Profiling Narendra Modi’s Critics

[Kdpreddy]

India’s honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the person people love to hate. Of course he does have his supporters and his sympathisers across all walks of life and demographics, particularly in non-urban places but the folks who own the presses and the airwaves, so to speak, dominate this emotion of hatred.

I am a US citizen of Indian origin. I live and work in India for personal and professional reasons. I have `skin in the game’ here and want India to prosper.

With that as background, I must first confess that I am both mystified and disturbed by what I see in India. The most appalling thing that I have observed among many Indians is this deep desire for India NOT to be strong. NOT to succeed. NOT to really change. Certainly NOT to win! I’m truly mystified by this self-loathing and overweening self-centredness, a fundamental inability to put the society and country ahead of personal or sectarian interests.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pic Courtesy: Google Image Search
Categories of Modi Critics and Baiters
Over the years, I have observed and met many Modi critics. These critics range from folks who either outright hate him or folks who are disappointed. In between, are a few other categories.

1. Professional Modi baiters: Essentially a variety of media persons and industry professionals who either did the brainwashing or were brainwashed about Modi being an evil person and point to the 2002 riots in Gujarat as evidence. Includes self-proclaimed leftists-liberals, supporters of the Congress party and its clones. Obviously, the political party ecosystem did the brainwashing. Many regular folks who got brainwashed will not change their minds. After all, it is easier to be fooled than to admit that you were fooled.

2. The aggrieved set: In this category are the folks who believe that the Hindu majority, over the last 70 years, has been marginalized by minority vote banks. They point to government control of Hindu temples, reservations and subsidies given to minorities as evidence of being systematically disenfranchised. The media has enabled and fuelled this picture by selective reportage of events and facts. By a variety of perception management tricks that preys on low critical thinking and built in prejudices, the media has demonized millions of ordinary folks while elevating others who suited their agenda. This category feels nothing has changed under Modi and feel let down by the first PM who conveys India and her civilizational pride. They see this social and legal distortion as the burning issue to be fixed and are losing hope that it will ever get fixed.

3. The closet `Singhis’: Overtly they say they support Modi as PM but have already decided that he has failed. These are not necessarily Congress party supporters but many well meaning folks who took pride in claiming that India had a PM who was an accomplished economist and decent human being. I have observed this pattern especially among a few smart, successful Sikhs who cannot digest the failure of Manmohan Singh as PM. This is clearly not about religion, it is just that a PM who was one of their own could have made them proud but ended his two terms being ridiculed and insulted.

4. The Status quo-ists: They have nothing against Modi personally but they hate him because he represents change. They see an orthogonal mind at work and a move toward structural disruption and this threatens their linear plans. Traders, Brokers, Industrialists, the Bureaucracy, and Intellectuals with preprogrammed DNAs who clearly found it easier to thrive under a predictable, venal arrangement. In this bucket are also people who like to claim that they are fair minded. `I actually want Modi to succeed but…’ is typically how they will start their narrative about how he can’t scale from a CM to a PM and how he needs to carry people with him and not be so autocratic. And with confirmation bias, they cherrypick slanted statistics.

5. Short-rope snipers: While they have given Modi a rope, it is very short and on the other hand they hold a sniper’s rifle. These are typically very smart academics and think tank types who are willing to hold their noses for some time only because they recognize that India was made ungovernable between 2012 and 2014. This category also includes folks who think he is a `vernie’ (someone who studied in a vernacular medium) and lacks the western sophistication. These snobs don’t fool me because I used to be one of them. Their mantra is `Not that we love Modi less but we love Raghuram Rajan more’ and includes economists and commentators on India’s economy. This group has a fantastic intellectual capacity but is theoretical in its approach. Most of them have never run anything in their lives, leave alone a turnaround situation. Their filters are macro and super macro. The types who are now saying `I too wished things would get better but you know I told you so, winning an election and running a government are different things’.

