Pre-script: I am not a blind supporter of Narendra Damodardas Modi. Nor am I a critic of anyone else. I am just writing this to share my objective thoughts on the choices we have from among our leaders today.
A while ago, I had
posted about the sort of leader a country needs.
Right or wrong, there are quite a few people who believe Narendra Modi is not the right guy at the job.
But the fact is, that never in the last 30 years, has any leader managed to command an absolute majority, on the basis of his charisma and ability alone.
Make no mistake.
We have been in an era of coalitions all along in the last 3 decades.
The thumping results in the General Elections of 2014 was not an electoral victory not really a vote for the BJP.
This emphatic and absolutely unambiguous verdict was for Modi Sarkar. It was a decisive and comprehensive mandate for the one man who was the focus of the entire election and indeed, the entire nation.
There are some who believe that Arvind Kejriwal is a better person, a beacon of honesty and transparency.
Well, he could well be all of that and more.
But who or what made him come to power (when he had promised otherwise) and even after he had done so, what stopped him from continuing in Delhi when he had the government and the chance to govern and deliver?
This is not to say that he is a bad guy.
But there are many blind supporters who of his, who find fault with every right thing too.
Who turn a blind eye to even the right things that anyone does.
Ofcourse, this applies both ways:
A Modi supporter who criticizes or Kejriwal or his partymen for any good work that they would have done or ignores any constructive point from them, is equally wrong and just as guilty as the AAP supporters who criticize or ignore even the qualities or good points that Modi has brought to the fore.
Even before he had arrived, the very fact that no other visiting dignitary has ever commanded such a reception, never has anyone else generated such a buzz and never has the public clamored to hear a politician speak, in itself speaks volumes about his charisma and fervor.
You might agree or disagree when it comes to ideology, but credit where due - the way the man spoke, the eloquence and the passion, the alacrity and clarity of doing the small things right - the purposefulness, the earnestness and the zeal to make a difference, along with the ability and willingness to involve and invoke active participation from everyone - all this, is what makes Modi, Modi.
Did your heart not swell with pride as he
spoke without reading out from a prepared script, as he spoke about India and Indians from a position of strength?
It wasn't that he was saying just for effect. It wasn't as if he was overlooking the negatives and ills that beset the country.
However, what was strikingly different and positive about him was the genuine confidence and pragmatic optimism he generated that all of these problems could be solved and overcome.
It was his astute identification and clarity of thought about India's strengths and USPs that showed we can win over any and every problem.
He might be right or wrong - you can say he is good or bad - but no one can ever deny that this is how a leader ought to be.
This is how a leader must think and behave.
Jee haan, hamara leader AISA ho!!
