Modi Benefits Congress In The Long Term

Congress was a mess in the second half of 1990s. Party was in a disarray with no capable leaders on the horizon. Party faithful went after the Congressi magic bullet – The Gandhi Family. The party workers were galvanized and united behind the family. The voters’ curiosity was piqued. And why not? A white skinned widow with a good looking son and a daughter were a surefire crowd pullers. Come 2004, the BJP launched their ill-fated India shining campaign and lost to Congress. Sonia turned down the PM post in what is widely deemed as a gesture of sacrifice. We all really know why she did that. Gandhi family myth was born and it was protected by severe ferocity by the inner circle (Oscar Fernandez, Ahmad Patel, Janardhan Dwivedi, Ambika Soni, Digvijay Singh et. al.) and people who questioned the validity or authority or capability were put down ruthlessly by various means. A rot set in and we saw a decade long reign of plunder.

After 2009, with scams stumbling out of closet, state elections had to be won. Congress was forced to field Rahul Gandhi. They lost every election. Scams, rising prices, falling rupee, deteriorating law and order, Chinese incursions and a slew of other issues started to leach the sheen of the family. Non Congress people found themselves vindicated in their beliefs about the family. Congress workers were still not asking why the emperor had no clothes.

With four important state elections leading up to the 2014 general elections on the cards, Congress inner circle was forced to put Rahul Gandhi out. After all, they had sold him and his mother to their workers as panacea for all ills- Congress’ and the nation’s. With every public appearance, Rahul was exposed. On the flip side, Congress’ bête noire Narendra Modi seems to be going from strength to strength. Now it seems that local leaders in Delhi elections do not want Rahul Gandhi to appear in their rallies anymore. I have a feeling that if the Congress loses the four important state elections, a revolt will break out in Congress. We may not see it because the inner circle will do their best to contain it. But we will see signs of it.

So who is going to be the next savior of Congress? Who is going to rid the party of crooks and bring up capable leaders? A staunch BJP supporter, I realize the importance of a capable and a good opposition. Every successful democracy has two major parties. It is important that Congress remain a viable nation alternative albeit not in its current avatar. I have the perfect person in mind, a man who is going to show Congress the mirror. In fact he is doing so even now. I am speaking of Bhai Narendra Modi. How can Narendra Modi save Congress? Am I drunk or mad? I will try to explain how Modi is good for Congress in the long run.

Modi’s success in Gujarat and national stage is a lesson for all upcoming politicians. Integrity, performance, realpolitik, organizational capability, oratory to inspire the Indian public etc. are hallmarks of the man. Despite of a tsunami of negativity against him, he is still here winning hearts and minds and capturing our imagination. To do that, he had to overcome his opponents in the BJP as well. These opponents were Delhi insiders, used to the status quo. We have had sixty years of that. Voters are hungry for real change. They want a leader who is going to turn Delhi upside down and bring the netas and babus in line. Modi clearly is the man. Voters know that which is why they are flocking to see him and not because he is white or good looking. Now smart people in Congress (they are there but are afraid of the inner circle or have temporarily joined them) have to realize that the Indian voter is seeing the light and maybe even maturing. They will not fall for the same old scare tactics and vote for Congress. In short, to survive, the Congress has to bring changes in their party and not just cosmetic ones. Like the BJP, they also need to look all over India for capable leaders instead of just one family. Once they do that and admittedly it won’t happen overnight, they will be a party on surer grounds with a hierarchy of leaders, each capable of leading a state or the nation. In short, they have to reinstall inner party democracy. They will then be able to boast of their own Narendra Modi or Shivraj Chauhan or Raman Singh.

Congress has lost its way. With their current leadership in charge they will never find the way back. Therefore losing to the BJP / Narendra Modi, will force them to re-evaluate their policies and evolve. Maybe in five or ten years, they will have a group of leaders their founders could be proud of. All that will only be possible if they lose to the BJP. Heavens forbid, if they do not, then status quo with the Gandhis will be maintained and the party will remain mired in the swamp of incompetence and corruption. This is why I say that Narendra Modi will be good for Congress in the long term. The country deserves Modi and the BJP. But the country also needs and changed and an improved Congress to provide an effective opposition. That will be good for our country and democracy.

http://www.niticentral.com/2013/11/02/iron-diwali-of-india-153969.html