Rahul versus Modi? All we should do is wait and watch!
21 Dec 2012 6:39 AM IST
I think the Gujarat and the Himachal Pradesh election results have been rather surprising. No one expected the kind of results which have been churned out by these states. Victory in Himachal Pradesh can be seen as a consoling factor for the Congress, while Narendra Modi’s victory in Gujarat is a very significant one. What Modi has achieved by these three separate victories is something worthy of a detailed analysis.
In a certain way, Modi, by winning Gujarat again, has paved the way for more liberal politics and at the same time more problematic politics as well. Despite his win the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not ready to accept him as the prime-ministerial candidate for the party for the upcoming 2014 elections. Even the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) does not want him to reach there because he is not a pliant pracharak. As for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the allies would not be willing to make him in-charge of the coalition. So in a way Modi winning Gujarat has opened up a different sort of politics for the nation, with certain sections believing he might be moving from state level politics towards national level politics. While other sections are not so sure.
Through this glorious victory, Modi has been able to prove his point. By choosing to address the nation in Hindi deliberately and not in Gujarati, he has attempted to create a feeling of unity among everyone in the country. He is trying to reach out to everyone. Especially by the usage of Hindi he tried to take the nation in his fold. It is interesting to note that Modi realises the new way of politics and is keen to experiment, even though it might be somehting he might not be so successful at, but he is still making an effort.
The media, overall, has sadly has been pre-emptive in its political analysis by pitting a Rahul Gandhi against a Narendra Modi. This is not merely a contest between two men, the future of two political parties depend on this. What is more important is the political process which is being ignored completely. Even if this has been created as a battle between Rahul and Modi, I am not sure if the Congress and the BJP are ready for this showdown. It is highly pre-emptive. We should rather wait and watch.
To a certain extent Gujarat raises several important issues which have not been settled, and the Modi chapter has opened many of them. While Himachal Pradesh unleashes a seasoned politician’s victory, I just hope the Congress does not mess it up. Last time they choose a chief minister who did not win the election. I hope there is no such confusion this time in the party.
As told to Tania Ameer Khan
In a certain way, Modi, by winning Gujarat again, has paved the way for more liberal politics and at the same time more problematic politics as well. Despite his win the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not ready to accept him as the prime-ministerial candidate for the party for the upcoming 2014 elections. Even the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) does not want him to reach there because he is not a pliant pracharak. As for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the allies would not be willing to make him in-charge of the coalition. So in a way Modi winning Gujarat has opened up a different sort of politics for the nation, with certain sections believing he might be moving from state level politics towards national level politics. While other sections are not so sure.
Through this glorious victory, Modi has been able to prove his point. By choosing to address the nation in Hindi deliberately and not in Gujarati, he has attempted to create a feeling of unity among everyone in the country. He is trying to reach out to everyone. Especially by the usage of Hindi he tried to take the nation in his fold. It is interesting to note that Modi realises the new way of politics and is keen to experiment, even though it might be somehting he might not be so successful at, but he is still making an effort.
The media, overall, has sadly has been pre-emptive in its political analysis by pitting a Rahul Gandhi against a Narendra Modi. This is not merely a contest between two men, the future of two political parties depend on this. What is more important is the political process which is being ignored completely. Even if this has been created as a battle between Rahul and Modi, I am not sure if the Congress and the BJP are ready for this showdown. It is highly pre-emptive. We should rather wait and watch.
To a certain extent Gujarat raises several important issues which have not been settled, and the Modi chapter has opened many of them. While Himachal Pradesh unleashes a seasoned politician’s victory, I just hope the Congress does not mess it up. Last time they choose a chief minister who did not win the election. I hope there is no such confusion this time in the party.
As told to Tania Ameer Khan
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