Mr Modi doesn't get it

What happened in May 2014 was unprecedented for 2 generation of Indian voters, After 30 years India got a single party government. Many political pundits have written many a books on it & given their individual take. The most notable reasons cited by the media, Political and intellectual elite of this country can be summed up in the following 3 points..

a.      “Narendra Modi ran a fantastic campaign since Dec 2012..” : Rajdeep Sardesai

b.      “Rahul Gandhi is a non-serious politician & poor communicator..” :Public intellectuals

c.       “Corruption and policy paralysis of Dr MMS govt led to a situation wherein people were angry at the government and wanted to teach a lesson..” : Narendra Modi & his rich, elite, English speaking supporters

Look at the irony that I am qualifying his supporters as being “..rich, elite..” by adding English speaking and myself writing in the language. Well that’s because there is barely any Hindi keyboard for us to type. Also what separates me is over 9 decades of political experience that sits in my family and almost 100 years of cumulative legislative wisdom that I interact with or have lived with. Add that I speak strictly Hindi and other local dialects outside my work.

Let me begin by addressing Mr Modi ( I hope it reaches him) & his “..Vikas Vikas..” touting supporters who clap and jump everytime he vows to cleanse the country of Congress party, “..Congress mukta Bharat..”, for it’s  perceived ills of nepotism, dynasty cult and failures, The war is not between BJP and Congress or between Hindutvawadi and “ Sickular”, pejorative term for so called secular (read muslim appeasement) parties. The war in 2014 and now too, is between the frightened and what they fear. It is being fought by the people who perceive themselves as controlling nothing. They are besieging the people they perceive as controlling everything. We are in the midst of a Perception Insurrection, or, depending on how you perceive it, a Loser Mutiny.

True it was a revolt against the elite as many western thinkers have commented “..  revolt against the elites targets all manner of pre-eminence—political elites, business elites, media elites, institutional elites, and, kind reader, you. You're reading an article in a language which not many understand. This marks you as an elite..” in this hullabu of pundits going into coma due to shock of their predictions & resultant explanations, more to save their reputations, we missed the emotions that led us to May 2014. Most important, pre-eminence certain religions got under Congress led govt’s policy framing.

Politicians tend to forget nowadays that ‘development’ aka “..Bikas.. Bikas..” as Mr Modi keeps on harping, is a given. Right from Nitish to Akhilesh to Rahul Gandhi, all talk exactly the same language. As for corruption, lesser said the better. Corruption was not and still not a political issue in India, sadly though. Otherwise, lot of known, convicts would have been sent to political isololtion and not being feted as national leaders, defeating BJP candidates.

“If it's any comfort, people all over the world are saying, "We're sick of the elites. We're tired of the experts. To hell with the deep thinkers who think they know what we should have better than we do and who—while they're at it—are grabbing everything we've got."
Great Britain's political, business, and trade union leaders were opposed to Brexit. That is, the people who supported the Iraq war plus the people who caused the 2008 global financial crisis plus the people who nationalized the British automobile industry were all in unprecedented agreement on one issue. Voters felt they couldn't go wrong betting against this trifecta.

Everywhere in the world, the same phenomenon is repeating. Columbia, Brazil (where a leftist leader is being prosecuted despite giving free doles) to Australia (5-6 prime ministers) and recently Donald trump. In between Canadians did the unthinkable, they elected a clone of Justin bieber.

So Mr Modi, if you think giving doles and more doles or screaming “ ..I am tightening screws on the corrupt..” when you explain demonetisation or other complex rules for income taxation, you are just trying to become Indira Gandhi inciting class hatred. In India, as in America, its not wrong or bad to be rich, that category of demonisation of middle class/rich is exclusive preserve of communists but can you tell me how many seats they won in India? Well lowest ever,In single digits.
Now put yourself in context, take a moment for introspection and explain gain why do you think you won the election & with that majority and why do you think you can win again in 2019? Jut by giving more doles? An American writer said somewhere,

“Among poli sci savants, such contrariness at the ballot box is defined as "populism." But it's a definition that does nothing to define the phenomenon. Populism is just a name for an opinion common in most democracies: There exists a large herd of the clueless, and running circles around them is a small pack of wiseacres. Populist opinion has an effect even in political systems where the opinion of the populace doesn't matter. Vladimir Putin harnessed populist outrage at the kleptomaniac incompetents who took possession of Russia after perestroika. Xi Jinping's neo-Maoism makes use of populist anger at the all-the-tea-in-China scale of corruption among the Chinese elites.”

Not to be outdone, citizens of the Philippines gave themselves a dose of electoral homeopathy. Overwhelmed by violent lawbreaking, they elected a violent lawbreaker president. Rodrigo Duterte, former mayor of crime-plagued Davao City, is nicknamed "Duterte Harry". That explains why the Lalu, MSY or other Bahubalis won in india.
There are even populist aspects to Islamic terrorism. Fanatical interpretation of "jihad" is antielite. Islamic terrorists hate elites so much that they have suicide squads of elites who go around killing themselves.

