Even though they could sense the utilization of power for preparing grounds for the succession, the economic growth was comfortable than the previous era to provide them hop of improvement in their life sooner o later. New emergent leader exploited their cravings for economic comforts through a promise of greater growth rate, got in the top seat. But either due to internal pressures or on its pretext brought the growth to be standstill with his two harsh measures. It was much easier to drive the large numbers to anchor themselves to age old but irrelevant in modern era kind of traditions. The frequent outbursts of anger by the Fan club in messages in social media indicate.
The Prime Minister NaMo did not suffer from craving to be irreplaceable India leader for Indians alone. He was seeking the international fame to maintain the impression that he wanted entire India to move in next century long before reaching the end of half of the current century. He gave impression of being the secular mind through his periodic outbursts of seeking to improve social and personal life for the Muslims while his main party did not miss a single opportunity to downgrade them. The height was NaMo delivering in public a rebuke to his home minister in February 2020 to deny that his government had any proposal to start work on preparing register o citizens of India.
But NaMo could not add political weight to his assertion and assure the minds of lower categories to believe in his denial by seeking changes in his cabinet. The Muslims remained agitated over their apprehension that they would be denied in future rights of being citizens and thus converted to be sub-citizens as not government could get rid of such vast numbers of residents. For every other country they are Indians, brought up in same culture, breathed same air, drank same water and consumed same food grown in India for few years but for seven centuries.
Those who convert the Muslims to be outsiders and thus make them unwanted enemies in order to consolidate the Hindu to be ardent supporters and voters of the Sangh ideology overlook the basic democratic min of Indians and their spirit of tolerance. For five thousand years, India had no centralized political or religious authority. It could not be as Indians were given innumerable options to choose from as their family god or goddess unlike in three religions, conceived and grown on concept of one god only. Not only freedom o choice but also tolerance and respect for other Indians’ choices. The secular mind of Indians has grown like it but the new fan club goes further to add hatred for the Congress s they are led to believe that the Muslims were treated as pampered lot by the previous regimes at their costs. The Muslims on other hand believe they gained no concrete benefits in the previous regimes even though they were pampered to ensure their votes.
Anis Patel, former Municipal Corporation Counselor of Surat pointed out that The Muslim parents began insisting on modern education to their boys and girls for the fear that no Muslim boy would have any bone in their body unbroken if caught in any activity in roaming. The fear of the NaMo era improved the Muslim literacy rate in Gujarat to be at par with other communities’ literacy proportions. The imagined dread worked wonders. Salim Mohamed Marxist Member of Parliament confirmed to me personally that the left lost power in Bengal after 35 years uninterrupted rein on the question by the Muslim leaders why the Muslim literacy rate in Bengal remained stuck at 43 per cent for three decades but improved to reach 73 per cent in ten years of the Modi raj in Gujarat? Salim had no convincing answer and unhappy Muslim deserted the left coalition to vote for Mamta Bannerji.
No rational explanation is found in sustained campaign for a decade by Narendra Modi as the Gujarat chief minister for coverage of Muslim girls in the modern education ambit. Not only he stood at the door steps of the Muslim homes to take the girls for admission to schools at the beginning of each academic year but had insisted that his ministers do the same in different districts.
Yet many with the conservative minds spew venom and believe that the legislation to ban the right or the prevalent practice only in the Indian sub continent that allowed the cancellation of written contract for marriage with three times oral pronouncement of cancellation by any Muslim male, to be a great blow to the community. They do not see in their narrow conservative minds that legislation is a boon to all Muslim women as it ended uncertainty to their marital life. Earlier they were not certain when it would or could end and make them destitute without any helping hand extended. The grateful Muslim women were given identity and belief that they were humans. The medium of masses had earlier brought to them the great campaign in Gujarat for a decade that he not only recognized their right but also openly admitted the capability and potential of Muslim girls.
The NaMo approach thus reflects a dual personality. It appears that he is more misunderstood by his conservative minded supporters and secularists do not see or do not want to see what is hidden under the bhagva garment. My friends believe that my age has affected my intelligence faculties to make me see light where is does not beam. But only future can tell us who is right.
DANGERS OF SLOWER ECONOMIC GROWTH
Vijay Sanghvi - 2021-01-11 17:50
The aspirations for the economic comforts were growing more rapidly than the economy in the first four decades of post independence era and suddenly the economy growth became faster to induce the social transformation. Politicians and analysts found it much easier to blame the eras of the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi for slower economic growth. By then larger numbers had moved to urban areas in search of better life. They were not equipped with needed skills for survival in urban life. They were dazzled by comforts of the urban life provided to most but they were disappointed as urban population refused to accommodate them. The social distance between the traditional but corrupt elite and new migrants confined to live in slums and wait for food in cities continued to be increased. They became the raw material for the populist nationalist elements with a promise of high paced growth and employment generation. They were malleable young minds to be easily impressed.