Modi as King Lear or Wounded Duryadhan of Mahabharata

Radhakanta Barik

While conducting the viva for dissertations of MA students in Jamia Millia Islamia  a leading place for teaching Public Administration today one realizes the importance of the coming of the sixth  phase of voting for 2019 general election. In a triangular contest Delhi is not going as cake walk for the BJP. The social support of the BJP comes from the trading class and in two constituencies they are going to dominate politics. Two things have ruined the trading class: one GST in true sense Gabbar Singh tax which has affected them badly and they are angry against the BJP. The number two is this most of their shops are closed because of the reinforcement of sealing laws as most their shops in some pockets have got closed. Closure of business has affected a million of workers who got unemployed. As the BJP a traders' party is no more for the traders, it is a party of industrialists has created a havoc in Delhi's everyday life. In the 2014 general election they had an army of retired persons while campaigned for the BJP, today they are silent and they are not active in parks and market areas. The Congress Party has an edge over the BJP in Delhi. The third party is coming up AAP which has improved the schools and local hospitals without building new hospitals or schools may help them as the third force. It seems that Delhi is going to play hide and seek game with the BJP and as it is a traditional bastion of the party.

Modi came to power five years back and he does not want to face the loss of power which is imminent. In the State of Gujarat he came to power in 2002 but wanted to remain in power by inventing Godhra which polarised the voters of Gujarat. After staying in power for such a lengthy period some time in 2012 he decided to have power in Delhi according to the Wikileaks which got published in the Hindu. Then he started planning with the friends such as Ambani, Adani and the RSS headquarters. This created an opportunity in 2014 when there was a campaign initiated by the Aam Admi party fighting against corruption with the help of the RSS. This emboldened Modi to lead the BJP from the front foot in giving a slogan 'Ache din' which appealed to voters in the North and West and who voted him to power. After he came to power he brought Amit Shah as the Home Minister of Gujarat created a situation of terror which helped him in power. Modi and Shah gave a slogan that India would be Congress Muktha Bharat. But to their dismays he found three BJP ruled States of North India went to the Congress. In such a moment he played a diabolical game along with the foxy Amit Shah and staged the Pulwama exactly like the Godhra in 2002. Then after campaigning for four phases he now realizes that he has to leave his seat. This makes him lose balance and desperately make very mean statements against Rajeev Gandhi calling him as the most vrasta father of Rahul Gandhi, but truth is contrary to the story floated by Modi. Rajeev Gandhi faced an Inquiry Committee by the Parliament and CBI and they did not find any such link. Rajeev Gandhi died as a hero in the hands of the terrorists. Here Modi is not ready to face the Inquiry headed by Parliamentary Committee in the case of Rafael or by the Supreme Court which has decided to review the case. He has to face his karma like Rahul says.

Modi claims that he came to play in Gujarat in 2002 as one day player not a five day match. There is no understanding of Indian or western aesthetics which appreciates the cricket game and enjoys like reading a great classic. He came to Ahmadabad for one day match and played in such a manner that after almost two decades people are remembering his cruelty towards his own people. He reinvented Godhra while playing in one day match then found his theory that it is the conspiracy of Muslims created the train fire. He always reached the conclusion before the investigation started. Then the IPS officers like Asthana who supported his theory and got promoted to the CBI as Dy Director where he is being charged by the Supreme Court as corrupt. After reaching Delhi and he has reinvented the cricket game as 20-20 which is being supported Imran Khan of Pakistan. While playing the game he reinvented Pulwama where security lapses led to terrorist attacks and he blamed Pakistan. In this case his Security chief Ajit Dobal is helping him. Then accidentally he hit a six which reached Balakot of Pakistan where the ball is not found but he claimed it is a six plus an additional one run because of no ball played by his opponent. Then he claimed that he is the only cricket player who scored 7 runs in one ball for which he must be reelected as the army and retired defense personnel are supporting him. Moreover, Imran Khan is being supported by Army in Pakistan is supporting him as the best player in 20-20 game where black money and sex both get combined in one go which is charming for the Indian middle class.

