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‘Communal’ Congress stumbles in its ‘destroy Modi’ Mission

By GVL Narasimha Rao

Having failed to defeat Narendra Modi repeatedly in elections in Gujarat, the Congress Party has been trying its best to entangle him in a web of legal cases and misusing every agency of the Central Government and constitutional offices to square up with him politically and tarnish his image. Narendra Modi has defeated Congress Party’s nefarious designs at every stage and emerged stronger on every occasion. The latest reports that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Supreme Court has found no prosecutable evidence against him is a vindication of sorts for Narendra Modi after a long drawn out legal battle.

A close examination of various cases foisted on Narendra Modi shows that they all lack substance, are bereft of elementary evidence and ought not to have been filed and accepted in the first place. All these cases are proxy battles unleashed against him to harass him legally and to keep the specter of 2002 riots hanging over Narendra Modi.

As things stand today, going by my ground level assessments, the BJP is likely to score a spectacular victory again in assembly polls in Gujarat towards the year end. Both in urban and rural areas, Narendra Modi is going very strong and is likely to better his past performance in winning next round of elections. The Congress Party is aware of the ground situation and has given up all hopes of a revival and return to power in Gujarat. Given its precarious electoral situation, it defies logic as to why the Congress Party is pursuing such devilish agenda with aggression against Modi when it had lost elections repeatedly in Gujarat trying to accuse Modi of complicity in 2002 riots? Surely, the Congress’ game plan is much bigger. 

The Congress party’s biggest worry is the ever rising popularity of Narendra Modi as a governance icon. Narendra Modi has been rated as the best Chief Minister in the country year after year in various ‘Mood of the Nation’ surveys. In a recent ‘Mood of the Nation’ poll by India Today, Narendra Modi topped the prime ministerial ratings with 24 per cent favouring him as Prime Minister against only 17 per cent for Rahul Gandhi. For a Chief Minister who is not yet projected at the national level by the party, these ratings are indeed remarkable. Modi himself has stated that the Congress Party at the Centre will sharpen its knives after these revelations.

Today, Narendra Modi is synonymous with performance, development, economic progress, all round development and ‘no-nonsense’ governance. He has put Gujarat on a spectacular agricultural growth trajectory in the last decade. He has attracted huge industrial investments into Gujarat over the past decade. The state is emerging as a new automobile hub with many automobile giants setting up manufacturing facilities in Gujarat. Even Narendra Modi’s worst critics and political rivals find the progress compelling to acknowledge. Many journalist friends tell me that most Congress leaders and NDA leaders like Nitish Kumar are deeply appreciative of Modi’s governance. The opposition Congress Party is also contributing to this perception by praising Narendra Modi in its Republic Day advertisements amusingly believing that to be sarcasm!!

Modi’s governance achievements are remarkable as he had achieved these in the face of a spirited vilification campaign by political opponents, pseudo-activists fronting for Congress party and an obliging national media that lapped up every opportunity to revile, wound and hurt him. In an act of sacrifice and public good, much like Lord Siva in the Hindu mythology, Narendra Modi swallowed the poison (halahala) emitted by the communal churning (manthan) unleashed by the political rivals and let the people of Gujarat enjoy the fruits of development and spectacular growth.

No other ordinary leader could have survived such constant and intensive attacks by a vengeful opposition in the state. No other leader could have remained so steadfast in his firm belief and statecraft that there shall be “justice for all and appeasement of none.” Unfazed by all odds, he has followed the ideology of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP in letter and spirit.  No other leader could have withstood the pressures brought upon him by a desperately witch-hunting Central Government.

In a country where politicians of all hues crawl and cringe to appease Muslims through their communal exploits to achieve that label of a ‘secular’ leader as if that is the only thing that matters for electoral success, Narendra Modi stands out as a rare warrior who is unwilling to compromise and appease in the name of secularism.

Dynasty’s Blatant Communal Politics

The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty is known to indulge in acts of Muslim appeasement to develop them as a vote bank. But what is striking and stark about the mother-son duo of Sonia-Rahul Gandhi is that they are not only brazenly communal in support of Muslims but are explicitly anti-Hindu in their disposition. Indulging in appeasement of Muslims for gaining votes is one thing, while exhibiting a pathological hatred for Hindus is quite another. Rahul Gandhi’s leaked myopic comments to U.S. representatives that ‘Hindu terror’ is much more dangerous than terrorism unleashed by jehadi terrorist groups like LeT is symptomatic of this malaise. 

Congress Party’s scurrilous attacks against Narendra Modi are on account of three factors. Firstly, Congress Party fears that Rahul Gandhi who is all noise and less substance will pale in comparison to the hugely successful Narendra Modi at the national level. Second, Congress Party seems to derive vicarious pleasures by targeting Narendra Modi referred to as Hindu Hriday Samrat. Third, it believes that it can consolidate its Muslim vote bank by cornering Narendra Modi.

Over the last three years, the country has witnessed how the Congress Party has messed up governance at the Centre and indulged in unprecedented loot and corruption. In the spectacular growth and governance record of Gujarat under Narendra Modi’s leadership, people of India see a great hope. The buzz about Gujarat’s development is everywhere in the country and in all sections of the country; be it farmers, youth and working classes. The whole nation is tired of Congress’ mis-governance and is looking forward eagerly for Gujarat-like development all over the country. This noise is getting louder by the day and will reach a crescendo when Narendra Modi wins a record third election in a row with a thumping majority later this year. Thereafter, whatever the Congress Party may do, the Narendra Modi would loom large on the national stage and his governance magic would cast a huge shadow over national politics and pulverize the Congress Party led by its brash, inexperienced, immature, and arrogant Rahul Gandhi.

(The writer  is a leading Political and Poll analyst)