The Dynast versus the Chaiwalla

PM Modi with his quick political thinking, will now smartly turn this attack on his Chaiwalla background as an attack on Gujarat

The Congress first family still thinks Modi regime is an interregnum and their entitlement to rule India remains intact….surprisingly, the party wallas also believe it

Yes, the Congress has done it again. Right in the midst of a high voltage campaign, the youth wing of the party tweeted a caricature showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi being mocked at for his humble beginnings in the most derogatory fashion. One would think the Congress would have learnt by now that the humble beginnings of Narendra Modi, his early life of struggle and pains and the grit with which he reached the top is one of the most endearing qualities which make his supporters the ‘bhakt’ that they are often called. Talk to any random group of people (including those who do not vote for the BJP) and they agree that Modi makes for one of the most inspiring political biographies of post-independence India.

I learnt this during my travels in Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Nagaland where people did not even vote for the Lotus symbol. So why does the Congress fail to understand even after all these years that personal jibes, particularly about his background, only serve to re-energize the Modi bhakts who pull up their socks to defeat the opponents with more vigour than ever?? Forget the Bhakts, even the average Indian citizen who believes in a life of hard work gets put off by such ill-thought comments.

The feeling of exclusive entitlement to rule is so deep-rooted that the Congress first family obviously looks at the current Modi regime as just an ‘interregnum’, perhaps a ‘drinks break’ before they are back on the throne.

The answer lies in the mindset of the Congress party which has been led by members of one family for seven decades. Sadly it doesn’t end with one family. Decades of a one-family rule at the centre has spawned dozens of other such ‘families’ (perhaps clan would be a better word) in each state thus creating a feudal order in the Congress which very few genuine workers have been able to break. The ‘classes’ and ‘masses’ theory looks more aptly suited for the Congress party than anywhere else. So ingrained is this phenomenon in the culture and psyche of the Congress that even after reaching its lowest tally post-independence, the party refuses to read the writing on the wall. No need to go as far back as ‘Maut ka Saudagar’, ‘Gujarat ke Gadhe’, ‘Khoon ki Dalaali’ or Mani Shankar Aiyar’s Chaiwalla remark. Even in the ongoing Gujarat polls, the Congress was compelled to withdraw its much-touted ‘Vikas Gando Thayo Chhe’ campaign as it seemed to be turning counter-productive.

The feeling of exclusive entitlement to rule is so deep-rooted that the Congress first family obviously looks at the current Modi regime as just an ‘interregnum’, perhaps a ‘drinks break’ before they are back on the throne. That Modi gained a clear majority in Lok Sabha after three decades is immaterial for them. That the Congress, after getting wiped out from one state after another, is fighting a battle for survival may never have crossed their mind. That the exclusivity of the Lutyens’ ruling club has been shattered is a reality which the Congress leadership will have to accept sooner than later.

As for the much-touted Congress social media team, it is obvious that they may have found some real whiz kids who understand computers, graphics and memes (pronounced meem as we have been told now) but have miles to go before they understand the Yuva and the Desh.

I trust Narendra Modi, with his quick political thinking, will now smartly turn this attack on his ‘Chaiwalla’ background as an attack on Gujarat and Gujaratis and reinforce his earlier campaign that the ‘Congress hates Gujarat’.  That is why I can’t decide whether to call this the ‘Maut ka Saudagar’ moment or the Mani Shankar moment.

Note:
1. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.