This blogpost intends to examine the USPs of two CMs known for their priorities and qualities in two Indian states at different poles. Gujarat, an industrialized, cash-rich state with a right-wing CM focused more on GDP, investments and co and Kerala, a non-industrialized, cash-strapped state with a left wing leader not so attracted to those numbers but having other priorities. This blog contains personal viewpoints and the comparison between the individuals and the states may please be seen in perspective. Full Disclaimer on Homepage tab.
In a state where Mahatma Gandhi was born, we have a leader now who confesses his targeting of Muslims, and yet, people vote him back into power. Hitler used to openly confess his contempt for Jews and yet people backed him. Modi is a bachelor, like Hitler. He is (supposedly) not corrupt (like Hitler). He is vegetarian (like Hitler) and has contempt for meat-eaters. He goes after his agenda which he makes it clear right in the beginning (like Hitler) and it involves targeting certain sections blaming them for all ills of the society. The economic prosperity in the land is high (like under Hitler), and his goons are ready to target and kill one community (like under Hitler) with protection from the state apparatus. Like Hitler, Modi practices and spends lot of time on mastering his oratory. Like Hitler, he creates an image and persona that is much more than the party and the ideology.
Modi is in-your-face candid about his wrongdoings (like Hitler) which people see as a sign of honesty in comparison to other weak and corrupt leaders who push the same agenda but are not honest about it. A known, strong and honest criminal is better than a hypocrite, weak and dishonest criminal – that seems to be the attitude of Indian people.
"There is a dearth of good leaders in the country. But CM sir (Mr. Modi), you are doing well here (Gujarat), this is only one state and 27 are still left. We wish there could be many good leaders, but we don't have....IPL is IPL, and country's team is country's team. You think over it, rest of the things you will understand anyway,"
IBNLive
With the whole world knowing who Mr. Modi is and what he has done in/ for Gujarat, the statement gathered some serious flak. Amit Varma characteristically published a tongue-in-cheek tweet, which I found very funny. And my RT was picked up by Mr. Bhagat with a preceding I'm-so-very-innocent explanation
From Chetan Bhagat Twitterstream...
industry body invites me for an award.I go. CM gives it.I accept and suggest be involved in national issues. I get branded what?See next RT
:D RT @amitvarma | @chetan_bhagat kisses some Narendra Modi ass: bit.ly/hEV3EG I'm sure he won't wash his lips for a week now
"Is Modi doing good work in Gujarat" is not the point of this post. Also, "Should Chetan have praised Modi the way he did" isn't the one we are so overly concerned about either. The critical question is "Can Gujarat do without Modi" and "Can India do with a few more Modis". I have clear-cut answers to both on a strictly personal perspective, mind you.
Modi isn't the first or last of the inspirational leaders India has seen, but I do hope he is the last of the ones who put Hitlar-ian dogma to practice. Though our patriarchal political system has kinda filtered the evolution of natural leaders with true vision, we still get our fair share of able men. 5 years ago Kerala threatened to throw up a dice which even shook the foundations of a party never based on individuals. I'm talking about Comrade VS Achuthanandan who mostly had a mind of his own when his stringent Communist Party of India thought the other way.
I'll get this straight. I'm no Commie sympathizer. I'm someone who firmly believe where an archaic ideology like Communism belongs to in our times>>> the Bin. In the same way let me say this. A Hitlar-ian segregation model followed by Modi shouldn't even find that elite bin in the history of mankind. It ought to go to the Shredder, converted back to pulp and buried deep under. Especially in a country like India where blood group is perhaps the last and least bothered way of classifying people.
The infamous and vicious communal politics played by Modi is now seen as a successful model by extreme right wing parties to spread across the nation. Neo-Indian way of Divide-and-rule which the British taught us a century ago. The current Middle East crisis teaches us it isn't rocket science to realize green bucks doesn't make a place heaven on Earth.
Just like Modi's Gujarat and Achumama's Kerala.
Gujarat has always been an industrial, prosperous state in India even before the twin natural disasters struck. Modi augmented the resources and the advantages to enhance the state's revenues and prosperity further to make it the Jewel of a 'Shining India' *cough*. But even with these multi-billion $ investments and profound urbanization, Gujarat still lags behind when it comes to Human Development Index, where Kerala pips every other state.
