Why Narendra Modi must NOT be the Prime Minister for India

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June 1, 2013 by thejalebichronicles

Machiavellian Ministrations:- Political views and opinions

Snow-white stubble, saffron pride, jaguar style. Narendra Modi never fails to be the most controversial man since the Big Bang. His Vibrant Gujarat propaganda has been rubbed over every face of other ruling states as his chest continues to inflate with blissful air. His smile is similar to that of Lincoln, and Lincoln never smiled. BJP’s unshaken hope and Hindu-nationalists’ new demigod: Shri Narendra Modi remains an icon in the eyes of every saffron soul in India. But wait before you put your faith into what has been called ‘Prime Minister’ material, there is more that remains hidden than open.

Myth 1: “Modi’s Gujaratonomics!”
The debunking myth revolving around the so-called “Gujaratonomics” that Modi boasts all about is that he hasn’t raised the stakes high at all. Why do people fail to decipherer this myth?

The GDP of a state could be considered the most primary indicator to denote whether a sector is healthy in terms of its economy or not. Let us consider the GDP of Gujarat and 4 other states over the past three decades.

State	1980-1990	1991-1998	2002-2012
Gujarat	5.08	9.57	10.28
Maharashtra	6.02	8.01	9.90
Tamil Nadu	5.38	6.22	8.92
Karnataka	5.29	5.29	8.39
Andhra Pradesh	5.65	5.03	8.23

Analyse the rate of gross GDP over the three decades. During 1991-1998, the rate of gross GDP of Gujarat reaches impressively and is almost two times more than that with respect to the previous decade. However, during 2002-2012 (Modi regime), there isn’t much difference with respect to its past performance or at the same time in comparison with the other states.

The reason for a radical change during the decade pre-Modi regime is due to a master strategist, Chimanbhai Patel who served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 1990-91 and 1993-1994. Chimanbhai Patel is considered as the “Father of Modern Industrial Gujarat” which came into existence due to his industrialization master plan. So Growth of Gujarat pre-dates Modi.

Here is more. During Chimanbhai Patel’s reign, the Net Domestic Product (NDP) of the state was 16.75% per annum, not to forget that India wasn’t a massive growth engine as it is today. On the other hand, during Modi’s tenure, the NDP of the state remains 16.25% per annum, comparatively less to that what Chimanbhai has achieved. One must also consider that Modi has served as the Chielf Minister of the state for almost a decade while Chimanbhai served comparatively less than half of Modi’s tenure. Modi may have sustained the growth rate but he is surely not the “messiah” for Gujarat’s economic growth, something we all fail to decipher.

There is no doubt about Modi’s Gujarat reaching the top five states in terms of GDP. Today, Maharashtra, UP, AP and Tamil Nadu too reach the top five chart.

So Mr. Modi, why all the hype and boast?

Myth 2: “The Modi Operandi: Potential? I think not.”
Modi isn’t the only one who boasts all about Gujarat’s urbanized development and at the same time, who fails to meet the needs of the weaker sections of the society. History repeats itself and here is why.

A man of name Nara Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh served as the Chief Minister of the state until from 1995 to 2004, almost a 10 year regime and impressively similar to Modi’s tenure. Chandrababu Naidu provided an enormous boon in the urban areas of Hyderabad in terms of development in the IT sector, technology, healthcare facilities, infrastructure, etc. Emphasizing on urbanization was his core agenda. He would often chant slogans saying “Bye-Bye Bangalore, Hello Hyderabad!” However, Chandrababu lost the 2004 elections and a reason to this was his weak propaganda for the rural sections of the state who succumbed to ill-fate due to drought in the state and which also led many farmers to commit suicide.

Here is a similar scenario. Modi has been rubbing his ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ propaganda all over and over every face of the other ruling states. But the same Modi government fails to sustain Gujarat’s greatest life line, something more controversial than the man himself: the Narmada Dam Project.

Why?

In the year 2007, the Modi government promised the state that the project will be completed by 2010. But the same government extends the deadline to 2014. Here’s more. The Modi government also stated that the project will channelize 75,000 km of canals for irrigation and agricultural needs and for drinking water. But during his 10 year regime, Modi failed to complete err…not even 10,000 km of canals, almost 70% of the work yet to be done. And this is what the sensational Gujarat is all about.

The complete project expects to irrigate more than 75% of Gujarat’s drought-prone areas consisting 1.845 million hectors and would raise the agricultural growth by 6%. But the current scenario tells another tale.

In Modi’s Gujarat, water from the Narmada which is meant for irrigation and drinking, is being supplied to industries, thus neglecting the people of drought prone areas. Thought Modi’s Gujarat is pro-societal on all levels? Think again. In Modi’s Gujarat, no Narmada water for dalits. Farmers who have put their faith on his flawed promises still await today for the waters from the Narmada to reach their fields.