6. The Chatterati: This category has the glorious inheritors among in its club. They belong to tabloids and an assortment of institutions that exist only because of loyalty to some political dispensation. They have created halos around themselves through systematic PR. They are the celebrities whose only achievement is celebrityhood. This group prescribes what Modi should say, what he should wear and what he should do and not do. They even comment on the Defence and the Economy !

7. The Glitterati: Bollywood, and a few of the assorted `woods’ of India that are still unable to coin an original name for themselves and have a deep and long history of aligning themselves with the Modi baiters. From time to time, they smell the coffee and attempt to pay lip service to Modi’s governance. It does not take a lot for the façade to slip. A shout out from one of their pet categories about a crime and they quickly line up to blame Modi for creating an environment where `free speech’ is being trampled upon.

8. The Bitterati: Former Modi supporters who were hoping for some role in the government but have lost hope of getting anything. These are the folks who can easily put the nation ahead of themselves, and often struggle to do so, but the deep down, ambition gets the better of them. This includes politicians, former star CEOs, academicians, authors. They have allowed their feelings of self-aggrandisement transcend their feelings for the country. Among some, this bitterness is turning to schadenfreude.

9. The Forwarders: Urban India has millions of this category working in a typical corporate environment. Their world view is shaped by snatches of newspaper reading and TV and typically have that dangerous `half knowledge’ about most things. They will then troll social media for articles or commentary that confirms their bias and do their bit for the country by forwarding material and `Liking’ what they forward. They latch onto keywords like `Bhakt’ and paint Modi as someone who `spins’ achievements. And then go after his supporters viciously by denigrating their intelligence.

10. The insiders: As history has taught us, the one to fear the most is the enemy within. There are many in Modi’s party who will not want him to succeed. The fact that he is streets ahead of them in political astuteness, geopolitical vision and influence and in outcome-oriented governance makes them insecure. There are survival issues for them as well as issues of growth within the party and the government. When merit becomes the watchword in a feudal ethos, picture the panic.

The simple fact is that many of these folks agree that Modi is honest. They will broadly agree that he works hard even while pointing out that he travels too much. Pushed to the wall, they will even agree that his intent and commitment are strong. They will further ventilate that India is a mess and point to other countries (ah see Singapore!) as role models. Further, they know deep down that the earlier dispensation put the country in the Intensive Care Unit. They recognise that transmission of policy and governance sits on a complex, self-serving bureaucratic machine that can’t be wished away or transformed overnight. They frequently shout about how much India is divided on various lines, over centuries.

Now these same folks can see that many macro parameters are in India’s favor. They can see the strength of the Indian rupee after years of free fall. They can spend more time, do some independent research and understand the bottom up efforts being delivered through targeted governance.

But they will not give Modi an honest chance. They will not say `Finally we have a person of integrity who cares about our nation, who works hard and is getting folks around him to work hard, who is trying to make a difference, who has inherited a horrible situation, who has accepted that he could make mistakes, has reached out for ideas and help, who needs our support, our encouragement and reasonable time to repair the destruction’.

I wonder why.

 

[Joe Shearer]

Marked for answer later.

 

[Dungeness]

Marked for answer later.

Marked for your reply later.

 

[Joe Shearer]

Marked for your reply later.

A very interesting, and, for a change, very unemotional analysis. I wanted time to compose my thoughts; I oppose and even dislike Modi on so many fronts that an immediate reply might have been incoherent gibberish. At the same time, I don't want to allow this visceral dislike to cloud the genuine well-defined and clearcut differences that he has made, at least superficially and for the moment, in Indian foreign policy.

On the domestic front, there is nothing but bad news, EXCEPT that he seems to have made an effort at targetting individual corruption. Institutional corruption continues unabated.

@jbgt90

I wish you would join this thread. I will take another hour.

 

[ashok321]

This is Modi's BJP:

One minister lauds the Congress progress at the high offices of UNO, and the RSS leader disagrees:

https://twitter.com/x/status/914013821349486592

Modi pehle apna ghar sambhal bhai..

