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| Lessons from the fallen Ieaders | | | Nimit Suri
Soon after the petals showered on him wilted, vigorous beating of drums stopped and dust billows made by overjoyed dancing settled on the ground- Narendra Modi, who in staking his claim for the top job, sold a dream to millions- could not have afforded to relax. His shoulders are now laden with expectations of people impatient to see days when fewer problems beset their lives. He has to walk the talk now and that also under intense glare of scrutiny. Can he deliver? - The question lingers in the recesses of mind. History has been witness to the fallacy of pinning up expectations on one man amidst the environment supercharged with hope and promises. One such example is Anti corruption movement led by social activist Anna Hazare, in which thousands mobilised against corruption. For some duration it seemed that a substantial change is in the horizon but passions softened with time forcing Hazare to a virtual recluse. Arvind Kejriwal, consolidating on the Hazare's anti corruption movement, sensed an opportunity and plunged into politics. Dreams and expectations arose again when he gained a resounding victory in the capital. Good days are about to come, mused an optimist; but to the collective dismay, after 49 days of political gimmicks the cherished icon dropped the baton. It seems natural for a country parched of strong leadership to pin hopes on a man who raises expectations inside the people however; meeting those expectations requires a lot more than mere appearance and rhetoric. Narendra Modi is fortunate to have passed the age where he can draw enough lessons from the actions of those who have failed to consolidate at the summit and have quickly slipped to the new depths. A befitting example is Akhilesh Yadav, who took over as Chief Minister of UP in 2012. The young foreign educated politician with an apparent broader outlook seemed just the right man to take over reigns of UP. But since then, Akhilesh has ridden on a downward spiral. Portends seemed ominous right from the time Akhilesh chose his ministers which included a substantial lot with criminal backgrounds. At that moment many predicted return of Gunda Raj in UP which eventually became a self fulfilling prophecy. To add to the environment of despair, till date the Chief Minister sees no wrongs in governance and vehemently defends his erring ministers. The regular intervention of Samajwadi Party patriarch, Mulayam Singh is justified as valuable advice in running of affairs in UP. Hence, no surprises that those who had trusted Samajwadi Party with their votes in 2012 are now looking at BJP as an option. Predicament of Akhilesh can be related to that of Manmohan Singh; both of them found themselves in a diarchic arrangement of power sharing. Forced of political compulsions they continued ceding valuable space to misrule. Fortunately for Modi, no such ambiguity in power sharing exists. People of India has given him clear mandate to call the shots, Modi has to sense the value of this opportunity. In selection of his team of ministers, even Modi seems to have given way to political compulsions before merit and has obliged BJP allies in NDA by giving SAD, LJP, TDP, Akali Dal and Shiv Sena one ministerial berth each. Now the challenge lies for Modi in managing future conflict of interests and in exercising effective control over his team which includes senior members of BJP who, by common knowledge, do not like to be directed. As conductor of this orchestra, Modi has to use his baton with dexterity to elicit a perfect symphony; which means using it well to batter, nudge, cajole or point at right direction. Ceding even little spaces to self-seeking interests will be disastrous; Modi will have to establish firm authority right from the word go. For now, country requires nothing else but strategy for all round development and this is where Modi has to focus his energies. There is also a pressing need for developing strategic relations with countries keeping in mind nation's geopolitical interests. Ways have to found to mend foreign relations which suffered a considerable strain under UPA's regime. Most importantly, Modi will have to keep one ear on ground while going about his business; collective perception in masses cannot be ignored; Congress paid a heavy price for staying aloof from ground realities. Modi has won himself a golden chance to usher India to glorious years. Neither he nor Nation can afford to squander this opportunity. |
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