For long suffering Indians like us, May 16th will forever remain a day of celebration. It represents the culmination of a long battle and the first time Independent India elected an unabashedly Hindu leader.
PM Modi played the match perfectly. Cornering pseudo secular opposition by neutralizing their favored battlegrounds whilst simultaneously launching quasi Hindutva strategies (such as Ganga bachao Andolan) which were impossible to counter.
But none of these would have been possible sans the unselfish work done by his core Hindu constituency. They volunteered their time, their sweat, blood and tears because in PM Modi they saw the reincarnation of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
A man reborn to correct historical wrongs and restore Hinduism to its primary place in the world as Jagat Guru.
14 months has begun denting this belief. In all fairness and in defense of Modiji, this is an unfair evaluation.
a) 14 months is too short a duration to judge anyone's performance, much less that of a leader straddled with unimaginable odds
b) There has indeed been action on the ground, from roll back/ban on Beef exports to reclamation of Yoga as a uniquely Hindu practice
What the core Hindu vote bank is failing to consider is that the leader of a democratic, responsible nation cannot act and speak as a candidate would. We see this in nations across the globe. Even after terror acts of 9/11 the Evangelical Christian President George W. Bush had to pay the usual, politically correct, lip service to how "Islam was a religion of Peace".
Similarly President Xi of China seldom comments on his government's draconian, anti-Muslim actions in Xinjiang. Maintaining a 'secular' public posture.
The difference some may argue is that these heads of state peddle the PC stuff in public but in private they make lethal plans to hit the enemy where it hurts most.
However, they fail to understand that USA and China are the world's 1st and 2nd largest economies with defense forces that can fight a multi-front war.
In contrast, India has been lurking from one disaster to the next with very few countries willing to take her seriously as a global player.
Even without such lopsided odds, it behooves a head of state to always maintain a politically correct public posture.
Any departure from a centrist line would create unnecessary controversies and derail the very development agenda the PM was elected to implement.
While such a stance is no doubt a sagacious one, it could prove politically suicidal come reelection time.
Across the length and breath of India, Muslim hordes are muscling in on timid Indians. The case of 14 year old teenager Tuktuki Mondal in Bengal is only the most recent manifestation of this growing aggression. An aggression that tramples and trivializes all democratic values of tolerance and coexistence.
The collective social and political impotence of Hindus, is breeding a resentment not seen since the 'Jinnah was secular' gaffe from the original Hindu Iron Man.
Under the express orders of PM Modi, BJP and the larger sangh parivar have been instructed to eschew any political controversial 'communal' postures.
b) There has indeed been action on the ground, from roll back/ban on Beef exports to reclamation of Yoga as a uniquely Hindu practice
What the core Hindu vote bank is failing to consider is that the leader of a democratic, responsible nation cannot act and speak as a candidate would. We see this in nations across the globe. Even after terror acts of 9/11 the Evangelical Christian President George W. Bush had to pay the usual, politically correct, lip service to how "Islam was a religion of Peace".
Similarly President Xi of China seldom comments on his government's draconian, anti-Muslim actions in Xinjiang. Maintaining a 'secular' public posture.
The difference some may argue is that these heads of state peddle the PC stuff in public but in private they make lethal plans to hit the enemy where it hurts most.
However, they fail to understand that USA and China are the world's 1st and 2nd largest economies with defense forces that can fight a multi-front war.
In contrast, India has been lurking from one disaster to the next with very few countries willing to take her seriously as a global player.
Even without such lopsided odds, it behooves a head of state to always maintain a politically correct public posture.
Any departure from a centrist line would create unnecessary controversies and derail the very development agenda the PM was elected to implement.
While such a stance is no doubt a sagacious one, it could prove politically suicidal come reelection time.
Across the length and breath of India, Muslim hordes are muscling in on timid Indians. The case of 14 year old teenager Tuktuki Mondal in Bengal is only the most recent manifestation of this growing aggression. An aggression that tramples and trivializes all democratic values of tolerance and coexistence.
The collective social and political impotence of Hindus, is breeding a resentment not seen since the 'Jinnah was secular' gaffe from the original Hindu Iron Man.
Under the express orders of PM Modi, BJP and the larger sangh parivar have been instructed to eschew any political controversial 'communal' postures.
These twin factors and the consequent frustration engendered by them is creating a vacuum where no voice with any political or social heft is available to voice and support legitimate grievances of a beleaguered Hindu community.
If BJP and the PM continue with their hands-off approach towards the plight of Tuktuki Mondals, 2019 will prove to be a disaster. Not because a Nitish or Pappu or Kejri would rise up to challenge the BJP, but their united front could deeply puncture the massive majority given to the PM in 2014.
(A Hung parliment would be just as disastrous to India and Hindus.)
After all it was a disgruntled Hindu core constituency which stayed home on election day in 2004, leading to a 10 year Congress rule that is easily the worst stretch of governance witnessed by Independent India.
PM Modi needs to find a way to fill this vacum and fast. Time is not on his side.
If BJP and the PM continue with their hands-off approach towards the plight of Tuktuki Mondals, 2019 will prove to be a disaster. Not because a Nitish or Pappu or Kejri would rise up to challenge the BJP, but their united front could deeply puncture the massive majority given to the PM in 2014.
(A Hung parliment would be just as disastrous to India and Hindus.)
After all it was a disgruntled Hindu core constituency which stayed home on election day in 2004, leading to a 10 year Congress rule that is easily the worst stretch of governance witnessed by Independent India.
PM Modi needs to find a way to fill this vacum and fast. Time is not on his side.
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