I'll let you compare what Kerala has achieved in the last 5 years compared to Gujarat. As always, head and shoulders above the rest of the states, Kerala didn't see even one small finger pointed at the premier public figures in power unlike the tales of Yedurappas, Chawans, Rajas and co whose scam-stories came down like monsoon showers on a June weekend. VS has done a far better job than Manmohan Singh in that aspect. He at least tried to clip the feathers of his mighty party boss on corruption charges and has won a few accolades. Remember the lion and mule idiom? No matter you've Harward Rank holders and IIM graduates in your Ministry, if the leader is a mule then that pack of 'lions' will just be effective as a bunch of mules.
Some say Modi has brought down corruption in Gujarat, fair play to him, but he has set extremely dangerous precedences to trust him as a leader of masses.
The fact is we're still officially 'Democratic Republic of India', and democracy without secularism just cannot exist. The issue is that a Party which ruled us in the last 50+ years fractured the pretty frame and meaning of 'secularism' and 'socialism' into something obscene.
Being leaders from opposite poles, Modi and VS cut drastically different images. VS, with all respect, is brutally committed to the people of Kerala, is honest, corruption-free, socialist, truly secular and bold. Positives. Only issue is that he is not a visionary leader for 21st Century but his Cabinet tried their best to make up for that handicap in the last 5 years.
Turn the coin 180 degrees and you see the other side of Kerala. Achumama transformed from a Dolby Digital Leader of Opposition to a mostly muted, 1985 Keltron TV system as a CM. Private investment has almost dried up (not entirely VS's fault but of his Party's), unemployment hits record highs, no vistas for revenue generation and the utmost crucial infrastructure development have literally STALLED...in full caps. It's more than worrying; Modi's Gujarat scores here. But Modi has inadvertently created a Frankenstein which will nullify any virtues of such physical and financial development, just like Hitler regime proved 60 years ago.
Modi? Committed to people of the state? ☑
Honest? ☑ (Going by Sujai's comparison on Hitler, that tick could well be a big, red cross)
Corruption free? ☑
Socialist? ☑
Visionary Leader? ☑
Secular? ☒
Unless Congress seriously tackles this tunneled minority appeasement policy, corruption and skulduggery asap, and oil the machinery of governance, people will completely lose faith in them. Period. This is what opens more avenues and catalyses activities for men-on-mission like Modi.
The lasting legend of VS Achuthanandan? It's never going to be his conquers as a Chief Minister, a shame in that sense. Now who was that who said Achuthanandan would make a good Opposition Leader but never a good Chief Minister? Probably right but hey, he did his job not-so-badly. But then, the legend of Narendra Modi? Godhra will follow Modi to his grave and generations beyond, no matter how honest and terribly sorry he is now for that.
Coming back to Chetan Bhagat, there is a grey patch behind all the savvy, smart person that he is. He is intelligent, a gifted writer, an influential speaker, a responsible social activist, a true youth icon and all that. In the same sense he is so alarmingly rude, with practically no tolerance to criticism. He responds aggressively even to satires and acts on public domain like a spoiled juvenile going berserk when given out lbw on cricket pitch. He thinks too highly of himself and deems self above any criticism or jab. He is so naive that he thinks all critics are sort of 'envious' at his fame.
Gems from his Tweet-drops...
He also takes a step further by blocking people on Twitter who take potshots at him or criticize him, which has come back to bite him very badly on more occasions than one. Chetan is yet to learn that he is now a popular public figure and such taunts and rebuttals are part and parcel of a celebrity-life like his, who gets involved deeply in social and political proceedings. Someone agile and educated like him should know the way to deal with 'irrational criticism' is to ignore it, if he feels it is coming from 'insignificant trolls' like me, for eg. Get real smart Chetan, build a bridge and get over it!
As for the statements on Modi, where he certainly went overboard with buttering, we can explain that. This is called 'scenario fulfilment' when people are under pressure especially in an uncharted, seemingly-hostile environment or may also be a case of 'being the charming guest'. In the past, it has happened to both the intelligent and the idiotic; Mr. Advani and Mr. Muscle Khan being examples from each group. Advani's portrait of 'the secular Jinnah' and Muscle Khan's characteristic mumbling on 26/11 happened under similar circumstances. So has Chetan's. Well...
