While Narendra Modi’s buddies and his Andha Bhakts have been striving hard to project him as one of the most visionary political leader India has ever produced, his actions portray a different picture that strengthen the impression of his being a leader who does not possess the basic element of political dogmas and also lacks the honest insight of vision.
It is really intriguing that even after these short comings he has been not only politically surviving but also prepared a strong band of andha bhakts who trust his words like an epic verdict. These are the people who have literally allowed him to appropriate all the authorities and powers a government is supposed to have.
Modi ruthlessly using the police and intelligence agencies have been his political trait. He nurses the feeling that by using these agencies and torturing the politicians or the common people of the country, he would make them cripple morally to such an extent that they would not be ever in the position to raise their voices and resist his misdemeanour. His moves also makes its quite explicit that he has not learnt from the imposition of the Emergency and its fall out on the body politic of the country, though he nonetheless claims to have been a soldier of the JP movement.
His ascendance in politics and the gains he acquired probably has made him forget conveniently the post emergency upsurge of people against Indira Gandhi and her dictatorial epithet. Indian people are law abiding and do not enter into confrontation with the state or the nation. They are not like the middle class bhakts of Modi who always keep their daggers drawn to assassinate their critics or rivals. The quotient of perseverance and tolerance of a common Indian is quite high. They are not intolerant like Modi’s buddies.
Modi must realise that the people of the country would avenge their insult, subjugation and repression at the earliest moment they come across as they had done with Indira Gandhi. He must not nurse the feeling that his use of ED and CBI against the common people, journalists, intellectuals, politicians have earned laurels or appreciation. At a time when most of the opposition parties, even the left, have preferred to maintain an ostrich like posture, in that backdrop the people are not maintaining ubiquitous silence. The people are fighting their struggle in their own way; whether it is farmers’ agitation or agitation against citizenship conundrum. They have come to realise that the Modi has been resorting to coercive mechanism not to curb terrorism or black money or restore purity and probity in the national life.
Income Tax (IT) department and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have during the past decade have become busier than ever, but still struggle to see their cases through a court of law and secure convictions, according to official data. ED is being used to terrorise the people and even the people. The most distressing development has been the use of the ED to pull down the elected anti BJP governments in the states. It has become a fearsome ‘super’ investigative agency.
Behind the façade of investigating violations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) the ED has been victimising the people. This is most deplorable. Under PMLA, the agency has conducted over 1,700 raids during Modi rule. But ironically it has managed to secure convictions in only a paltry 9 cases, most of which are relatively-speaking low profile cases. During last decade the probe agency filed a total of 3,985 criminal complaints under the PMLA and 24,893 under FEMA.
The minister of state for finance, Pankaj Chaudhary some time back informed the Lok Sabha that till 31 March 2022, the ED recorded 5,422 cases under the PMLA, attached proceeds of crime of Rs. 1,04,702 crore (approximately), and filed prosecution complaints (charge sheets) in 992 cases resulting in the confiscation of Rs 869.31 crore and conviction of 23 accused.
Some of the important cases are; Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi – National Herald case; Bhupinder Singh Honey in sand mining case; Karti Chidambaram in Chinese Visa case; Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut in Patra Chawl scam; Maharashtra minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik on having alleged links with fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s D-company and Farooq Abdullah. It filed a supplementary chargesheet against former J-K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association Fund scam. The situation has acquired such a horrifying dimension that no one is mustering courage to speak against Modi.
It is behind the façade of his being visionary, Modi has been dismantling the democratic institutions and perpetrating authoritarian rule. For analysing Modi’s rule, one has to comprehend the traits of a visionary leadership. Visionary leaders are driven and inspired by the desires and aspirations of the people. Visionary leaders bring cohesiveness to inspire everyone to be on the same page. They are to guide the country and its people through transitions. Visions have to be planned for and thought about strategically. A visionary leader has the ability to motivate others to see where they are going and agree to the move toward the new vision. What is important is for a visionary leader is he can “see” the future. He is the “idea” people.
Social pressures influence visionary leaders. Their strong conviction holds in the face of adversity. But in Modi’s case he is scared of facing the adversity. During his 8 year rule many adverse situations have come across him, but on the occasions he passed the buck. Look at the several promises he made to the country and his move to demonetise the currency. He failed miserably to deliver his promises. Unlike Modi a visionary leader holds a positive outlook for the future of the country.
Modi in 2014 had promised that “good days” ( achhe din) to the people. But it remains to be illusion. He had also promised to make India a defecation free country coinciding with the birth day of Mahatma Gandhi. Crores of fund was poured in the scheme only to be siphoned by some of the famous Sauchalayas.
During his 8 years of rule, he launched many campaigns (abhiyan). But all of them died immaturely, without accomplishing their mission. An insight would reveal that all the campaigns were meant for achieving majoritarian politics in the guise of nationalism. These campaigns aimed at arousing the hatred towards the Muslims. His latest campaign “ Tiranga Abhiyan” directing all the houses to hoist tricolour at least for three days; from August 9 to 15 is aimed at consolidating political gains. The Tiranga Abhiyan is a metaphor of the political ambitions he nurses. The Indians have been honouring Tiranga and they would testify that they adored and respected Tiranga ever since the country became Independent more so from the time of their birth and existence.(IPA Service)
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