इसलिए मोदी

16 May 1996. I was just a small kid who had no interest in politics. An event, which took place that day, changed it. That day, I saw a certain pride and hope in my father's eyes as an old man said "Main, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, ...". At that time, I didn't know why my father felt that way, but it meant that I supported Atalji during his tenure as PM. It also started my interest in politics which has only increased with time.

By the time, 2004 came, I had been following politics for 8 years, and in my limited understanding, thought that NDA government had done a decent job. Also, I was in awe of Atalji due to his oratory. I was upset that I was not eligible to vote. I wanted to vote for Atalji as PM. Needless to say, I was sad when results came. The biggest disappointment was the fact that I would never get to vote for that visionary man. 

Over the years, as my understanding has increased (mainly thanks to social media and friends), my compatibility with BJP has increased. It is now not merely because my dad supported it. I support BJP on all three of the core issues (Ram Janmabhoomi, removal of Article 370 and implementation of Uniform Civil Code). I am appalled at the 'secularism' in which "tilak bhi lagana padega aur topi bhi pehenni padegi". I am ashamed at the 'preparedness' of our defence forces. I am angry at the way our economic progress of NDA years has been withered away. For me, these are the three main issues in these elections: Secularism, Security and Economy.

Let us start with the pet topic of so many who oppose Modi: Gujarat 2002. If BJP is communal because of Gujarat 2002, then what about Bhagalpur, Nellie, Hashimpura, Moradabad, Bombay, Muzzafarnagar? Even for 2002, what about Congress leader Haji Bilal, the chief conspirator of Godhra massacre? What about Meghsingh Chaudhary, another Congress leader, who led the mob at Gulbarga society and killed Ehsan Jaffri? Let me put it bluntly: India in general and Gujarat in particular has a history of communal violence. If we disqualified every party in whose tenure riots took place, we would be left with none. Moreover, 2002 riots are not a one-off incident for Gujarat. We used to have curfews every year. There was not a single Rath Yatra which would pass off peacefully. So, why this insistence that all others were spontaneous and only 2002 was state sponsored? In India, we follow the dictum of "Innocent until proven Guilty" but why in 2002 is it "Guilty even after proven Innocent"?

The past decade has been the only decade in Gujarat for a long time without a major riot. Does that count for nothing? Gujarat has the highest conviction rate, by a fair margin, among all the riots which have taken place in India. Does that count for nothing? Maya Kodnani is the only high profile politician to be sentenced in a rioting case. Does that count for nothing? Supreme Court appointed SIT has exonerated Modi of any wrongdoing. Does that count for nothing? Even after a decade of witch-hunting by Central government, media and 'NGOs', there is not even an iota of evidence against Modi. Does that count for nothing? 

There is a general perception that there is only one communal party in India and that is BJP. A party which watched silently when Kashmir was purged of Pandits is not. A party which rewarded (and continues to reward) people involved in killing of Sikhs in 1984 is not. A party which opposes Uniform Civil Code is not. A party which passed a legislation to deny Shah Bano a princely sum of Rs. 500, as maintenance, to pacify the Maulvis is not. A party whose Prime Minister started his re-election campaign by doing Shilanyas at Ram Janmabhoomi is not. A party whose allies include Muslim League and Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (of Owaisi fame) is not. A party which encourages illegal immigrants of a certain community is not. A party whose Prime Minister tells that minorities have first right on national resources is not. A party whose Home Minister asks states to go easy on Muslim suspects is not. A party whose ministers claim that the party president cried when she heard of Batla encounter is not. A party whose ex-CM and senior leader releases a book claiming that 26/11 was an RSS conspiracy is not. A party which promises reservations for minorities (even implemented in Andhra Pradesh only to be squashed by courts) is not.  A party whose president approaches Shahi Imam and gives a clarion call to Muslims to vote for it is not. A party whose minister even questions the existence of Indian Mujahideen is not. A party which gives student scholarships based on student's religion is not. A party which brings a bill which has separate laws for majority and minority communities in case of communal violence, irrespective of who initiated the violence, is not.