Let me explain to you my view. We're culturally, spiritually and politically polarized, but not in a way that would startle an old-school history professor and jolt him awake from his nap in the faculty lounge. It’s not that someone is attacking somnath again.

Yet people are fearful, and they blame their fears on the leadership elite. This is because the leadership elite haven't done a very good job and Congress party has been ruling for 60 years out of 70 years so they get all the blame. Issue is emotional, spiritual and religious appeasement. Issue is temple control of government boards and closing down of Indic majority run schools under RTE wherein minority run schools are mushrooming and parents being fearful of children losing their cultural values in missionary run schools.

Demons have been unleashed in the Kerala, West Bengal or Rohingyas in jammu. They have a global pattern starting with Middle East. Your studied silence trying to be statesmanlike or proving that you are not “..Communal..” is simply putting you in league worse than Dr MMS. Atleast people knew that he is ineffectual and real decisions were made by Sonia Gandhi and her son. You Mr Modi, have no such luxury.

You know what? Your English speaking voters, whom you nowadays almost despise, spent their own money and time to create wave read what’s happening in the world around. They see how elites failed to address the problems that caused the demons to be unleashed in Kerala, WB, Kashmir or even Middle East & latest the European refugee crisis. It may come as shock to you but you too are elite now.

What do the elites care? The refugees aren't crowding the halls and jostling the elites in the corridors of the European parliament in Brussels. The refugees aren't building shantytowns on the tennis courts at the elites' country clubs.

Young radicalised muslim men commit assaults in public places, like the Cologne train station, on public occasions, like New Year's Eve. That's the public's problem. These things don't happen at the private parties elites give. That will happen in Saraswati Puja, Jammu or Kerala streets.

Sir, you elite fail and don't suffer any consequences from your failures. As it is with elite carelessness about violence on Tamil nadu, Kerala, Bengal street or firing across the LOC, so it is with elite carelessness about immigration of Rohingya and Bangladeshis. People don't have to march in lockstep anymore. People are becoming persons, not masses. Also Sir, people don't live largely in a world of net economic good. We live in our own little worlds, often practicing gross economics wherein spiritual wealth and ancestral beliefs make an important component.

On this aspect there is no difference between you and the grand old party of India, Indian national congress. In fact there is barely any perceptible difference between the government you lead and the one Dr MMS lead before you other than the absence of alrge scale corruption of Congress. Lalu,Mulayam, Jayalalita, Mayawati Mamta are proof enough of indian electorate’s apapthy for corruption.

It was the common Hindu who felt under siege with plethora of NGOs and laws who were questioning Lord Ram to Ram setu to besmirching Shiva, Sita, Durga. His temples are under govt control, school shut down under RTE and politicians wooing a religious group. What have you done to assuage? Remember we practice gross economics not net economics. This mala of Vikas Vikas will be not able to fill this deficit of spiritual and cultural bleed you continue to ignore. As I said, there is no difference in the language you speak from the language, Congress or assorted bunch of it' allied regional, venal and corrupt leadership speaks yet wind elections.

Therefore all of us idiots, we the people, who make up the populace, which leads to populism, are alarmed by our circumstances and are angry at our leadership elite for not being able to change them. Even more amazing is the complete ignorance of issues that elected you in first place. You have gone back on almost everything that was the election rhetoric i.e. Damaadji (Still enjoying life at home, not in jail), Pink revolution, Jayanti tax, UID (lol you have implemented it), Building military strength for deterance (lowest ever GDP to def budget ratio in independent india is in 2017), law to jail corrupt politicans within 1 year(promised on 15th Aug 2014)..

To soothe populist discontents politicians have only one piece of equipment—politics. In an attempt to get enough popular support to achieve or retain their elite status, politicians keep making the machinery of politics larger by making the state a nanny, mother and now grandmother. Free, more free and exclusively make deals with a group rather treat citizens as an individual unit. You are doing exactly what congress did, starting from Indira Gandhi.
 It is over when the fat lady sings. Politics has become an obese operatic performer, warbling so loudly that none of us bit players can be heard, and so fat that we're shoved into the orchestra pit.

Political power has grown in expense. One-third of the world's GDP is now spent by the politicians in governments. One out of every three things you make is grabbed by governments. Your jumla (Unfortunately I supplied that..” minimum government, maximum governance..” ) is let down by you only. If your cat has three kittens, one of them is a government agent.

Political power has grown in scope. Politics cast their net over every little aspect of life. Nothing is so private that it isn't tangled up in politics. From school, food, job, to Eashwara, all are at mercy of government. 

Good luck in 2019 Sir.