Narendra Modi 2.0: The Prime Minister That India Wants And Needs

On May 23, 2019, India charted its course into another political term under PM Narendra Modi. With a thumping majority, the BJP was poised for another five years of rule again, and I was glad. As someone who has always prided her liberal tendencies, I have always found it difficult to reconcile my admiration of PM Modi with my leftist(ish) ideologies. Even more difficult was explaining it to people who always use my Modi love to bait me in debates related to freedom of expression, feminism and gay rights that I somehow walk into: “How can you talk of allowing women’s entry into Sabarimala when you support the leader of BJP?” And it did hurt to admit that I was a hypocrite. As our incumbent PM was sworn in today for a second term, here’s my honest justification to why I root for Narendra Modi 2.0 despite being a liberal and why I think he’s our best bet. Narendra Modi Returns As PM As BJP Registers Thumping Win With 303 Seats, Congress Gets 52.

He’s the chaiwaala – a story that has been hammered ad nauseam into the public consciousness by both the ruling party and the opposition – who became the Prime Minister of India. Can be a bigger success story?

A man of humble means rising to occupy the most important seat in the country. As a leader of a nation that’s mostly middle-class to the poor, Modi wins the perception war in our minds. Modi becomes an everyman, a collective embodiment of our middle-class hopes and dreams. In his victory, we see ours.

While opposition wields his humble origins as a whipping tool against Modi à, la Mani Shankar Aiyar, it mostly backfires. If anything, it endears India more to Narendra Modi.

Then comes the RSS baggage. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological backbone of BJP, is known for its parochialism towards the minorities. Modi baiters routinely use it to expose his communal side, perpetuating the liberal narrative that he’s on the PM seat to do the RSS’s bidding.

But sadly for them, the RSS hijacking of democracy under Modi governance never happened as liberals predicted. They were forced to reckon that probably, the only thing he took away from his years as an RSS pracharak is the discipline and steadfastness of the fold.

He spoke of development, building toilets, educating the girl child and delivering cooking gases to each home – promises that he delivered – instead of saffronising the nation and driving out the minorities.

In a Hindu majority nation, never has there been a leader who unapologetically wore his Hindu pride like a badge before. Pictures of Modi meditating in the Dhyaan Gufa or performing the Ganga aarti in Varanasi can be dismissed as photo ops. But for a politician to do that, despite knowing all the negative press he could garner from those waiting to label him a religious hardliner, speaks tons about his integrity.

When it comes to our pesky neighbours towards the North West, Modi has displayed a rare kind of audacity. Whether there was indeed a surgical strike to avenge Uri or not, whether Balakot was pummelled by an airstrike or not, it was Modi whom the nation largely wished to believe in, not the naysaying opposition.

In the last few years, a lot has been said about the PM and demonetisation and GST, especially in the manner of blind men feeling the elephant. No one knows the complete truth, however, props to Modi for going where no politician has gone before. It was a risky move, but he went for the gold despite the many brickbats that came his way.

It also helps that he does what he does – including giving it back to the critics – with impeccable wit. Even while he chided Rahul Gandhi for his “ankhon ki harkat,” there was a certain spontaneity and cheekiness in his humour lightly reminiscent of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s.

It’s true that India didn’t magically transform into a utopia under PM Modi's rule as the BJP promised. But neither did it become another Pakistan where saffron terrorists run amok as his detractors warned.

Far from the divisive politics, he was predicted to play, sadly for his critics, Modi has managed to transcend the class divide, like a certain TIME article has said. What else could justify victory of BJP candidates even the likes of Pragya Singh Thakur? The message is clear – Modi is the PM India wants.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 30, 2019 07:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).