BJP's low self-esteem and The Economist 'certificate' to Modi

Bangalore: In my short, not very successful association with the BJP, I have discovered that the crucial problem with the organisation is low self-esteem. With good reason, its opponents will say, but there is really no need for anyone to pull them down. They are down all by themselves. The traditional BJP has no self belief. Narendra Modi frightens them because he is full of it.

There is one more problem: a serious lack of intelligence.

Take this flap the party is making about the article in The Economist. The weekly says it has to "recommend" to Indian voters the Congress over Modi or, indeed to the BJP, anybody but him for the PM's post. Why? Because, he is communal, says the editorial.

Now, do you think the Labour Party of UK would have cared if the India Today, for instance, had written an edit piece during the Iraq disaster calling its 'crusader' Tony Blair "communal"? Nah. Not a chance. Was Blair communal? You bet.

So why care what some silly editor of the magazine writes? The Economist, about a year ago, was confidently saying that P Chidambaram would be preferred as the PM candidate over Rahul in the 2014 polls. Chidambaram is not even contesting. So much for what The Economist thinks or cares.

But what I found delightful is this part of the piece:

"No wonder that the overwhelming favourite to become India's next prime minister is the Bharatiya Janata Party's Narendra Modi. He could not be more different from Rahul Gandhi, his Congress party rival. The great-grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first premier, Mr Gandhi would ascend to office as if by divine right. Mr Modi is a former tea-seller propelled to the top by sheer ability. Mr Gandhi seems not to know his own mind-even whether he wants power. Mr Modi's performance as chief minister of Gujarat shows that he is set on economic development and can make it happen. Mr Gandhi's coalition is tainted by corruption. By comparison Mr Modi is clean."

So, where are those economic parameters that were supposed to show Gujarat in bad light? What happened to those numbers?

Again, without a single reservation about Modi's performance in economic terms, the magazine says:

"If Mr Modi were to explain his role in the violence (of 2002) and show genuine remorse, we would consider backing him, but he never has; it would be wrong for a man who has thrived on division to become prime minister of a country as fissile as India. We do not find the prospect of a government led by Congress under Mr Gandhi an inspiring one. But we have to recommend it to Indians as the less disturbing option."

India is "fissile"? So, when is the Scottish referendum, eh?

"We would consider backing him..."??

Too bad, Modi. The Economist is not backing you.

There is more absurd stuff:

"If, more probably, victory goes to the BJP, its coalition partners should hold out for a prime minister other than Mr Modi."

The Economist should send its editors to the NDA meeting on May 16. They'll surely need help. The BJP is really short of the pompous.

The article is written by Prakash Belawadi. He is a noted journalist and a theatre person from Bangalore. He is a co-founder of Centre of Film and Drama and Suchitra School of Cinema and Dramatic Arts at the Suchitra Cinema and Cultural Academy campus in Bangalore.