Reported By:
| Edited By: Dwaipayan Bose |Source: DNA |Updated: May 26, 2017, 07:26 AM IST
It is rare in contemporary Indian political history that towards the end of 3/5ths of a government’s tenure the discussion is not about the general elections coming in two years but of the one coming after seven. That is, like it or not, the undeniable reality after three years of Narendra Modi.
One may call this phenomenon names like ‘one man show’ or ‘excessive self-projection’, but it’s a fact that the last three years were about one man metamorphosing from an individual holding high office to an ‘ecosystem’, or even an ‘ism’. This is a complex mix of personality, politics, economics, Hindutva and popular culture. To these, add communication skills, efficiency and delivery; then channel the resultant alloy into popular aspirations and dreams – and you will get an ‘ecosystem’ that is wider, deeper and perhaps even longer-lasting than the individual in question.
From Lutyens’ Delhi drawing rooms to bus stands, from hotel lobbies overlooking the Arabian Sea to tea stalls next to canals, every conversation inevitably turns to PM Modi within three to five minutes of progression. Appreciation meets angst, hate duels against hero worship, the high-nosed encounter the lowbrow – but Modi the topic invariably is.
The building block of ‘Modi-ism’ was laid even before the man officially took over. In a teary-eyed speech to his MPs on the day the former chief minister of Gujarat entered the hallowed premises of Parliament for the first time, he had said, “A government is a one which thinks about the poor, listens to the poor and exists for the poor. This government is for villagers, farmers, Dalits and the oppressed, for them, for their aspirations.” We didn’t realise then, but here lay the seeds of Ujjwala Yojana, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, Jan Dhan Yojana and even demonetization.
Calling leaders of neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, for the swearing-in ceremony this day three years ago also provided a glimpse of the new prime minister’s foreign policy.
Then there was a trailer of his governance style —a meeting with middle-level bureaucrats from across ministries (bypassing their bosses) just a week after moving to South Block.
For many Indian prime ministers, three years have been a life-time; some became ‘ex-PMs’ even before reaching this milestone. With political opponents falling by the wayside, the cabinet in his pocket, the liberal ‘secular’ intelligentsia jobless, Sangh Parivar as pillion-rider and trusted ‘General’ Amit Shah charging across plains and mountains, the Narendra Modi of 2017 is adequately warmed-up for the heavy-lifting.
However, staring at him is a beast called Expectation. The nature of it is such that more it is fed, the hungrier it becomes. By 2019, it will become Modi’s heaviest burden to bear. By 2024, it will either consume him, or India will be a different ‘ecosystem’ altogether.
