Price of the Modi years

Seen over the years of his two terms, the man in full is revealed, and so is his effect on the nation. We have the data and the evidence to see what and where he has led India to, and plot his achievements against his character traits. We have results.

Modi’s character traits are that he is decisive, full of certitude, transparent, unlearned, energetic and charismatic. Both his devoted following (they are called and often call themselves ‘bhakt’, meaning devotee) and his opponents will likely agree that he has these traits. Certainly, Modi himself would not only likely agree with this but pride himself on it, as we shall see presently.

There are some other qualities that were hidden because they did not have the opportunity to present themselves earlier but have revealed themselves since, and we shall look at them as well. In particular, a bravado that on occasion transforms into a reluctance to acknowledge facts. A backing away from a threat, and the refusal to acknowledge retreat, accompanied with a refusal to fight.

Other than his character, his actions can be said to be shaped by his ideology. So far as that goes, Modi is sought to be placed on the right by commentators, especially those writing in English and those abroad. But he is not a conservative at all, he is a radical. Not only has he no concerns about preservation of political tradition, he is openly contemptuous of it and eager to break continuity. He is, in the jargon of our time, a disruptor. In a place of stasis or inertia, disruption may have its uses. India is chaotic. It does not require further disruption. It needs order and predictability in governance; however, this is not for Modi.

What does a disruptor with the character traits Modi has, deliver when in possession of absolute power? That is what this book seeks to examine.

Before we begin, it is necessary to clarify some of the terms used to describe Modi. What, for instance, do ‘decisive’ and ‘charismatic’ mean?

Charisma is the ability to attract attention and admiration. Humility, modesty and self-effacement are attractive to only a few. It is bravado and bombast that attracts the many. Modi sees himself in a heroic way and tells us about it through claiming a chest size of ‘56 inches’, through many references to himself in the third person and through presenting himself before the president of the US wearing a suit with his name woven in gold stripes. This is the charisma of Modi. It is transparent in the sense that he is not reticent about publicly communicating his self-image.

On the night of his second victory, in 2019, Modi said: ‘This is the twenty-first century and this is new India. Our victory in today’s election is followed by chants of “Modi! Modi! Modi!”. This is not a victory for Modi. Today’s victory is not a victory for Modi. This is a victory for the aspirations of every citizen of this country craving for honesty.’ 4 This false modesty coupled with an inability to stop referring to himself is typical.

The dictionary defines decisiveness as ‘the ability to make decisions quickly and confidently’. This confidence is what certitude is: the conviction that the self is right. It springs from intuition rather than from knowledge and external input.

What is meant by calling him unlearned and why do I say he would agree with the definition? I do so because this is something Modi has himself revealed in an extraordinary interview he gave to the journalist and activist Madhu Kishwar just before the 2014 election. It was shot on video, is quite long, and is available on YouTube.6 In it, Modi tells Kishwar about his style of functioning. He had at that point been chief minister of Gujarat for a dozen years and so this style was something he himself was comfortable with. In Modi’s words:

‘Three or four days after I had taken office as chief minister, the chief secretary (CS) came to me. He brought a heap of files this tall [gesturing about three feet high]. They must have weighed 15 or 20 kilos. The peon left them on my table. The chief secretary sat and said to me: “This is the file for Narmada”—I can remember Narmada but there were three other files also. The CS said: “These are on Gujarat’s vital and sensitive issues. Take the time out to read them. You may need to speak on, and take a position on, at any time and address all these issues.”

‘I kept looking up and down the height of the stack three or four times. I said to him: “You leave these here and we shall meet in a few days.” ‘I did not even open those files. They stayed where they were. A voice came to me that I could not work through academics study (sic). I can’t do that. That voice came from within. I said to the three officer