Modi crowned on Friday the 13th!
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has finally crowned Narendra Modi as its candidate for prime minister if it wins national elections next year. It is yet to be seen whether BJP’s move will prove lucky or turn out to be a political suicide. It seems that the elevation of Modi is simply an attempt to please the hawks within the party.
So the stage is set for Rahul Gandhi, the heir to the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, to face Modi in the upcoming elections.
The nomination of Modi did not come as a surprise as his elevation in the party as head of the electoral campaign backed by an active publicity drive sponsored by Modi’s supporters had left little room for doubt over his nomination. A careful analysis of Modi’s campaign had already indicated that he had a promising future in the BJP.
Modi during his campaign did not shy away from showing off his political ambitions. On the contrary, Rahul Gandhi tread very carefully and did not make any direct or indirect reference to his possible nomination. This is where the difference of personalities can be seen. Though Congress, confident of not losing support of its UPA (United Progressive Alliance) allies, has formally announced Rahul as its prime ministerial candidate.
Understandably, BJP has been fairly tense about losing support of its secular allies and Muslim voters by making too much noise about Modi as its prime ministerial nominee. BJP’s key ally, Bihar-based Janata Dal-United (JD-U) has already parted ways with the NDA over the political importance accorded to Modi. But, if the BJP was skeptical about Modi’s secular image, why did he was made to head the party’s electoral campaign and finally announced his name as its prime ministerial candidate? The BJP is probably hopeful that Modi’s aggressive campaign will help it in gaining Hindu votes. Besides, Modi has been making efforts to join the race at the national platform for quite some time.
So far, speculations voiced over Rahul heading the next government have not been politically damaging for the Congress. One may for a second reflect on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent comment on his willingness to work under Rahul, if and when he takes over as the next premier after the parliamentary polls in the coming year.
Though Rahul had been elected to the Lok Sabha in 2004 and 2009, he has not held any ministerial position in the Congress-led UPA government. He never expressed his willingness to hold any ministerial position perhaps due to the fact that he did not want to work under anyone as many political pundits say. They say that Rahul wishes to directly take charge of the government and that too at an appropriate time. However, the situation would have been different if Sonia Gandhi were the prime minister. Sonia is an Italian by birth. She had acquired Indian nationality only after marrying late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The foreigner-tag attached with Sonia has prevented several Congress allies from supporting her candidature as the prime minister. Unfazed by this political roadblock, since assumption of power by Congress-led UPA government, Sonia has taken charge as the UPA chairperson. Without being in the government, Sonia is said to call the shots as UPA chairperson and also as the Congress president. Rahul has certainly been elevated in the Congress but he still cannot be ranked as number two in the UPA.
A recent statement made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressing his willingness to work under Rahul lent credence to views regarding his stature within the Congress.
Like Rahul, even Modi has no experience of heading any ministry in the central government. His political success has so far been limited to Gujarat and his own party, BJP. Rahul has faced success in Lok Sabha election and enjoys a high political stature in the Congress. Political reach of both the leaders has been shaped by pampering of their giant-size political egos by their own party members. Latest developments within the BJP indicate that Modi’s position within the BJP is not as strong as that of Rahul in Congress party. Several BJP stalwarts including L.K. Advani and Sushma Swaraj are not in favor of Modi as their party’s prime ministerial nominee.
• The author is an Indian freelance journalist who has written extensively for national newspapers.
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