7/29/2019 Chetan Aggarwal_ Seizing the Opportunity
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Views Express: Honest opinions and uncensored views
Chetan Aggarwal
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Apologies for the delay. I had written it on that very day. But
there were some unavoida
ircumstances.
n post-independent India three leaders have stood out. They came
in the most difficult of circumstan
They inherited the burdens of state at the worst junctures of
recent history. All three were able only
artially fulfil their potential. Sardar Patel emerged during the
ravages of partition and independence.
egendary iron will is the sole reason for the existence of
Indias geographic boundaries. Sadly, he did
et a chance to be the Prime Minister. Lal Bahadur Shastri
appeared when the nation was in depression post the crushing 1962
defeat. He gave to the nation the things it needed. Confidence
gai
y the victory against Pakistan, and self-sufficiency from the
green revolution. An untimely death, howe
id not allow him consolidate the gains. Atal Bihari Vajpayee
gained ascendance at a time when
ountry was going through massive social and political churning.
Indian society was in the midst o
ractious and deeply divisive battle over the regaining of
national consciousness. His political saga
nd fortitude gave the country the contours of Bharat Nirman. But
a loss at the hustings did not let
omplete his vision.
Nevertheless, fate has smiled again on India. There is a person
on the horizon whose star is on
scendant at a time when the country is going through a
particularly difficult phase. A large section lo
o him to provide leadership to take the country forward, the
lack of which is seen to be responsible for
mpasse we find ourselves in. Similar to the previous three
leaders, he faces much opposition
cepticism from a powerful section with vested interests, which,
is unwilling to give him a chance. T
ncludes a section of the media. The address at the India Today
conclave was aimed as much at le
he average voter decide on his candidacy for PMship, as at
engaging with the opposition. The invite i
was an acknowledgement that his direct contact with voters was
rendering the media inconsequen
Besides, the TRPs were too lucrative to be disregarded. Narendra
Modi came on his own terms to
onclave for a session lasted around two hours.
NaMos entry was similar to a rock stars. The video ensemble was
a direct response to the Tulika a
which, the Congress played through out the Gujarat assembly
campaign as part of its propaganda
evelopment in Gujarat is a myth. Through detailed points and
heavy doses of statistics, the video
est, once and for all, the allegations. More importantly, it
gave the nation a real comparison of
erformance of the Modi government in Gujarat and the UPA
government in the centre. It covered a w
ange of topics from physical infrastructure to social
infrastructure. It painted a tantalizing picture of w
ndia could achieve through the NaMo mantra the topic of the
lecture. Many pundits by comparing it
Doordarshan presentation missed the point. Modi avoided making a
babu-type speech plodd
hrough hundreds of figures. He let the facts speak for
themselves. Besides, the video was more lik
ocumentary than an advertisement insofar as the validity of
facts was concerned.
Seizing the Opportunity
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7/29/2019 Chetan Aggarwal_ Seizing the Opportunity
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n his speech, Modi gave specific examples of what could be
achieved for the country. The topics cove
were the same as previous speeches. India first, good economics
is good politics, the need fo
ackbone in administrators, avoiding populism, and most
prominently, the mantra of taking initiative. M
riticism of the speech was centred on the fact that it did not
have the same erudition and passion as
revious speeches. In his defence, one can argue that almost
nobody can make administration so
nteresting. What could not be missed is his deep passion for
governance, which, was evident from
umber of ideas and energy that bubbled in him. By avoiding the
usual platitudes that politicians are w
o give at such occasions, Modi struck a different path. He gave
specifics to people to convince them
e has the right ideas and the will power. All he needs is the
mandate. These were ideas that would t
lmost anyone. To my mind there is no Chief Minister in India who
can speak of allowing the private sento the railways, speak against
free power, and simultaneously give evidence of how neo-libe
olicies have actually benefited the common man including
relatively deprived sections of soc
articularly tribal and women. He gave nuanced arguments on
disinvestment and FDI in retail, and
tress on incremental reform made eminent sense.
To the politically minded, most evident were Modis attempts to
differentiate his record with the UPAs.
emarks on action versus acts, leadership crisis in the country,
and development guarantee programm
nstead of employment guarantee ones were shots that hit home.
Comments on federal structure w
lever. In an earlierarticle, I have argued that he is a federal
leader, who should be the prime choice
ny third front leader since, he is most likely to deliver the
goods they need most. The session w
wrapped up by a detailed question answer session. One journalist
tweeted that it was a cat and mo
ame. I would say it was a tennis game where the media served and
Modi slammed. Sure there we
ew misses. The answers to FDI and malnutrition left much to be
desired. Not because he has a p
ecord, but because a marathon two-hour session can exhaust even
the best. The mandatory question
002 was also served at the last minute. That the questioner made
no attempt to hide his hatred for M
nd lack of respect for the judicial process was distasteful.
Modi, to his credit, did not let irritation get
etter of him, and gave a strong reply on being exonerated by
both judicial and peoples courts. Howe
his episode is a warning that last-ditch efforts will continue
to be made to make Modi slip.
Modi made a bold pitch. No political leader in India is willing
to engage with the public for over two ho
nd take detailed questions, most of them hostile. No political
leader can today match Modi on orat
dministrative knowledge and skills, and most importantly,
passion and ideas for governance. There
eed for a leader with two essential qualities ideas and will
power. Modi gave the former the vi
etailed the latter. The UPA will help with the rest.
Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where
there is no leadership, society sta
till. Progress occurs when courageous, skilful leaders seize the
opportunity to change things for
etter. Harry S. Truman
To state the obvious, Modi has seized the opportunity.
Chetan Aggarwal at 8:58 PM
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