After the Hindutva forces have come to power they follow a new logic of politics that it is money and religion can get them elected. This has vitiated the political atmosphere of India which is threatening democracy. A new trend has started by giving envelopes to somebody whom you want to influence with the help of money. The electronic media has been pushed to their laps of these people as known as Godhi media which shows everything fake and exaggerated manner for Modi and Shah and they do not provide the space for the opposition. It is against the spirit of Indian democracy as the Print Media has a glorious history which played a decisive role in fighting against imperialism as a scholar tells in his book that most of the newspapers started as a part of the national movement. This tradition is getting subverted by the politics of envelope which carries money. They know how to influence the voters through a journalist paid by them. It is interesting to note here that there are now brave civil servants who are acting as the toughs against these malpractices involved by the ruling party. One IAS officer dared to look into the plane of Modi when he reached in Sambalpur as an election observer. Today another young woman IAS officer who took a serious note of the incident happened in Leh where she is collector and returning officer acted against the journalist and BJP candidate who bribed the journalist through politics of envelopes. Let us appreciate the action of these honest officers and honest journalists are working against the Hindutva even though they are bribed by these people.

 Modi looks like a wounded soldier in the political battle today. This happened to Duryodhan in the Mahabharata battle. In one night he ran away from the battle field. While crossing the river no dead body helped except his son. After crossing the river he looked at the face of his son he cried. He went to his mother and lied in her lap but mother told to back to the battle field before morning. Modi planned seven phases of election to tell his man his false bravado. 

He has no stories then falls back on ghost stories. Like Rajeev Gandhi took his family for holidaying to a naval ship which is found untrue. He has destroyed the economy. The facts exposing his achievement in area of economic growth and it has found that 30000 industries are only paper but these industries were taken into account while calculating the economic growth of a country. It is like unemployment rate which is the highest in the last forty three years but the data by the Government department have not yet released but got published in a newspaper.  He has created problems for army by bringing its role into politics. People start believing that Pulwama is another Godhra. He has made only enemies in politics be Naveen to Mamata. Modi while campaigning do not follow any rule of the game. He told Naveen Patnaik in a stunt that his government would be washed away like Tripura in the last assembly election. Naveen Patnaik has made a stunt in a reply to Modi that he would take oath as the chief minister of Odisha for fifth times and would send in an invitation even though Modi becomes an Ex PM. Mamanta told that the slap from democracy would be strong enough to Modi to remain silent which has got twisted by Modi that her slap would be a blessing to Modi.  Everyone is against such a leader who lacks a vision. Before coming two rounds Modi has fled away to his mother not to his wife. Fascists do not survive as people hate them.

Anupam Kher while campaigning for the BJP in Chandigarh faced an embarrassing moment as a shopkeeper brought out the election manifesto of the party in 2014 general election and showed him. Kher without answering him running away from the shop which is being shown. Kher a film star is running away from the crowd and Modi is running away from the voters. Both have a similarity as both are theatre persons as politics requires theatrical postures. But audiences find them as poor showmen. Let Modi know that India' s voters will teach him a lesson as his theatrics are in poor taste.

 Modi is going but Moditva is going to remain. Pahadi society is based on the principles of tolerance and respect for pluralism. Today this society is torn apart. Yesterday a Dalit succumbed to attacks by three caste Hindu men. Two women in Pithoragarh got raped. Meat shop owner in Almora got attacked by these hoodlums. They are allowed to eat everything as no restriction is imposed by moral order. This expresses the Hindutva are desperate to create problems before the fall of Modi.

 There is an odia poem on Chowkidar by Rajendra Nath Behera regarding the plight. "Kintu bula kukura, hoi jai security guard. Ama parichit raj rastare, bina posak o masika daramare. " A stray dog turns into a security guard on our known road without dress and without salary. A Chowkidar's life is compared with a stray dog. Our prime minister chowkidar claims that he is a chowkidar but without doing any work for them. It seems that these chowkidars are angry against Modi and may behave like stray dogs without food and dress who would bite Modi if necessary.

 6th round of voting which is going to happen on Sunday (12-4-19) it would bring anger like King Lear faced after handing over the kingdom to his daughters who played foul with him. He lost mental balance like Modi today. He is behaving like the King Lear as told by Shakespeare “we often ruin a good thing,” that Modi through his actions of demonetization and GST have ruined a good thing like Indian economy. He can be compared with King Lear who ruined a prosperous kingdom.

Prof Radhakanta Barik, retired as Professor, Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi

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Frontier
May 13, 2019