Narendra Modi is impotent; will chop Modi into pieces; Modi is a puppy; Modi should be treated in a mental hospital; ‘tea-seller’ Modi can’t become India’s PM; Modi is fascist; Modi is a RSS goon; Modi’s Gujarat a ‘toffee model’; Modi is a dictator. If you follow Indian politics keenly, you will easily guess that all the above remarks were made by Modi’s political opponents in recent times as the election frenzy is gripping the nation.



These remarks highlight not only the political rivalry, but the obsession towards one man, who, according to many opinion polls may become India’s next prime minister. This breast-beating over Modi is not limited to just politicians as everyone seems to be dissecting the ‘brand Modi’. Many Bollywood celebrities reportedly have signed a petition wherein they appeal to the people of the country to vote for a ‘secular government’. According to the film industry sources, the signatories to this petition mainly consist of Modi haters.



Everyone in the country seems to be talking, writing, speaking and thinking about one man- Modi. For some, he is God; for the rest, he is devil. Don’t be surprised if school teachers one day ask students to write essays on Modi.









Modi is omnipresent. You see him on front pages of newspapers. You switch on TV- he is there. Your wife gets angry by the non-stop Modi news and debates and turns off the TV. In offices, they talk about him and so do commuters in buses, trains and auto rickshaws. Even in Pakistan – would you believe it – there are discussions on Modi.



Majorly, these discussions are initiated, fuelled, and even decorated by those who hate the leader.



This begets a larger question – is this white-bearded, bespectacled, BJP’s PM candidate that important to lose our sleep over?



Let’s look at a few anxieties of the ‘anti-Modi’ community.



Modi is responsible for 2002 Gujarat riots and should apologise for the same



This assertion must have been made on news channels, written in newspapers and discussed across tea stalls in the country (except Modi’s chai pe charcha, of course) a zillion times. So has been the answer to this. The Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, has not convicted Modi in any of the cases related to the 2002 riots. As far as apology is concerned, which chief minister in the country has whole-heartedly felt sorry for a riot that took place in his or her state and has been punished for the same? Then why attack Modi as though he is the lone CM is the history of independent India to have not succeeded in curbing the riots?



Muslims ‘fear’ Modi as he is anti-minority



Muslim population in Gujarat, according to 2001 census, is 9.064 % of the total population of the state. Since the 2002 riots, there hasn’t been any exodus of Muslims reported from Gujarat, if the ‘Modi fear’ sentiment was true. It’s true that there have been zero Muslim MPs from Gujarat since 1984 but the statistics can’t be used against Modi, who came to power in the state in 2001. Modi may give party tickets to a Muslim candidate but what if he gets defeated in the elections? Will Modi, who has been invincible in Gujarat, give away tickets on the basis of merit or just to appease certain statistics-loving intellectuals?



Modi is a divisive figure. Look what he did to Advani



Another observation over which there is always a hullabaloo is that Modi is a divisive figure. Look what he did to LK Advani, critics often point out. Advani may have been initially upset at Modi being elevated in the party but later acknowledged him several times on different public platforms. If his dissent didn’t end, it remains BJP internal matter. More importantly, how does one man’s disappointment make Modi ‘a divisive figure’? Mathematically or logically, Modi will be divisive within his party if half of the BJP oppose him, not just one leader.



Modi’s development model is farce and it won’t help India



The above statement can be refuted by Congress itself as its government at the centre at times acknowledged and even awarded the Modi government. Modi must have done some developmental ground work in the state to have achieved rare recognitions by even his staunch opponents.



One can understand Rahul Gandhi saying the Gujarat model is ‘a toffee model’ as election campaigning demands one to punch holes into his opponents’ claims. If Modi actually doesn’t have ‘a development model’ but still his party is voted to power, then it’s people’s mandate. Let his governance style then be tested at the national level, and then Rahul and the like-minded people can decide whether to award toffee or a trophy to Modi.



Modi once refused to wear a skull cap



Seriously? Are we going to judge a prime ministerial candidate on the basis of what he wears and what he doesn’t? People keep on recounting the incident where Modi refused to wear a skull cap offered by a cleric. However, it is conveniently ignored that Modi agreed to wear a shawl offered by the same cleric. So, by Modi opponents’ argument, this incident should at least make him half-communal.



The list of ‘why we hate Modi’ is endless. When one controversy dies down, another erupts. If the topic of communalism becomes pale, critics accuse Modi of crony capitalism.



A video these days is doing the rounds on social networking sites. The video shows Modi walking out of a popular TV show a few years ago as he didn’t like the barrage of questions related to the 2002 riots asked by the host. The motive behind circulating the video seems to be mocking Modi by labeling him ‘a coward’.



The host of that show later on a few occasions wrote fiery columns against Modi and the BJP in a newspaper – which can be easily classified as a rant. The style of people who despise Modi is simple - we hate you anyways, will hate you even more if you give us an opportunity.



If all this constant under-the-microscope scrutiny has done anything, it has helped Modi’s campaign for the sheer publicity it has given to him. His campaign team must be joking that if they knew this is the noise ‘brand Modi’ can make itself, they need not have spent a whopping Rs 5,000 crore on advertisements.



Like him or hate him, praise him or vilify him, one can’t discount Modi till the election results are declared on May 16. Till then, let us express our love/hate for a particular leader by casting our precious vote.



Speaking of the ‘Modi’ obsession, the word appears 53 times in this article. Unfortunately, not a world record.















































































