India’s general elections are still far away and scheduled to be held in 2014. Interestingly,some leading TV channels and political pundits have already begun to project two candidates for the Prime Minister’s post.
While the leading Congress party leaders are now openly proclaiming their party general secretary Mr Rahul Gandhi as their messiah, the leading opposition Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) influential leader Arun Jaitley recently acknowledged the “excellent leadership qualities” of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi (but stopped short of declaring Mr Modi as the party’s prime ministerial candidate).
So are we in for a battle royal between India’s two famous bachelors – Mr Modi and Mr Gandhi? As Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh himself is now feeling the heat of the Coalgate scandal, the Congress party has begun to convey a loud and clear message to the public that a ‘young messiah’ will soon sort out the present mess. But will this strategy work?
It seems doubtful, unless the ruling Congress party chief Ms Sonia Gandhi opts for early General Elections. She must realize that public patience is running out. The Congress-led UPA government has been rapidly losing public trust as one massive scandal follows another.
In the absence of any visible strong contenders/claimants to the country’s top political post at this juncture, Mr. Narendra Modi or Mr. Rahul Gandhi might just capture the powerful seat in New Delhi’s South Block. And thus relieve the academically-inclined (and politically-challenged) Dr Manmohan Singh of his unending woes in the ‘wicked’ world of politics.
One wonders why in the face of such continued ignominy, Dr Singh is holding on to the PM’s chair and refusing to step down in favour of a professional politician. A Hobessian dilemma, perhaps? Or, is it some altruistic motive…such as saving the nation from some perceived mysterious threat? Or, is it the mundane public perception…to keep the seat warm for the young scion of Gandhi-Nehru family?
Whatever be the reality, Dr Manmohan Singh’s cup of woes runneth over. Significantly, his admirers in the USA are also expressing serious doubts about his capabilities to deliver. An in-depth US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report states: “Even before major corruption scandals broke in late 2010, the Congress-led UPA was under considerable criticism for drift and ineffectiveness.
Since that time, the decline of the Congress Party’s standing has been precipitous: Less than two years after the party won a convincing 2009 national reelection victory, opinion polls showed a majority of Indians believe the UPA coalition had lost its moral authority to rule.”
The American Congressional Report continues with its severe indictment: “Over the course of recent political upheaval, Dr Manmohan Singh’s mild, nonpolitical bearing, once considered part of his appeal, has for many become a liability, especially as the Indian leader has appeared slow-footed in reacting to national outrage over increasing evidence of high-level corruption.
“While Prime Minister Singh is not accused of personal wrongdoing, he has come under fire for an allegedly inattentive management style that, for some observers, facilitated an environment in which corruption could spread.”
The CRS is an influential, independent and a bipartisan wing of the American Congress, and prepares periodic reports on issues of interest to the US lawmakers and Washington’s power elite. The 94-page report on India was first released by the CRS for the American
lawmakers on September 1, 2011. The report is revised at regular intervals.
What must have amazed and shocked the Congress-led UPA government is the manner in which the US Congressional Report has gone lyrical in praising Mr. Narendra Modi’s style of governance. The Report stated: “Perhaps India’s best example of effective governance and impressive development is found in Gujarat, where controversial Chief Minister Narendra Modi has streamlined economic processes, removing red tape and curtailing corruption in ways that have made the state a key driver of national economic
growth,”
Meanwhile William Antholis, Managing Director of the well-known US think-tank Brookings Institution, wrote on March 16, 2012: “Meet India’s most admired and most feared politician: Narendra Modi. The world’s largest democracy, India, could elect him Prime Minister. And the world’s leading democracy, the United States, currently does not issue him a visa. I spent 90 minutes with Mr. Modi earlier this month at his Chief Minister’s residence in Gujarat – a state of 60 million people, about the same size as France, Britain, or Italy, and practically twice as big as California. More than any other state leader in India, Modi is shaking up national politics.
“In person, Modi comes across as an effective administrator, a proud Indian nationalist, and a committed if not zealous Hindu. He also is a policy maven—introverted, precise, and even passionate about the most technical of subjects. On almost all of these issues, his Gujarat is pushing, not following, New Delhi and India.
“Modi may be branded by the (2002) riots, but Gujarat’s economic performance is without peer in India, growing an average 10% each year for a decade. According to state published reports, pledged investments have grown from 76 MOUs amounting to $14 billion in 2003, to nearly 8,000 MOUs signed in 2011 for $450 billion. That is faster
growth than almost any place on earth, including most of China.”