“It’s been 20 years since I have been farming and have been waiting for the Narmada water to reach my field. But unfortunately, the canals have not been laid so there is no water and I cannot irrigate my farm. I am still waiting.” – Khumansinh Jadeja from Dhangadhra town, Saurashtra

Alas, there has been a plague of suicides committed by farmers in Gujarat who’ve failed to pay their debts due to the drought-hit, a death toll reaching more than 135 in the past five years. Has Modi got to say anything to this? But no. Modi unashamedly blames the Central government (who plays no role in the project), or in his words, “anti-Gujarati forces” for the non-completion of this project. Instead of playing a blame-game, why has Modi blatantly failed to understand the potentiality of this massive project?

Myth 3: “When I glanced through 2001 census in 2004, it gave me goose bumps!”– Narendra Modi at the FICCI Ladies Meet, 2013.

There is no doubt that Mr. Modi never ‘glanced through the 2011 census in 2013’. If he did, he would have fainted! Let’s compare Gujarat’s goose-bumping 2001 census with 2011.

Sex Ratio drops from 921 to 918. This hasn’t been a case in almost every state, something Modi is unable to boast about. Child Sex Ratio shows a significant improvement from 883 to 886 during the decade. However, The state is one of the worst performers in terms of child malnutrition with 69.7% of children up to the age of five anaemic and 44.6% malnourished.

One might say that this is a clear understanding of what takes place in the rural niches of Gujarat. The case reveals itself in a large part in the urbanized cities like Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, etc; almost 2.5 lakh girls are missing during 2004 to 2011. Why?

– Wide-spread use of sex-selective abortions.
– No penal code against the misuse of the PNDT Act which bans
sex-selection testing.
– Failure to track down pregnancies during registration and delivery.

Pfft! And this is what the Governance in Gujarat is all about.

Myth 4: “Faith in Faith, restored?”

Now here is a reason why one must fear if the BJP comes into power. In the year 2003 (during the Modi regime), the Hindu nationalist political party passed an anti-conversion law in the state of Gujarat. This means that even by freedom of choice, Hindus in the state of Gujarat are prohibited from converting to Christianity. According to the rules implemented in 2008, anyone willing to convert will have to go through herculean procedures until permission for conversion has been granted by the government. Fail to do so, and the person may be imprisoned for a year and sanctioned with a fine.

Gujarat is among the five states who have adopted the anti-conversion law. But unlike other states which merely provide  intimation of conversions, the state of Gujarat grants permission for conversions and considers it as a criminal offence on failing to abide by the law. Now why one must fear?

Article 25 of our constitution clearly states “all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion.” It also mentions that the state mustn’t intervene in any case of free and voluntary conversion from one religion to another but however, it does. So the anti-conversion rules violates the basic Fundamental Right to Freedom of Religion.

Why has Modi’s BJP passed this unconstitutional law? According to the party, the answer is ’forced conversions’ which are taking place in Gujarat. But in 2008, leader of the All India Christian Council (AICC), Samson Christian disclosed the truth regarding the so-called ‘forced conversions’ occurring in Gujarat under the Right to Information Act 2005. After the law had been passed and till today, only one two complaints alleging ‘forcible’ conversions has taken place in the state. I guess the Hindu nationalists require a stronger justification as to why they have passed this unconstitutional law. Let’s not forget about the constant harassment on Christian workers by Hindu nationalists.

Mr. Modi is just one talking sock-puppet on Sesame Street. He fails to open his eyes to poverty and only looks to prosperity. The face of Hinduvta rage is burning in him; one can expect the rise of communalism if this man comes to power. Moreover, Modi unashamedly takes undue credit, be it in regards to Gujarat’s growth or even women’s empowerment to which he has no hand in; also considering the increased number of farmer suicides across Gujarat, malnutrition prevailing in the state and much more. Urbanization has been his core agenda but it has only increased a potential divide among societies within the state, thus neglecting the social suppression taking place in the rural niches of Gujarat. Economical facts about the state are surely noteworthy but yet again, why has Modi fail to uproot grass-root problems and instead, works on covering them up with questionable development which was not his idea in the first place?

Overall, call him a ‘Mollusionist!’ as he mesmerises his targets with his charming oratorical skills, private investment propagandas, claims and much more flawed claims. Never consider Mr. Modi to be the ‘only option left’ for he is a one you neither can love nor hate, but you cannot ignore him.

DISCLAIMER:- The views presented in this article represent the views of the writer alone and not the others in general.

Achilles Rasquinha