Truth versus hype: Agenda of Hazare and Modi exposed
HYPE created by two leaders has fallen flat even before gaining any political legitimacy. One is Anna Hazare and the other is Narendra Modi. Since last year, through hunger strikes, demonstrations and other means of protest, Hazare has certainly succeeded in drawing attention to his own team and the demand for an anti-corruption law.
Hazare’s latest decision to disband his team that was involved actively for the past 16 months in this movement and consider floating a political party for 2014 parliamentary elections in India has taken the nation by a shock. Till a few days ago, thanks to media coverage, Hazare had succeeded considerably in projecting himself as people’s leader. His decision to take the political plunge has raised questions on whether his agitation was an anti-corruption drive or was simply a political drama deliberately enacted to tarnish image of the Congress party and improve prospects of those supporting him.
Hazare’s anti-corruption drive began before the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh but it failed to influence voters in this state. There is nothing surprising about this. Corruption may be labeled as just one of the minor problems faced by Indians. Greater attention is needed on other issues, which include inflation, communalism and terrorism among others. Politically, socially, constitutionally and even statistically, Hazare is not representative of any segment or institution of the country to have the authority to raise voice on their behalf. Certainly, he is entitled to raise his voice on issues concerning him and his supporters. But they don’t represent the entire country.
Quite a substantial number of Hazare’s supporters and associates fall in the bracket of shying away from making noise on certain social, including communal and terrorist issues. They have apparently played a greater role in promoting the same than dealing with them.
It’s amply clear now that the kind of socio-political support for Hazare’s anti-corruption hunger strike. That is diverting people and media’s attention from far more sensitive issues, including saffron brigade associates’ communal as well as terrorist designs.
Hazare’s decision to float a political party only suggests that his 16-month drama was politically motivated with an eye on helping saffron brigade in 2014 polls.
The U-turn taken by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in his political rhetoric suggests the same with one difference. Modi is keen to be considered as a prime ministerial candidate by his political colleagues. Modi recently created waves in media and political circles by stating that he is prepared to be hung if he is held guilty for Gujarat carnage in 2002. Clearly, it has taken around a decade for Modi to accept that his communal card has helped him politically only in his own state. His declaring himself as not responsible for Gujarat carnage is equivalent to his donning a secular mask so that he is considered for the Delhi office. Here lies a major communication lapse that Modi apparently is not ready to give considerable importance. True, his words have created significant waves in media world and also politically. But these do not suggest that his words have been accepted as the ultimate truth, that he was not responsible for the 2002 riots. Members of his own party and alliance partners are not willing to be guided by what Modi has declared. They still cannot forget the hard fact that had 2002-carnage not tarnished BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s image, this coalition may not have lost subsequent parliamentary elections. The Indian voters did not want the Gujarat carnage to be repeated elsewhere.
Defeat of the NDA helped in return of Congress to the center. Against this backdrop, Modi’s own party and alliance members are apprehensive of pushing him forward as a national leader and their prime ministerial candidate. They are literally scared that this may prove damaging for their prospects in the next parliamentary elections. Not surprisingly, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has already announced his opposition to supporting Modi as NDA’s prime ministerial candidate. It may be recalled that Nitish did not allow Modi to campaign for the NDA in Bihar for assembly elections. The message was simple, Nitish did not want his political credentials to be damaged by Modi stepping in Bihar and antagonizing his secular and Muslim supporters. Nitish’s opposition is just a mild symbol of how the politico-media bubble created by Modi is about to burst.
True, it has been fairly easy for both to earn considerable media and political attention by creating news, through hunger strikes, demonstrations or expressing willingness to be hung. But their own moves have prevented the people from accepting the credibility and legitimacy of their “news.” Both have failed in convincing people about credibility of their intentions. Hazare’s movement has collapsed by his decision to float a political party. This step has exposed his political intentions. Regarding Modi, when Muslims were mercilessly being targeted in Gujarat, he was the state chief minister. Why did he fail then to control those riots? The degree to which his political image has been tarnished by that dark chapter in India’s secular history cannot be cleansed by the noise he makes today about his “secular” credentials. “News” manufactured by him about he being “not guilty” is not being accepted as the truth by his own political colleagues and rest of the country.
— Nilofar Suhrawardy is an Indian freelance journalist who has written extensively for national newspapers.
