Why right looks left

Wcame out with a stinging piece on Narendra Modi, arguing that voting him in as Prime Minister would be a mistake, the reaction from the normally voluble Bharatiya Janata Party spokespersons and sympathisers was somewhat subdued. Apart from the usual “we don’t need endorsement from abroad” kind of statements, which were echoed by the party faithful on social media, the strong editorial by the respected magazine went by with barely a ripple. Even the normally hyperventilating television anchors let it pass without much ado. Subramaniam Swamy, in his usual bombastic style said it was an “attempt to interfere in our internal affairs”. But that was about it.

The editorial was unequivocal in its antipathy towards the BJP’s main man: “But for now he should be judged on his record — which is that of a man who is still associated with sectarian hatred. There is nothing modern, honest or fair about that. India deserves better.” There was some surprise that such strong words came from a pro-business, “rightwing” magazine such as the Economist, but rightwingers can be pro-civil liberties too. Capitalism with a human face is not just a fancy phrase, something that Mr Modi’s followers forget. Opening up opportunities for businesses is great and will always be welcomed by investors. But it need not be at the cost of lives and livelihoods. The Economist noted that Mr Modi has not explained the 2002 violence, and nor has he expressed genuine hen the weekly magazine Economist remorse. Thus, it could not back him.

Since the Economist editorial, many voices have appeared warning against Mr Modi’s ascension. These are not the usual political rivals or the opinion writers who would be expected to criticise him. A group of 100 well-known Indian names — intellectuals, if you will — have issued a statement, followed by a similar appeal by a group of high-profile writers, artists and academics such as Salman Rushdie and Anish Kapoor who say that Mr Modi’s possible elevation to the country’s prime ministership will “bode ill for the country’s future and image.”

And now, almost as if in concert, several quality British newspapers have carried sharp articles expressing their concern over the imminent rise of Mr Modi. Peter Popham, who was a correspondent in India during the Gujarat riots, writes: “Nobody who, like me, was in Mr Modi’s state 12 years ago and witnessed the carnage that took the lives of hundreds of Muslims in bloody, brutal and tightly organised pogroms can suppress a shiver of horror at the thought that this man may now be about to join the world’s top table.”

The Times called Mr Modi “potentially big trouble” and Amol Rajan, editor of the Independent, was even more lacerating: “The chargesheet against Narendra Damodardas Modi is familiar and well founded: the stench of Hindu nationalism covers him.”

Clearly, while Mr Modi has a lot of support from the NRIs, the intelligentsia, if that is the word here, is strongly against him. The BJP knows that; Ravi Shankar Prasad, the party’s spokesman, was quoted as saying after the Rushdie letter: “These comments are prejudiced, biased and some of these people have entertained a pathological hatred towards Mr Modi for years. The BJP has grown in spite of their opposition for so many years and the Left has gone down in spite of their support because the people of India trust in Mr Modi and the BJP to save India from all ills that India is suffering.”

In the BJP’s book, therefore, such reactions are not just genuine political opposition but a sign of “pathological hatred” towards Mr Modi.

For some reason Mr Prasad brings up the Left, echoing the oftrepeated line of the BJP that the world of academia, journalism and the arts is a bastion of privileged Leftist culture which has long nurtured a bias towards anyone who does not agree with them.

That many an academic or journalist will protest at being called “Leftist” does not matter to the BJP — that is the one-catch all term for all critics. It is a useful view since it identifies the enemy and also creates a grievance, which can then be used to ward off any potential criticism. Should Mr Modi apologise for the Gujarat riots? Never. It is a Congress-Left conspiracy to blame him after the “clean chit”.

But try as it might to dismiss such articles and petitions, especially in the foreign press, the BJP yearns for approval from the intelligentsia. That has always been its one big weak spot and

The BJP yearns for approval from the intelligentsia.

Despite its gung-ho triumphalism, it has never managed to win the endorsement of the top

names in the world of letters

despite its gung-ho triumphalism, it has never managed to get the endorsement of the top names in the world of letters and thought.

During Atal Behari Vajpayee’s rule, the economist Jagdish Bhagwati had said about the government’s inhouse talent: “If these guys are economists, then I am a Bharatnatyam dancer.” It was a harsh rebuke and one that Mr Bhagwati would no doubt prefer to forget, since he is now batting for Mr Modi and even wrote a strong letter to the Economist defending his hero.

Since those years, many well-known Indian economists have emphatically but discreetly extended their support to Mr Modi as have some journalists and academics (though literary types and artists have been less forthcoming). That should please the BJP, but does it? Only last week on a television show this writer saw Mr Prasad again attack a well-known columnist for the latter’s sceptical views on Mr Modi by once again talking of how “intellectuals” have always been against the prime ministerial candidate.

If indeed there is a wave of support for Mr Modi (as the BJP insists there is), then why care for the views of a tiny minority? Their opinions will not sway the voters in UP or Bihar or indeed anywhere else, so the best way to deal with a columnist would be to say, “He is entitled to his opinion, but we don’t care.” But no, they do care. It’s one thing to get the backing of the hinterland voter or the smart techie or indeed the suited businessmen, all of whom are salivating at the prospect of a “strong and decisive” leader taking over the reins of power, but a craving for that pat on the back by the “Left-liberal” intelligentsia always remains. And that is not going to come any time soon. The writer can be

contacted at sidharth01@gmail.com