Is Modi really BJP?
This
is a question that Prof Shiv Vishvanathan raises in today’s Hindu. Vajpayee could come to power in India and
hold it with respectability because he was a genuine Hindu, a genuine human
being. Any genuine religious person is
necessarily a genuine human being. Vajpayee
could not have killed human beings for the sake of votes. Vajpayee was a poet, you see. And Modi is a chaiwala.
The
difference matters.
What
kind of a nation are we building up? Is
it the nation of the mafia or is it a nation of a people who can think
freely?
For
the third time in two days I received phone calls from Tata Life Insurance Co. I am one of the unfortunate clients who
deposited a fairly large sum of money in their insurance business (Business,
yes) a few years ago in my wife’s name. When
I deposited the amount my wife didn’t have a private phone number. So I had given my own mobile phone
number. Now they call me up asking if I
am Margaret and why I am not renewing the policy. Each time they called me I said the same
thing. “You are a bunch of cheats. You take money from us people and give it to
people like Modi for his election campaigns and get some business contract in
Gujarat. You flourish with our
money. Tell me what you can give in
return for the two lakh rupees that we have already invested with Tata
Insurance. The worth of our investment comes
down to one lakh. Half of what we gave you four years ago. I have become a fool
before my wife. She told me to invest
the money in bank and I invested it with Tata thinking that Tata was
genuine. I lost one lakh and stand to
lose much more in financial terms if Modi comes to power. All our investments will go to making masks
or posters for Modi….”
The
women who call up in the name of Tata hang up much before I can speak all
that. And only women call, interestingly,
in their singsong way!
I
have given up Reliance too. I have changed
my mobile connection from Reliance to another private player who has not yet
stooped to Modi. The number remains the
same, thanks to the portability facility.
I know that the portability facility is available in electing our PM
too. Indian democracy is so strong that
no fool will last as a leader unless he delivers what the people of India want. Gujarat is not India.
Really very shameful...
ReplyDeleteIndeed
ReplyDeleteIndeed
ReplyDeleteHave been reading you for quite some time. I did promote your piece on Indiblogger though I disapprove to believe :) Everyone has their own views and expressing them some way!
ReplyDeleteAnyone is welcome to disagree with me, Sushma. After all, opinions must differ, otherwise we wouldn't be individuals. Respecting other people's views is what Modi supporters are not famous for. A few moments back a former student of mine told me that one of his friends wrote a blog against my views but thought before publishing it. I asked him to publish it since I would only be happy to hear differing views. It is then my student said something very interesting: "Do you think Modi supporters can express themselves in dignified language?"
DeleteAt a higher level, this is a capitalism v/s socialism discussion that can never be resolved. The answer to whether we want to make the pie bigger or focus on sharing existing pie equally to everyone is not easy. And both present different types of opportunities for politicians to loot.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. The problem is not with systems, but with those who implement them. Even the present version of capitalism had come with the noble motto: wealth for all.
DeleteThis is an artist speaking- I love the creative head behind this image (Khakra Fafda Chakli???). This is called the heights of creativity. :D :p
ReplyDeleteI plagiarised it from the Net, Namrata. But I too found it highly amusing. And I must say you have a great sense of humour and I honour it - not just appreciate. Because humour is dying these days. Some people were highly offended by this picture of Modi and even wanted to abuse me :)
DeleteGuess Indians are highly optimistic about Modi that he has almost got a God like stature in India...They don't realize that Modi has been aiming to be PM probably from the last 20 years and Gujarat is his triump card for achieving this....The backboneless reign of congress is to be blamed to a certain extend.
ReplyDeleteArvind Kejriwal is not a born leader, he is trying to be one...Yes. all AAP candidates and supporters will have a terrible time if Modi comes to power. But then Modi has learnt his lessons.