Author: Swapan Das Gupta
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: March 31, 2004
There are some political truths
that are almost self-evident, except to those who choose to be willfully
obtuse. In today's Gujarat, there is just one man who stands head and shoulders
above the rest. You can vilify the man, call him names and send the hounds
of political correctness after him, but when it comes to popularity, there
is no one to match Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
From the moment he took the stage
in Porbandar to deliver his welcome speech, Modi has given his distinctive
touch to L K Advani's Bharat Uday Yatra. Sitting beside Advani on long
stretches, he has blended his cult status, particularly among women and
the youth, to Advani's national standing.
Modi always gives the media a talking
point. This time, he has given them two. First, the hate figure is no longer
Mian Musharraf. The Pakistani general has been upstaged by a person who
merely goes by the name of Begum Sahiba, the one who is incapable of feeling
good and whose disciples have defamed Gujarat. Modi never spells out the
name of the Begum but he taunts her mercilessly. The audience laps it up
with the same relish as they lapped up Mian Musharraf two years ago.
Second, Modi is on the verge of
making the Narmada issue the manifestation of 'Shining India' in Gujarat.
At every roadside stop in the villages, he whips the crowds into a frenzy.
He chants Narmada and the crowds reply Sarvade.
The sloganeering is heady and touches
the heart strings of a Gujarat that dreams of the miracle called Narmada.
It is likely to be a very successful
campaign. Once again Modi has made Gujarati pride the theme of the election.
He never once mentions the riots. He merely talks of teaching the Congress
a lesson of its life for vilifying Gujarat in Parliament of India. When
it comes to political communication, Modi is unrivalled. He is winning
battle after battle. In a few years, he may even win the war.
