Between perception and reality, Mr. Narendra Modi, the newly elected Prime Minister of India, got himself suspended in animation. Pundits from all corners are extrapolating various options and suggesting various courses of actions that will establish Mr. Modi as one of the most successful and pragmatic leaders of free India. Mr. Modi however, is genuinely taking time to formulate his course of actions, although his advisers believed to have completed their recommendations.
Mr. Modi is already carrying some baggage of which communal riot that took place under his watch while he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat State; his long-time association with RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and his apparent willingness to clear the way for investments even if it harms the vast majority of the poverty-stricken people are the few to be mentioned. Mr. Modi by his own admission began his humble life in poverty and during election time claimed to have come from lower caste and solicited solidarity with vast majority of poor and lower caste people.
Mr. Modi, however, is now presiding over billion-plus people, world's 8th largest economy. He has readily available nuclear arsenal while dealing with unfriendly neighbours and a challenging competitor like China. Mr. Modi will have plateful to worry about.
Whatever "jingle" slogan the Hindutva may raise, over half a billion people are needed to be raised from poverty and empower them to live a human life, exercising their freedom of making their own decision without been thwarted by the machination of ruling oligarchs and of the bureaucracy.
Mr. Modi has already tilted towards prioritising defence and strategic policy. Perhaps by this bureaucracy has a better chance to keep Mr. Modi diverted from the core issues of poverty, reforms and development. Mr. Modi by his own admission broke out of the poverty traps, social glass ceilings and crossed the threshold to become the Prime Minister of India. But he left behind millions of his own kind, his loved ones, his fellow caste-men trapped and condemned to live a de-humanised life which Mr. Modi will never wish to live now.
Many people are rushing to Delhi to make deals, particularly to modernise the age-old army, renew the mass destructive arsenal, and highlight the importance of joining the super-power game and keeping down those in the periphery. Mr. Modi's beginning by inviting neighbouring leaders to his oath-taking ceremony can at best be considered, intellectually, as a stunt. But in the public perception, this played well and, geopolitically, ushered in new initiatives. However, his Foreign Minister's visit to Bangladesh (June 25-27) highlighted the vulnerability of the local politicians and that of the nation in sustaining cohesion in the leadership and stability, internally.
It is always difficult to convert campaign rhetoric into policy issues let alone to implement it. Mr. Modi perhaps has no qualms about it, but at the final stage, militarily powerful, politically elevated and economically expanded India may stumble as the demand of hundreds of millions will remain unmet. Because challenges of India is now empowerment of the hundreds of millions of people, their inclusion in the mainstay of development for which Mr. Modi mainly needs to carry out land reform, implement a proper land utilisation plan, apply national resource equitably and adopt technology to meet the demand in the scale required in India. None of these will Mr. Modi be able to implement against the traditionally strong institutional bureaucracy and vested classes of all shades and political persuasion including Mr. Modi's own party.
To bring development of India to the benefit of all Indians, Mr. Modi needs to deliver resources to all Indians. Resources like minerals and energy resources are substantially in the deficit to meet the needs of billion plus population, in particular to the higher density of population in the eastern states of Bihar, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. Disparity between classes of rich and poor and between the states will only accentuate the crisis that Mr. Modi may have to either share or ignore. As there is no evidence that Mr. Modi's campaign was based on any ideological ground, it would be perhaps expedient for him to ignore such disparity within the nation. On the other hand, Mr. Modi can make a remarkable turn and offer leadership to those who are depraved and deprived and galvanise the people he belongs to and lead them en-masse out of the poverty trap from which he once succeeded in getting out.
In this Mr. Modi's biggest challenge will be to procure resources, in particular energy resources and capital from abroad, and in doing so he will have to compete with China who has the same limitations and predicament as India. Geopolitical compulsions may bring India and China to some compromise and current western economic and political mismanagement may nudge them to come to closer relationship for common benefit, but there will be a time when a line will be drawn on that common interest as it will be equally critical for both countries to fiercely compete to sustain national growth. Keeping that in view, both nations will be theoretically convinced for continued strategic advancement and divert substantial national resources for this purpose. This quagmire will slow down development both in India and China.
Regional and sub-regional alliances and their success will also depend on the ability and willingness of these two giant nations to foster a greater cooperation to include other nations in the region. In geopolitical perspective, India's domestic growth and its sustainability will therefore very much be tied to regional and sub-regional cooperation and alliances. Long tradition and deliberate attempts of keeping issues of conflict with neighbouring nations unresolved must not be pursued. A hype of cooperation to augment regional economic and social development will only serve in strengthening India's role of leadership internationally, particularly in those forums where India must represent the cause and concerns of the developing and less developed nations.
Mr. Modi is the leader with no family ties and no ideology. He is genuinely an Indian and leader from the grassroots of India. It will be his choice to lead India for the Indians who are routinely deprived or represent the vested class whose financial support enabled him to become Prime Minister of India. This is the dilemma Mr. Modi is now faced with.
Mr. Modi's tenure can be the end of neo-raj and post-colonial administration and be the beginnings of freedom in real sense that will enable every Indian to decide freely on his life.
kbahmed1@gmail.com
© 2025 - All Rights with The Financial Express