 

[Kdpreddy]

On the domestic front, there is nothing but bad news, EXCEPT that he seems to have made an effort at targetting individual corruption. Institutional corruption continues unabated.

I will debate on this, only if you are earnest.
Let us NOT debate on superficial things but on more meaningful things like Economy, defence, internal security, health care, education & Infrastructure.
Both sides must back their claims with numbers and comparison. The reason for comparison is the need to have a starting point. We can not compare Modi to some superficial ideal we hold to but to a more tangible reference point which in this case would be his predecessors.

A suggestion - no name calling from either side during the course of the debate. Terms like liberal, secular or Bhakth would only rise useless emotions and cloud our points, how ever well articulated they are.

Lastly, I don't want to have debate on things like intolerance or somethings similar. There would be no point to do so since there is no way to measure it except on emotional level.

 

[Joe Shearer]

I will debate on this, only if you are earnest.
Let us NOT debate on superficial things but on more meaningful things like Economy, defence, internal security, health care, education & Infrastructure.
Both sides must back their claims with numbers and comparison. The reason for comparison is the need to have a starting point. We can not compare Modi to some superficial ideal we hold to but to a more tangible reference point which in this case would be his predecessors.

A suggestion - no name calling from either side during the course of the debate. Terms like liberal, secular or Bhakth would only rise useless emotions and cloud our points, how ever well articulated they are.

Lastly, I don't want to have debate on things like intolerance or somethings similar. There would be no point to do so since there is no way to measure it except on emotional level.

With respect, I follow my own rules, and this is an open forum. Please don't tell me what to do or what not to do. I left kindergarten a few years ago, and do not need a nanny much. I may in future, but till then......

 

[Kdpreddy]

With respect, I follow my own rules, and this is an open forum. Please don't tell me what to do or what not to do. I left kindergarten a few years ago, and do not need a nanny much. I may in future, but till then......

well, at least I tried...
Let the crap fest begin I guess.

 

[Dungeness]

A very interesting, and, for a change, very unemotional analysis. I wanted time to compose my thoughts; I oppose and even dislike Modi on so many fronts that an immediate reply might have been incoherent gibberish. At the same time, I don't want to allow this visceral dislike to cloud the genuine well-defined and clearcut differences that he has made, at least superficially and for the moment, in Indian foreign policy.

On the domestic front, there is nothing but bad news, EXCEPT that he seems to have made an effort at targetting individual corruption. Institutional corruption continues unabated.

@jbgt90

I wish you would join this thread. I will take another hour.

It is just my observation that many Indians, frustrated with India's slow progress and the failure of previous administrations, peg too much hope of a strong India on Modi, and some may even view Modi as the Savior of India and wish him to remain as PM for indefinite time. Modi may make waves here and there, but he is not going to fix fundamental social issues that India faces, and it doesn't matter how many terms he is in the position.

 

[jetray]

At the same time, I don't want to allow this visceral dislike to cloud the genuine well-defined and clearcut differences that he has made, at least superficially and for the moment, in Indian foreign policy.

Well time will tell whether the changes are superficial or not. Until then its better not to be judgemental about it.

Institutional corruption continues unabated.

so what? dint congress get the same benefit for years together lets extend the same benefit to current govt as well.

We simply cannot compare the current govt in isolation and hold them to highest standards. That would be total hypocrisy at the best. They should be compared to the other contenders in the ring, congress or the third front who already had their shot at governance.

 

[noksss]

It is just my observation that many Indians, frustrated with India's slow progress and the failure of previous administrations, peg too much hope of a strong India on Modi, and some may even view Modi as the Savior of India and wish him to remain as PM for indefinite time. Modi may make waves here and there, but he is not going to fix fundamental social issues that India faces, and it doesn't matter how many terms he is in the position.