When the lone focus is on the sensex, width of roads, IT exports, GDP and the big red line that divides < 1.25$-a-day poor and 2$-a-day 'rich', let's not forget this one fact. India can survive with a dozen Achuthanandans but not with another Modi.
Comment Moderation enabled
Well you are the one who has enabled comment moderation after all the **** that you have written about ppl...Amazing man...By the way, Since you recognise Gujarat as a prosperous state, you should also have faith in the inherent intelligence of the prosperous state...Since, we are the ones to decide whome to choose, and believe me, we are a lot smarter than you folk, so with all due respect (if anything at all was due), SOD OFF... IF and when the time comes when you have to reject him for a national post, do so, until then celebrate your commies, because, guess what, you are one...
ReplyDeleteSince you keep comparing Gujarat to Hitlers Germany - could you please enlighten us as to how many gas chambers and ovens are operating in Gujarat?
ReplyDeleteDo you know what is worse than the Nazis? Adult males sending their women to lick the Sheik's Kulfi in the "gelf". You people have no self-respect. A self-respecting people would not tolerate what happens to their own women in the Middle East. That is why you figuratively tie you womens hands and force them to spread out for Arab Sheikhs. That is why you do not understand the Godhra incident or the Godhra ignited riots - because you are completely numbed to have any feelings of any sort when your women are screwed in front of you in broad daylight. Such people are worse than the Nazis.
The communist movement genocided 100 million people all over the world. Yor Malayali people elect the parties who believe in this genocidal ideology and then pompously prattle about morality.
Those HDI numbers that you are so proud of are based on Dinars / Dollars coming from outside - the Middle East is melting down - let us see how long your HDI numbers hold up.
Even wikileaks publicly pointed out the "Malayali mafia" running India at present. We all know how bad governance is now with the highest levels of corruption ever - Of course the "Malayali mafia" has no hand it it right?
Scorpio.... Hats off to you!
ReplyDeleteHave been reading about Modi and trying very hard to understand him, specially since he seems to be getting more followers as days go by. After all, one needs to give credit to the Gujarati's right? They have been electing him repeatedly. But then Gujarat was never a backward state. It is not as though one wants to stay prejudiced but somehow, I am not comfortable with Modi. Someone like Modi can very easily become a dictator. Who else bans every book on earth but Modi? Even the recent one on Mahatma Gandhi was banned only in Gujarat even when there was nothing written against the great soul. Modi loves attention and he continues to seek it in every way. Let the Gujarati's enjoy him until they get tired of him.
And I loved your take on Achumammen. He has his faults but he is human.
Anish, that was me...
ReplyDeletethe heated replies! i get plenty of them everytime i post my take on modi. i dont publish many of them cos of the obscene lang.
ReplyDeleteexcellent post.
nd even Gujarat depends heavily on the NRI; not just Kerala. If Kerala's money comes from both "Gelf" and the rest, Gujarati's have been in US since many years and have been contributing much to Gujarat.
ReplyDeleteVisiting Punjabi NRIs give zero, Gujaratis shower $450 billion
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-01-19/chandigarh/28356295_1_nri-cell-investment-offer-satnam-singh-chahal
http://www.window2india.com/cms/admin/article.jsp?aid=703
I totally have to comment about Mr. Bhagat. On the point true about what all you had said. I am a victim of his intolerance, as you know, being blocked and all for criticizing him. He would do much better if he were to learn to accept criticism graciously. Ok, no need for grace, you accept it.
ReplyDeleteTo all the Mallu haters: Stick it up, yo!
Excellent topic and an excellent post... Couldn't agree more on the points that you brought about!
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be too much of mallu haters around!
MODITVA MODITA MODITVA AND MODIJI FOR ALL....
ReplyDeleteTHERE IS NO ONE ELSE IN INDAIN POLITICS WORHTY OF PRAISE.....
Achumama is better than Modi, we want no dictator. But how stupid it would be to vote for the "party" considering the good work of a single man? I did it though, being a floating voter.
ReplyDeleteAnd in case of Chetan bhagat, it's a mutual PR thing that many celebrities are used to. But when he said trolls, I was under the impression that he was mentioning people who post obscene comments. I guess I was wrong!
test
ReplyDeleteModi & Chetan - Birds of a feather flock together. Both compliment each other well.
