Why I trust the Leadership of Narendra Modi ?

Although ‘Leadership’ has been defined many ways but the simplest one is :  “Leadership is a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task ’.  Fiedler contingency model given by Fred Feidler defines two types of leader : those who tend to accomplish the task by developing good relationships with the group (relationship-oriented), and those who have as their prime concern carrying out the task itself (task-oriented). Narendra Modi falls in the latter category. A man who believes in India first & whose single point agenda is development and has Arjuna like focus – the ability to block out all distraction & the determination to achieve his goals.

Why I have immense faith in the Leadership of Shri Narendra Modi ?        

• ·      Leadership is all about taking bold & prudent decisions keeping in mind  the long term goals of the Nation/organisation. It is certainly not about playing the victim card like Arvind Kejriwal & Rahul Gandhi  in order to garner sympathy votes.  Modi always talks about his work  & not about his Grandmother/Father like the Gandhi scion. He wants to be judged  purely on the basis of his work & not on the basis of his lineage.
• ·         Narendra Modi has been the victim of the longest running defamation campaign in India’s political history . Despite hate-mongering by the media, Modi  continues to attract people because of his development agenda. Narendra  Modi  despite being hounded by hostile Media for so many years never threatened to send media people to  Jail like the very ‘special’ Aam Aadmi Arvind Kejriwal . And no need to mention the emergency era under congress where all civic liberties were curbed.
• ·         Modi has single-handedly changed the political discourse of India from Caste/Secularism to Development  (the manifestoes of all political parties for Gujarat elections are a testimony to this fact ) .This is a major paradigm shift from the Nehruvian/socialist/leftist stance thrust upon the nation since Independence. Instead of voting the caste people will cast their vote based on performance & track record .
• ·         Like a true leader, Narendra Modi has the ability to take decisions with certain ruthlessness necessary for beating down vested interests without submitting to any act of dissent. He has the ability to revive the fortunes of BJP by cutting down the dead wood without giving much importance to the tantrums of sulking old guard.
• ·         He doesn’t believe in tokenism like praising Jinnah , wearing  skull cap or splashing  his pictures of  Iftar party unlike many ‘Sickulars’  to prove his secular credentials or doling out extra ordinary appeasement to garner votes . He does not believe in politics of communal appeasement  & has focussed only on mass prosperity  and equality . This is a paradigm shift from the pre-dominant  politics of  keeping India fractured on communal lines.
• ·         Narendra  Modi has a single point agenda – Development for all & appeasement of  none. Free laptops & other freebies do not fall under his scheme of things . He believes in liberal policies, economic freedom, creating  job opportunities as a means to achieve mass prosperity .
• ·   Narendra  Modi has a tough stand on National  security. He can single-handedly  tackle the sinister forces who with their nefarious designs  have tried to challenge the sovereignty of India time and again. We have paid the price of having a weak govt. at the centre. When asked to crawl he does not even bend  and such leader can surely protect the interests of our Nation.

The above factors convey only one thing – Narendra  Modi is the only alternative .

MUMBAI- Growing apathy towards elections

The Elections 2009 are different from other parliamentary elections as these elections are being held in the backdrop of so many important issues like recession, terrorism etc which will decide the future of India in its journey to become a super power. So it was but obvious that public especially those in Mumbai will take part in this democratic festival with full fervor.

It was expected that the tragic 26/11 terrorist attacks would galvanize the city and there will be a spirited participation of people from all walks of life in the electoral process.
But the voter turn-out on 30th April,the day Mumbai went to polls , belied all the expectations. On April 30th, as Mumbai voted, and camera crews whizzed around expecting a huge rush thronging polling booths, a certain reality dawned. It was evident that when it comes to choose between two V’s – Vote or Vaccation, many chose latter.
The people of this city, which is famous for its undying spirit, were angry at the unprofessional handling of the 26/11 terror attacks. This election they were expected to come out in huge numbers and vote for a stable government. But the JOSH seems to have died down.
It is ironical that the city which has major contribution in total tax collection in India failed( due to lesser contribution) when it came to exercising voting rights to elect people who will be deciding the use of taxpayer’s money.
At less than 43% voting percentage , it showed not just apathy, but sheer contemptuous disinterestedness.All media campaigns and Jaago-Re initiatives urging people to vote for change, vote for stability, vote for future seems to have fallen on deaf ears. One Lead India campaign cannot undo years of page 3 hard-sell.
But we need to find out the reason for the voter’s growing apathy towards the electoral process not only in Mumbai but all over India.
In todays scenerio when the election fever is scaling new heights daily , many voters are confused whether to exercise their fundamental right of voting or not? And if yes, then whom to vote for? Vote for the candidate or the party?Many a times the candidates seems promising but the party has a dubious history, or if the party seems encourging then the candidate has a shady history The big question is whom to select?
And let me remind you , the common man realizes that the elections are near only when the roads gets repaired, the potholes get filled in temporarily and the local politicians act as sychophants. I don’t understand why there is no retirement age for the political professionals. Besides there is no pre set eligibility criteria for the post of the first citizen and the prime minister of a country where more than a billion people thrive but there exists a qualification criteria even for a government clerk.We need to think seriously on this issue.

But what was the reason behind mystifying dip in voting numbers in Mumbai. Mumbai being the economic capital does not have a political character. It is a city with a commercial outlook , pregnant with career dreams , bare survival and the lure of endless monies and good fortunes.
It understands the language of Sensex,saving, success , growth & survival. Here issues like Godhra & Nandigram take a backseat when it comes to issues like credit policy, PLR, exchange rates. I am not saying that these issues are irrelevant but political issues are also important as they are also going to decide the future of India.

But what I observed that the so-called upper class has apathy towards elections and the common man still braved the scorching heat to discharge his duty as a responsible citizen and this should be solace for all of us as ,we, the common people are the pulse of this nation.
In-fact many of my colleagues took extra efforts and braved the Sun to take part in the electoral process.

So situation has certainly deteriorated in the past few years but the only silver lining in this cloud is that common public still believes that the only way to bring out the desired change is through democratic process.
All said and done, the political landscape in India would be one to watch out in the years to come!!