Hmmm lets check the progress he made on one of the main fundamental issue which India faces and made fun of most of the time

Let the figures do the talking: As per Census 2011, more than five in 10 households did not have a toilet or individual household latrine (IHHL) in technical lingo. Further broken down, this translated to nearly seven in 10 rural homes not having a toilet and almost two in 10 urban homes where family members had to defecate in the open. Against that, the survey found, only less than three in 10 households (26.75 per cent) are without a toilet in the country (against 50 per cent as per the 2011 census). The improvement is dramatic in rural India where the number of households without toilets has come down to 32.5 per cent (from 69 per cent). That is, toilet coverage has more than doubled in rural India in these three years. For urban areas that number is 14.5 per cent (down from 18 per cent).

Now on to toilet usage. The survey found that more than nine in 10 (91.29 per cent) rural households having access to a toilet are actually using it. The results are similar for urban areas. Of 73 cities that participated in Swachh Survekshan 2016, 54 cities have improved their score in overall municipal solid waste management in 2017. Here again, there is anecdotal evidence that open defecation persists in cities declared ODF but these are isolated cases. Even if we are not yet at 100 per cent, isn’t 90 per cent plus a remarkable number, considering the daunting scale of the mission?


http://indianexpress.com/article/op...ign-open-defacation-pm-narendra-modi-4864496/

 

[Joe Shearer]

well, at least I tried...
Let the crap fest begin I guess.

Don't be a pessimist. Don't be surprised if people follow your guidelines as if they were well-meaning suggestions. But leave it at suggesting these.

 

[Kdpreddy]

We simply cannot compare the current govt in isolation and hold them to highest standards. That would be total hypocrisy at the best. They should be compared to the other contenders in the ring, congress or the third front who already had their shot at governance.

Let's give the other side a chance to see if they use statistics and compare to previous govts to declare the current one as BAD.
If it's generic, then there is nothing to debate. Modi has already won.

 

[Joe Shearer]

Well time will tell whether the changes are superficial or not. Until then its better not to be judgemental about it.

We cannot wait to see that impending failure has become achieved failure. The time to judge the situation is now.

so what? dint congress get the same benefit for years together lets extend the same benefit to current govt as well.

We simply cannot compare the current govt in isolation and hold them to highest standards. That would be total hypocrisy at the best. They should be compared to the other contenders in the ring, congress or the third front who already had their shot at governance.

No, the Congress did not get the benefit (disclaimer: I am not a Congress supporter, but an opponent of the Congress and its leadership). They were left in power because there was no viable alternative and they won elections.

Each government has to be held accountable for the highest standards, not the highest standards previously achieved, but the highest possible achievable standards. And the possible is defined by international standards, not our own enfeebled hand-waving.

We do not need to compare our present government to any other government to judge its quality; we might as well compare it to that of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, and come away reassured by the improvement achieved.

 

[Kdpreddy]

Each government has to be held accountable for the highest standards, not the highest standards previously achieved, but the highest possible achievable standards. And the possible is defined by international standards, not our own enfeebled hand-waving.

We do not need to compare our present government to any other government to judge its quality; we might as well compare it to that of Muhammad bin Tughlaq, and come away reassured by the improvement achieved.

Seriously mate, we are not asking you to compare it to that.
For any rational debate to happen there has to be a starting point.

Although your utopian idea of the highest possible standards is laudable, it cannot happen with snap of a finger. To reach your idea of highest standards, changes WILL be incremental.

A nation is like a family. The parents earn money and budget it to the needs. If the earnings are 1lakh per month, the family can go and spend every weekend at the local mall having fun.
If the earnings are 50K per month, then probably once a month at the mall.
If the earnings are 10k per month, then you stick to your TV each weekend and adjust with it.
That's the brutal reality of any family, ergo, any nation.

If we spend extra on Education, we are cutting the money from health care. If we are spending on Infra, we are probably cutting from defence. It's that simple.

The utopia you want and we all crave for can not happen without drastic changes.
Ergo, One can't cry for changes and complain about Demonetization & GST.