, I dislike the
constrained choices but with the ones I have, Modi seems to be a lesser flawed
man though with the right vision…atleast for now.