I dont know about others but atleast I have a problem with this definition of secularism. It is nothing but minority appeasement. It is this appeasement, which has widened the trust deficit between communities. It is high time, this pseudo-secularism ends. Terrorists need to be eliminated irrespective of their religion. Students need to be promoted irrespective of their religion. Law should be same for all irrespective of their religion. According to me, until Uniform Civil Code is implemented, we cannot achieve secularism in the real sense. At present, there is only one party which supports that demand: BJP. इसलिए मोदी

 

Now lets talk about security. China and Pakistan both are our enemies. They dont want India to progress. They both want Indian territories. This is a harsh reality, which we all should embrace. The present UPA government over the past decade has compromised our position greatly. To just give a small example of this, we dont even have a Navy chief for over a month now. Mr. Clean, St. Antony, has sat on files for so long that our armed forces dont even have enough ammunition. There has been no push for modernisation of forces. We still lack infrastructure in forward areas. Maoists are increasing their presence and striking capabilities at an alarming rate. The present government has even allowed Balochistan to be equated with Kashmir. The constant flip-flops on talks with Pakistan is nauseating. At times, it feels as if our foreign policy is: not to antagonise any one. At other times, it feels we dont have a foreign policy. Whatever the minister or the bureaucrats feel like, they do. There is simply no pattern to it. Is this the sign of a country which wants to be seen as a world power? (For a more detailed read on the problems faced by India in defence and foreign policy, please go through Jaideep Prabhu's articles)

In these difficult times, I want a hawkish government, which gives security the importance it deserves. I want a government, which, as Shourie says in his book "We Must Have No Price", can do a Kashmir on Pakistan in Pakistan, which does not believe in a tooth for a tooth but in full jaw for a tooth. George Fernandes was an excellent Defence Minister. Morale of the armed forces was high in his tenure. Not only was armed forces being modernised, we even conducted nuclear tests. In Shourie, Gen. V K Singh, Gen. Khanduri, Ajit Doval, BJP has persons who have the experience, knowledge and resolve to make the situation better. To ensure that our borders are safe. To ensure that Maoists are pushed back. To ensure that Pakistan know that if it continues to meddle with our lives, it will also have to pay a price. इसलिए मोदी 

I belong to a family of businessmen. In the end, money matters a lot to me. I dont want India to go back to the socialist era where the peak tax rate was as high as 97%. I dont want India to go back to the license/permit raj. I dont want India to go back to the Nehru growth rate of 2-3%. I dont want India to go back to the time when all banks were nationalised. I want more MNCs to come to India. I want Indian companies to compete with those MNCs. I want India to grow at 8-10%. For that to happen, we have to liberalise our markets even more. There has to be a massive disinvestment drive. Why should Government of India be running an airline? or a telephone company? or hotels? or give film awards? As many have said, Government has no business being in business. 

Atalji's government was the most reform minded government, we have seen. The reforms in NDA were not forced by impending crisis but were because of conviction in them. There was real divestment and not the type we have seen in the past decade, where PSUs buy government stake in other PSUs. There was a major boost to creation of infrastructure. Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana, Golden Quadrilateral, North-South and East-West corridors doubled our road network. There was also a large drive to achieve electrification of villages. Present BJP governments in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Goa and Rajasthan have taken forward the good work done by NDA. Madhya Pradesh is no more a Bimaru state. Agricultural growth seen there is heart warming. PDS system in Chattisgarh has improved a lot.

A lot has been written about Gujarat development. I dont know the GDP figures or Infant Mortality Rate or the number of malnourished kids. I know that there is no power cut. I know that almost all villages are connected by road. I know that villages have broadband connectivity. I know that now Gujarati women dont have to travel kilometers in scorching heat to get water. I know that recently Government of Gujarat has started creating toilets in rural households. I know that GoG has undertaken a special programme to reduce the prevalence of Sickle Cell Anaemia in Dangs area. I know that BRTS is running smoothly in Ahmedabad. I know that Gujarat is at present leader in both Solar energy and Drip Irrigation in India. I know that Sanand has developed as an auto-hub. I know that we Gujaratis are happy with the work done by the Government.

In short, BJP is the party which is most likely to bring in much needed reforms. BJP is the party which has done development in the states which it is governing. Modi has a proven record of doing things. Of delivering on promises. इसलिए मोदी 

To summarise, I am voting for Modi on the basis of the good work done by him and other BJP CMs in their respective states. I am voting for Modi on the basis of the good work done by Atalji's government. I am voting for Modi in the hope of a stable government. A government which will not compromise on national security. A government which believes in Development of all, Appeasement of none. Which believes in Minimum Government, Maximum Governance. Which believes in the following Idea of India:

I hope this May 16, 18 years later, कमल फिर खिलेगा, अँधेरा फिर छटेगा. I hope I would have pride in my eyes as I see the next Prime Minister of India take oath as "Main, Narendra Damodardas Modi, ...."

समर शेष हैं नहीं पाप का भागी केवल व्याध 

जो तटस्थ हैं समय लिखेगा उनके भी अपराध 

-- रामधारी सिंह दिनकर 

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