In comparison to the praises showered on Mr. Modi, the US Congressional Report made a passing mention about the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family. “Many expect (Rahul) Gandhi to be put forward as Congress’s prime ministerial candidate in scheduled 2014 elections. Yet this heir-apparent remains dogged by questions about his abilities to lead the party, given a mixed record as an election strategist, uneasy style in public appearances, and reputation for gaffes.”
But it is too early to write off Mr. Rahul Gandhi. The charisma of Gandhi-Nehru family manages to hold together the Congress party that presently does not have any broadly acceptable leader other than his mother Ms Sonia Gandhi (who figures at 7th position in the recent Forbes list of world’s most powerful women). Some speculate that Sonia, or her daughter Ms Priyanka Vadra, may be the dark horse at a later stage. But then there is the mystery of Sonia Gandhi’s unknown illness that could affect her performance. And Priyanka is unlikely to cope with the electoral battle if her name crops up late.
Interestingly, both Mr. Narendra Modi and Mr. Rahul Gandhi are bachelors, but a study in contrast. Mr. Modi, 62, is a postgraduate in political science from Gujarat University, and a seasoned grassroots top BJP leader known for his austere RSS-style living. In July 2007, he became the longest serving Chief Minister in Gujarat’s history when he had been in power for 2063 days continuously. He was elected again for a third term on 23 December 2007 in the state elections, which he had cast as a “referendum on his rule.”
Mr. Rahul Gandhi had his education in elite schools and universities (St.Columba’s/Doon/Harvard/Cambridge), entered politics in 2004, gained good experience in Congress party affairs, and enjoys all the good things that life offers. After graduation, Mr. Gandhi
worked at a management consulting firm in London. In 2002 he was one of the directors of Mumbai-based technology outsourcing firm.
In May 2004 elections, Mr. Rahul Gandhi won the Amethi Lok Sabha seat with a landslide majority and entered India’s Parliament as an elected Member. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Gandhi retained his Amethi seat. Although the media keeps talking contemptuously about India’s dynastic politics, Mr. Rahul Gandhi has now emerged from his parents’ shadow.
Now guess who would be a suitable boy for India – Rahul or Narendra? Difficult to say…and depends on an individual’s ideology or personal preference. I took a simpler and fun route…of astrology. Ms Suzanne White’s famous Chinese astrology book provides a detailed insight into the character of the people born under particular Chinese birth signs. Mr. Modi, according to the Chinese astrology (based on animal signs), happens to be a ‘Tiger’, and Mr. Rahul Gandhi a ‘Dog’.
Excerpts from Ms Suzanne White’s book: Mr. Narendra Modi is “a ‘Tiger’- principled, straight? arrow, conservative and energetic, yet he maintains his charm. He’s a powerhouse of energy and a doer of grand deeds. He is not one to leave projects unfinished. He’s a bulldozer with the engine of a tank and the scope of at least sixteen aircraft carriers.
“You cannot get him to sit down and spill his thoughts or hash out feelings. Other people’s needs and the ramifications of complex emotional situations seem to escape this Tiger’s notice. “This
Tiger is a creature of legendary magnetism – not classically handsome or even sexy, but more like a charismatic Pied Piper who knows instinctively how to convince his audience and recruit the minds of others in his quest for superiority. It’s no surprise that Charles
de Gaulle was a Metal Tiger. This is a tough leader type who stops at nothing to reach his ends. He knows precisely where to aim for the jugular.” Mr. Modi shares his birth sign with Charles de Gaulle and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
In Chinese astrology, Mr. Rahul Gandhi is a ‘Dog’. “This is the Dog who wants to change the world – at least his own world. He’s strong-minded as well as generous and self-sacrificing. He’s a brave, gallant person whose sole reason for being on this earth is to stalk the holy grail of perfection…They are logical, zealous, methodical
and rigorous. They do not believe in violence or upheaval, feeling that gentler, more civilized methods can and do work…” Mr. Rahul Gandhi shares his birth sign with Mother Teresa, Jacques Cousteau, Akira Kurosawa, Andre Agassi, and Jennifer Lopez.
So, in the near future, the Indian public could be treated to an exciting battle between India’s two celebrated bachelors – a ‘Tiger’ and a ‘Dog’. With a baited breath, the nation is awaiting public verdict; the sooner this is delivered the better! (Courtesy Daily Post, Chandigarh)
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.