Indira Gandhi won the first ever election in the Congress Parliamentary Party in 1967. The old guard was opposed to Morarji Desai a strong contender. The then Congress president K Kamaraj conveyed to her that herein after it would be joint leadership. She comprehended as a notice that the old guard will rule using her as a mask. She decided to fight it out after her defeat in the parliamentary board over the candidate for impending presidential election. She won with defeat of the party candidate Dr. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy but widened the scope for inevitable divide of the Congress. She gave a leftist tilt to the Indian economy to make the rightist old guards as well as the Jan Sangh and the Swatantra party that had emerged in 1967 elections.

In July 1969 she nationalized 20 major banks to provoke Morarji Desai to resign. Impression gained was that a weak woman, as she was nicknamed as a dumb doll had snatched away money of rich. The opposition played to her advantage with accusation that she was violating the constitution in seeking to abolish privy purses of former rulers. It was used to build a new image for her that the weak woman was ready to defy even constitution for the sake of poor. The masses believed that she would keep her promise of delivering two meals a day to all poor. The foundation of her resort to personality oriented regime was built on her victory over the combined opposition supported by the business magnates and heralded by media dons. Against all predictions of maximum 150 seats, she bagged a massive mandate leaving everyone stunned. Her path to personalized regime was in her belief that she could and would reach people directly. Strong party machinery may be cumbersome to her politics.

It led to extinction of internal democracy in her party with introduction of method of nominations for all posts at her pleasure and withdrawal at her displeasure. Even chief ministers were chosen at her pleasure. Fear of loss made them to always please her. Instead of delivering her electoral promise, she advanced new excuse each year for the delay. The patience of poor dimmed out by 1974 and they began to lend their ears to her opponents.

She penalized Chimanbhai Patel who became Gujarat chief minister in July 1973 by defying her dictum of selecting chief ministers, by encouraging and financing the student’s movement. It led to unrest in other states and even the successful nuclear test in May 1974 did not impress masses with her regime. The imposition of the emergency in June 1975 was merely an admission of failure of her personalized regimes. The emergency did not help her to return to power. Lack of strong party machinery had snapped her contacts with the existing realities. Only strong willed persons with self respect alone dare to give correct picture. The lack has persisted as its erosion of geographic and social reach indicates.

In 2014 Narendra Modi presented the model of personality oriented regime after his unprecedented feat of winning the clear mandate for the election symbol that persistently failed for 14 elections. His rule of Gujarat gave him insight to comprehend psyche of masses. Religion was important as it lent identity but would not give the bread twice a day. Hence religious issues cannot make voter’s political mind. The promise of and hope for economic betterment through a regular job can help. He also could see that the agriculture based economy cannot grow fast and give more jobs. Hence the religious issues were replaced with a dream of economy based future. His tongue could curdle fences even. Attracting young needed new dream to vote for. He sold it to Delhi college students in July 2013 by explaining half water filled glass also contains life savior content. It started chorus demanding his accession to lead the BJP for 2014 election. To avoid a potential split in the party and also as not even one winning character on its national dais, the Sangh conceded.

First sign of his different political pattern was in his priority of toilets before temple. It indicated he thought the Gandhi path was more relevant than the Sangh teachings. It was confirmed by his relegating the identity of the BJP to the bottom of the agenda with the centre space devoted to the economic dream. The party and its known leaders were also denied any role in the stormy campaign seeking the Modi government with BJP assigned no role. It was further side lined as he basked in the glorious sun of the world attention. The most enduring picture was on the President of China Xi Jinping on the traditional Indian swing in the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmadabad with the Indian Prime Minister talking to him.

He reduced stature of his colleagues in the Cabinet, closed his doors on the party members. Media was shunned. Only select business tycoons were included in his teams on his foreign visits. It was perhaps to reflect his earnest desire to rapidly expand pace of economic growth. He even bypassed the resistance by the Congress to his reforms to ease hurdles to foreign investments and production units by taking recourse to ordinances. He had to beat his tracks after the Sangh put its front shops to resist his reforms. Perhaps the Sangh did not believe in possibility of his unprecedented feat. It became the curse for him as pressure was intensified on him to return to the old agenda. He remained silent but his campaign for the 2019 election indicates his personality oriented politics has reached the end.

He erased the identity of the party before the last election campaign was launched. Stature and political reach of top leaders was reduced and utility of the party was made irrelevant for mass contact by shifting to other mediums. That leaves a big question which party he stands by and is battling for to win back the seat of power?