ReplyDeleteBtw, i agree with you. The people who try to paper over all the violence that Modi has perpetrated on his own citizens with his excellent work in the economy or by comparing it with the sikh riots of Congress is like saying that iam a lesser idiot because you are a bigger one.
There are a lot of trolls on the net espousing those claims and you can see them mostly on rediff and twitter. I expect many of them here soon ;)
But one thing that heartens me the most is the fact that no matter what Modi will forever be confined to Gujarat. You can thank God for that. His own allies hate to associate with him (e.g Nitish Kumar in Bihar).
ReplyDeleteliju philip
ReplyDeletedont be too sure. my worst fear is that one say he'll be in the seat now occupied by Man Mohan singh.
That TimesofIndia article was dishonest propaganda to incite jealousy and hatred against Gujaratis among Punjabi people - Divide and Rule strategy.
ReplyDeleteHere is the list of approved MoU's
http://www.vibrantgujarat.com/vibrant-gujarat-summits/mou-2011.aspx click on the read link for each sector.
Could you show me how many are from NRI's - Do you think that Ratan Tata, Ambani, Ruia, Birla, Mahindra are all NRI's? Contrary to the ToI article the majority are from investors from India - not NRI's or NRG's (Gujarat is also not at the top among Indian states when it comes to Foreign Direct Investment - google it up).
Secondly Gujarati migration patterns are completely different from Malayali migration patterns. So there is no equivalence. In Gujaratis the entire Joint Family will leave - so there is no link remaining in India unlike Malayalis - so in fact very little money will come in from outside.
Liju - the head Deobandi mullah from gujarat - Maulana Ghulam Vastanwi said there is no problem for Muslims in Gujarat, and that people should move ahead - THEN WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?
ReplyDeleteYour problem is that you cunning snakes need to convert all of India to your religion - that is why you hate Modi - because you fear he will never allow it.
Praveen SR - this is really funny. This blog writer writes a post abusing Gujarati people as Nazis, abuses the democratically elected leader of Gujarat (elected thrice against Congress unlimited money power and infinite media power) as Hitler, openly spreads hatred against the state/ people/ leaders of Gujarat and you think that I am spreading hatred when I question him?
ReplyDeleteSo A abuses B and B gets angry so B is spreading hatred?
Either
you are a low IQ person OR you are a completely selfish person who cannot see his own selfishness. If you do not spread hatred and abuse against other they will also not come and bother you - do you have mirrors in Kerala?
Modi's chief Secretary Kailashnathan is Malayali - his own secretariat and office have several dozen Malayalis. Since they have been part of the administration since the beginning, do they not bear any responsibility? Can you tell me how many Gujaratis are part of the Kerala CM's secretariat? And we have to listen to lectures from you clowns about "tolerance" and diversity?
Oh and by the way Hitler personally NEVER stood for or won any election (that is commie propaganda). He was APPOINTED because he was the leader of the next largest party and people thought they could easily manipulate and control him (I guess that did not turn out very well did it?). You know who else is a appointed leader - Manmohan Singh who has never won any election in his whole life.
vadakkus - you throw stones at people of other states and they will just sit around tolerating this - who do you think we are Malayalis in the gulf who tolerate all manner of insults all the time? You are completely selfish - you cannot see your own hatred is causing a reaction back. People living in glass houses should not throw stones at others.
ReplyDeleteYou will not like it if Gujarati people lecture you as to who should be elected in Kerala then why do you expect people to tolerate it when you lecture other states about who they should elect?
Also please google "wikileaks Malayali mafia" - I did not write that cable - US embassy wrote that cable to its own headquarters.
The choice between V.S and Modi is a false one. Kerala doesnt have the best CM. We should have one who understands 21st century society and economics - the age, philosophy, and ideology comes second. How can an LDF that teams up with Madhani be termed "Secular"? Secular was the LDF which was against the Shariat law changes in the 80s. Within Kerala, that LDF won the south, but not the north. Secularism in the LDF has been downhill since then.
ReplyDeleteSecularism isnt part of the "communist" agenda - it is part of the social liberal movement. Most capitalist countries are secular too.
