Modi and the Liberals

This article makes a point that I have made a few times before but which seems worth repeating: Narendra Modi has been compared to many heads of government but there is one man who he has not been compared to: Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th President of the United States.

Nixon was forced to resign from office because of the relentless pursuit by the liberal establishment of the eastern side of America — Nixon was from the West. He is now regarded as one of the most successful of the 20th century US Presidents.

Nixon had to quit because he broke some American law. But that was merely the excuse for the “liberals” to intensify the pursuit.

The hounding had begun almost as soon as he was sworn in. The American liberals had decided long, long ago that he was unfit to govern the US — as if their darling, John F Kennedy was. Nixon could do nothing right, just as for India’s liberals, Modi can’t.

In the end, if nothing else, that Nixon episode proved one thing: There is no one more dangerous than a liberal out on a fox hunt.

It also showed that the illiberality of the liberals is one of the greatest paradoxes of our time. A great deal has been written on the subject but the depravities of the deeply devout continue to defy explanation.

In a most disturbing echo of the Nixon experience, India’s urban liberals decided long ago that Modi was unfit to govern India. And ever since May 2014, this lot has gone after him with absolute singlemindedness.

So much do they detest Modi that they are quite prepared to side with fools, villains charlatans and crooks instead. There are quite a few of them around.

His own enemy

But the whole “Remove Modi” project seems to be going awry now. Unless there is a massive change in mood, it looks as if he will form the next government as well in a few weeks from now.

Nixon, too, had got re-elected in 1972 until his foolishness led to his downfall. The question, therefore, is if this could happen to Modi as well.

By now it is well-known that Modi loves to exaggerate, at least on public platforms. In private, however, from what I have gathered, he seems to be completely different.

Now as his second term approaches, he should ask himself what he can do to present the real Modi to the country. His Roosevelt-like Mann Ki Baat chats have clearly not done the job.

If he becomes the PM again, Modi may respond in one of two ways. He may continue to think that he doesn’t need the liberals — Nixon made the same mistake because of his inferiority complex — or he could try and cultivate them.

One simple way of doing so would be to give Muslims at least 15 per cent of the tickets in the coming general election. This will douse many a liberal fire. If they lose, well, how can anyone blame Modi for that?

He should also start rewarding the liberals because most of them are anxious for recognition. To be sure, some of them may reject the rewards but I am willing to bet that most of them will be glad to be co-opted.

Even if he doesn’t want to give them some official post, he can at least invite them for tea in small groups once a month on Sundays. If nothing else he will have the pleasure of ruining their weekend. The pleasure will be doubled if his guests go out thinking “Hey, he is not such a bad sort, after all.”

Softly, gently

Above all, as I had written in October 2017, Modi will have to show that he can function effectively in a large coalition, which requires him to accommodate persons with different views of India in his council of ministers.

Indeed, in some ways, this is going to be his biggest challenge because so far, from the time he became chief minister till now, he has never had to do so.

To conclude, let me list three tests for judging Modi in his second term should he get one. How he approaches ideas that differ from his own; how many tickets he gives to Muslims; and how he distributes ministerial posts amongst his party colleagues and those from the rest of the National Democratic Alliance.

A good starting point would be to not give the portfolio of human resource development to a BJP MP.