Sole Searching

NITISH KUMAR PERFORMED his own deviant version of ghar wapsi when he returned to the embrace of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). You have to give it to politicians: no matter where in the world they are. They acquire a hide which would make a crocodile blush. Suddenly, all the abuse is forgotten and in a perverse manner, praise is what is measured and spread. What is amazing is that nothing fazes these blokes. Not their recent utterances or their avowed beliefs or for that matter any ideology they may have or profess to have. Nitish Kumar is emblematic of the Indian political class today. Values can go to hell; ideology be damned if all I get in return is power and an official bungalow. But this is not just about them. It is slowly becoming about us. About who we have become. And who we really are.

We the people.

Many would accuse politician A or B of being communal. I can take you to elegant drawing rooms in Delhi and Bombay where all you need to do is scratch the surface and you will see the ugly face of communalism, so there’s no point in blaming political leaders. We love to justify our biases on other people and take credit for who we aren’t.

For all those who blame BJP (as they must) for taking back folks like Nitish Kumar, they need to step back in time and examine the genesis of this political malaise: started by none other than Indira Gandhi. She poisoned the fabric of India like no one else did. The remnants of her callousness and deviance are being felt even today in our political system.

I am truly surprised given BJP’s intrinsic hold across the country (including pockets in the south), why would they want to do business with someone like Nitish Kumar whose own shadow doesn’t trust him? Why would BJP with its current muscular outlook actually want any partner? We have to recognise one thing: this is not Vajpayee’s BJP. It is not a BJP that is dependent on anyone other than Narendra Modi and the reality is that Modi knows this best.

In today’s India, the BJP leadership doesn’t need to cower before the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS): all you needed to do was see the body language of Modi qua Mohan Bhagwat at the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Modi let it be known that he was in-charge and he was the one who got both the party and the sangathan this far.

Those who believe Modi took all the credit for the Ram Temple unfairly, must think again. He took what was his due. Had there been no Narendra Modi, there would have been no temple. And had there been no Modi, you wouldn’t have the kind of BJP you do today

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Truth be told, RSS would have never managed this on its own. Those who believe Modi took all the credit for the Ram temple unfairly, must think again. He took what was his due. Had there been no Narendra Modi, there would have been no temple. Say what you may. And had there been no Narendra Modi, you wouldn’t have the kind of BJP you do today.

Modi is a lone wolf and thank God for that. It is because of this that he has been able to get things done. Something that Vajpayee struggled owing to this nonsensical phrase called ‘coalition dharma’. Modi has realised that if India is to be governed well, it has to have one decisive leader. And he is under no misconception that it is anyone else other than him. And he has proven it time and again electorally.

BJP today is not a party that can go along with anyone in a deep and definitive manner, which is why they will choose swayamvars over arranged marriages. They want to have the freedom to pick and drop and pick again. BJP has realised that it needs no one else to win an election. It has also understood that in Indian elections, parties predominantly lose rather than predominantly win. The wins are almost accidental.

The fact that today the opposition is almost decimated is again thanks to Modi and no one else. He has ensured that the people of India see him wherever they look. I always believed that fatigue would set in as it does for brands, but Modi has sailed against the wind on this one too.

It’s no longer about the soul. It is instead about the sole. And that may not be such a bad thing.

About The Author

Suhel Seth

Suhel Seth is Managing Partner of Counselage India and can be reached at suhel@counselage.com

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