The absence of a national (and regional) social left movement is what is troubling. We should stop being the country that the government requires me to write a caste in every form. For some, this caste is the same that is forbidden by law to be called by another person. We should be the society that wanted dowry to be banned, and not have a government that enables it by subsidizing marriage of women. Justice shouldnt depend on religion. The uniform civil code shouldn't be a part of the communal agenda, but part of the the liberal left agenda.
CrowsTalk
Anish, nice write up especially like your comments about Chetan bhagat's tantrums. seriously 'young' india seems to have an attitude problem. Leaving all that , I have to disagree with your last sentence. India has been 'surviving' for the past 65 odd years with people like Achu mama and dishonest politicians who feign 'secularism' and then push their hidden agendas. Demonising Modi by comparing with Hitler, come on dude, really it is way over the top. There is a simmering anti-muslim sentiment in rest of India (Kerala is an exception where we have coexisted longer than anywhere else in India, even though it is under threat right now) and it needs to be brought out, If you keep brushing it under the carpet with appeasement it will eventually blow up in your face. A uniform civil code is a must. I do not believe that Modi had made life hell for muslims in Gujarat, if so where is the migration of muslims out of Gujarat? there is absolutely nothing like that. Godra was a damn shame and if he is guilty, he should stand trial for it, but it was not the first anti-muslim riot in free India was it ?
ReplyDeleteIndia needs better administrators, more intelligent people, people who can make tough decisions and take a stand against corruptions. There is no middle ground there... and Lok pal bill is not the answer.
Good Post. The hatred propogated by Modi is visible even in this blog's comments column. VS is a leader acutely sensitive of ppl's mood and that give him great strength.
ReplyDeleteChetan Bhagath??? Who is that? Son of HKL Bhagath? -:
nadarji,
ReplyDeleteExcellent Post. I completely agree.
You are in Deccan Chronicle.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloid/glam-sham/it%E2%80%99s-so-near-yet-so-far-malayalis-abroad-678
Saw it today only. Or am i late? Either way, Congrats.
@HHa: I dare you, present me with ONE instance where I have spoken up against Gujarat or Gujarati people. My comment was entirely on Chetan Bhagat. If Chetan is a Gujarati, I didn't know that.
ReplyDeleteWhere did I say anything about hatred for Gujaratis, against electing Modi etc etc?? You can elect who ever you want, sir. Anyways, you were the one who started it off hurling abuses at Malayalis. It is not my culture to attack you back in your language. But if you propogate hate, you will get back hate. And, if someone decides to go to Gulf or Gujarat or Gorakhpur, it is their choice. You have no right to abuse them. I do not know what your problem is with Malayalis. And I don't have problems with 'other state' people. I have lived in four states, and consider all of them to be one. So shut up. Find some other place to seed your hate.
Thanks for the post HHA
ReplyDelete... Kerala spends its Gelf money on its people... and Gujarat spends its earned money on its industrialists.
Teach us (mallu men) how to maintain our women at home, so that they should drop out of school early, cook food, have kids and donot even dare to dream to work.
Teach us also how to maintain a skewed sex ratio of Gujarat, so that we wont have a situation to send women at all because there wont be any.
HHa -
ReplyDeleteWhen did Vastanvi ay there is no problem for muslims in gujarat. He said "Muslims should move on". what choice do these Muslims have ? Apart from having had to undergo the biggest post riot victimization, these muslims were prejudiced again and had to support the same administration of which they have been a victim of. (example being the latest local body elections where muslim candidates of the BJP won.)
Your problem is that you like to brand Christians as "Converters"; Muslims as "terrorists" and so on. FYI, the greatest contribution to contemporary Malayali Hindu "Culture" (although the term might be alien to cultureless guys like you) has been from Dr. Yesudas, a christian by birth and Hindu by lifestyle. That has been the spirit of India and to great extent that of Kerala. Though I am hindu, I would not be hesitant in saying it is convent based christian educational institutions being one of the key factors for such high literacy and educational levels.
Yeah Scorpio,
ReplyDeleteThis is partly due to a ineffective; dormant opposition who have a hollow concept of secularism themselves. A closer look at election and its candidates would reveal that the candidates fighting in opposite camps would be related. For eg. if one of the brother fights in BJP the other would be in Congress. It is as if he has been planted for this.
