prasad1
Active member
Modi’s real enemies are not out there; they are within his own party and within sections of what is called the saffron parivar, the ultra-conservative Hindu right wing, which seems to have become more assertive following Namo’s ascension to the PM’s gaddi.
The RSS, the BJP’s ideological backbone, which backed Modi’s prime ministerial candidature, is wary of any sign of economic liberalisation which could be seen as being ‘anti-swadeshi’, such as Modi’s continuing ambiguity on FDI in retail.
The opening up of railways and defence production raised many saffron hackles, including that of the BJP’s labour union.
In the meantime, saffron hawks like the ex-teacher-turned-book banner, Dinanath Batra continue to rake up controversies by rewriting history to promote ‘cultural nationalism’. Self-styled protectors of ‘Indian values’ vandalise a 200-year-old-staute of Queen Victoria. Ministers make pronouncements claiming that sex education is undesirable in schools, or that all Muslims going on Haj are Hindus.
Such ideological chauvinism undermines the new image of himself that Modi is seeking to project both internally and internationally: that he is no longer a leader only of Gujarat, or of Hindus, but a leader of 1.27 billion Indians and a statesman of global standing.
So why doesn’t Modi rein in irresponsible elements of the Hindu right, who could end up giving his leadership a bad name?
One reason could be that, as a good general, Modi knows which battles to fight and which to avoid, or at least postpone. The new PM has made his priority clear: get the derailed economy back on the tracks and going at full steam. All the rest will follow.
Economic progress, provided it is inclusive of all, will lead to social stability and peace between caste and creed.
A simplistic vision? Perhaps. But this what Modi seems to believe is the solution. And maybe he’s right.
So with his eyes firmly on the goal of economic progress, he wants to avoid petty skirmishes with elements of the parivar which would deplete his limited resources of time, energy and goodwill.
With friends like these, who needs foes? That seems to sum up Modi’s current quandary.
NaMo?s enemies within | Times of India Opinion
The RSS, the BJP’s ideological backbone, which backed Modi’s prime ministerial candidature, is wary of any sign of economic liberalisation which could be seen as being ‘anti-swadeshi’, such as Modi’s continuing ambiguity on FDI in retail.
The opening up of railways and defence production raised many saffron hackles, including that of the BJP’s labour union.
In the meantime, saffron hawks like the ex-teacher-turned-book banner, Dinanath Batra continue to rake up controversies by rewriting history to promote ‘cultural nationalism’. Self-styled protectors of ‘Indian values’ vandalise a 200-year-old-staute of Queen Victoria. Ministers make pronouncements claiming that sex education is undesirable in schools, or that all Muslims going on Haj are Hindus.
Such ideological chauvinism undermines the new image of himself that Modi is seeking to project both internally and internationally: that he is no longer a leader only of Gujarat, or of Hindus, but a leader of 1.27 billion Indians and a statesman of global standing.
So why doesn’t Modi rein in irresponsible elements of the Hindu right, who could end up giving his leadership a bad name?
One reason could be that, as a good general, Modi knows which battles to fight and which to avoid, or at least postpone. The new PM has made his priority clear: get the derailed economy back on the tracks and going at full steam. All the rest will follow.
Economic progress, provided it is inclusive of all, will lead to social stability and peace between caste and creed.
A simplistic vision? Perhaps. But this what Modi seems to believe is the solution. And maybe he’s right.
So with his eyes firmly on the goal of economic progress, he wants to avoid petty skirmishes with elements of the parivar which would deplete his limited resources of time, energy and goodwill.
With friends like these, who needs foes? That seems to sum up Modi’s current quandary.
NaMo?s enemies within | Times of India Opinion