This is only one of the problem. Congress party has totally lost its potential in generating leaders and only looks upto Gandhi family to come to its rescue. It does not invest at all in building cadres and make grass-root contact with workers and most of people. Compare that with BJP; an election ready party always with a highly dedicated cadre and most of all bringing out leaders who can connect to people. This apart from the fact that the administration by the BJP has been generally known for investing in economics suited to middle class india (who btw have greater influence in media) than for lower strata.
The comparison with European national movements seen in earlier part of last century in particular that concerning Hitler was apt. A closer comparison would reveal how Hitler rejuvenated his cadre by showcasing paramilitary style functioning and stylized filming of movies of Nazi meets like "Triumph of Will". The extreme right looks at innovating itself using mass contact programs post defeat while these central parties indulge in complacency post victory.
Modi may be an acute manifestation of what is wrong in Indian secularism and unless we donot have convictions of people who have been catalyst in riots (Delhi Sikh riots, Mumbai and Gujarat) many such instances may arise.
HHa-
ReplyDeleteYou are definitely are a low IQ person. "A" questions B's thinking, C Thinks it is abusing D and starts abusing A again. You are not even fit to be Gujrati because our basic arithmetic is wrong.
Can you tell me how many Gujarati's enter civil services and Govt jobs. You wouldnot find any. Gujratis have been largely found in trade, Stock markets and private sector jobs. Govt job is not considered the best option in Gujarat as much as it is in Kerala or for that matter S.India and N. India. Check out kerala's administrative services and Secretriat, you would find a lot of people in Administrative Services from the N.Indian and East Indian Cadre.
Hitler never stood for election and was only appointed ...such a naive and foolish argument... hahaha ... Gandhiji also never stood for elections but was the central figure to indian independence movement. Sardar Patel never contested an election but was easily the first choice to become Indian Govt. first Home minister (lthough he couldnt be PM, unfortunately). The process of being empowered to lead a organization, movement or institution may come naturally for the leader with the most acceptance, thoughts and mostly winning the popular imagination which Gandhiji, Sardar and many others did. Hitler could also do that given the situation Germany was experiecing. If you had gone through works on Hitler's political life, it was aptly clear that it was he who undercut anyone who challenged his authority, he resolved the simmering differences in the Nazi Party post his release from the Beer Hall Putsch arrest and so on.
Well written!! Love the summation of India being unable to survive another modi. Though disagree that C-Bag "is intelligent, a gifted writer, an influential speaker, a responsible social activist, a true youth icon and all that". I find his writing extremely base which he claims is intentional as he caters to the masses. This however does not explain the humdrum banality of his blogs. Having seen his Television interview I can say he is an above average speaker. He claims to harbor no bias but his writing do display right-wing leanings on his part which he insults the masses by denying!
ReplyDelete@ Nipun, I don't follow him or his books, neither do I have any interest in what he says. He is an intelligent man as evident from his curriculum vitae and his oratory/ writing skills. We must give him that but I agree that there is another side to the C-Bag phenomenon. I can't understand all this glorification of a person who has been strongly accused of mass genocide just bcoz he brought some MNCs and National industrial giants in? I specifically said that C-Bag statement on Modi is not called for especially when he claims to be someone with no political affinity. Same thing happened to Hazare as well. I personally believe Modi is not someone we can morph and send to 27 remaining states.
ReplyDelete@ Deeps, some very valid points there. It makes much more sense when you look at the erosion of discipline and commitment of Congress cadres. While the Commies and BJP has stringent governance regulating cadre and leader behaviour, which are forced upon at any cost, Congress has this merry-go-round policy of allowing people to run riot within the party. Needn't look anywhere else to find the reason behind the apparent lack of fresh leaders.
ReplyDeleteAnd about our friend @HaHa above, we ought to take these trolls less seriously, what you say? :D I had to edit out some profane maa-behen usage from his first response, so that in itself exhibits his standard and sense of self-respect. Leave it there. It'll be a waste of your precious time.
Thanks for the responses btw. :)
Any time .. :-) ... I just get incensed when I see totally uncivil comments .. He has left for good ... Waiting for some of your postings.
ReplyDeleteGreat post..!!Thanks for sharing..!!
ReplyDeletekerala houseboat