However bitterly contested politics may be, you never question a rival or predecessor’s patriotism. Poor judgement, spinelessness, woolly-headedness are fine. But treason, never.
Narendra Modi campaigns hard, and takes no prisoners. In the 2004 national elections, he made headlines by describing Rahul Gandhi as a “Jersey bachchra” (Jersey calf), alluding to his “foreign” pedigree. He also said nobody would give him the job of a driver or a clerk. For Sonia, he said nobody would rent her a home. Which landlord would do so without a proper check of the tenant’s antecedents?
In our ‘Walk the Talk’ interview that followed shortly after, I asked him if it wasn’t below the belt, and if he regretted it. He said, an election campaign is a surcharged thing, it cannot be dry or anodyne. There must be humour and sarcasm.
And yes, in the heat of the campaign, in an hour-long speech, sometimes you say the odd thing you should not. “Ek-do no-ball kabhi ho jaati hai (you may end up bowling the odd no-ball)”. I asked him just no-balls, or wide, bouncers and beamers too, inviting caution from the third umpire (Election Commission). In fairness, I must say he took it on the chin, good-humouredly, and said he will of course be careful going ahead.
Generally, as he rose in stature, his language became more measured. The 2014 campaign saw a very different Modi. It was as if he was over with the negativity and making a new beginning. There was the usual heat-and-dust and some sparks, but once in power, his discourse was more about his achievements: Neem-coated urea, price of LED bulbs, Ujjwala scheme, demonetisation, GST, surgical strikes, Jan Dhan, Mudra Bank and foreign visits.
He was tough and unsparing of his challengers, but that is the nature of his electioneering. And it works. The losers can complain while he goes home victor. Essentially, since 2013, he has been campaigning from a position of strength, as a front-runner. His victory is presumed. He is merely working on increasing his margin, annihilating the opposition and realising his dream of a Congress-mukt Bharat. He was getting there, in a breeze.
The turn in the last phase of this Gujarat campaign was therefore a surprise. Pakistan, Muslims, Ahmed Patel as chief minister in the unlikely event of a Congress win, was still not such a surprise. Such things happen in polarised Gujarat politics. The surprise was the insinuation that his predecessor for a full 10 years, Dr. Manmohan Singh, was complicit in a Pakistani plan to meddle with the Gujarat elections and somehow install Ahmed Patel as chief minister.
Politics is not a leisurely game of golf. You need a thick skin and ear-plugs. But a former prime minister accused of treason, is a new one. There have been dark allegations about others in the past. American syndicated journalist Seymour Hersh had claimed the CIA had a mole in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet during the 1971 war and it was Morarji Desai. Never mind that he had left the cabinet in 1969 after the Congress split.
Later, the same allegation surfaced about Maratha strongman and former defence minister Y.B. Chavan. Publishing that story in a Times Group daily unfortunately cost Vinod Mehta his job. The political class, by and large, did not exploit or give credence to any of these. However bitterly contested politics may be, you never question a rival or predecessor’s patriotism. Poor judgement, spinelessness and woolly-headedness you can lambast him for. Treason, never.
The Americans have invented an expression and it is much in use now, in Trump’s times: jumping the shark. It originates from a TV sit-com (Happy Days) which was losing ratings and in one episode a character on water-skis literally jumped over a shark, hoping it would bring the ratings back.
The incumbent prime minister insinuating his predecessor was plotting with a former Pakistani foreign minister and current high commissioner to “fix” the Gujarat election and install a Muslim in power is not in the nature of a no-ball, wide-ball, bouncer or beamer. It is jumping the shark. It may shore up the ratings on the morning of 18 December, but the prime minister could reflect on it as honestly as he did after the Jersey-bachhra/clerk/driver “slip-ups” in the heat of the 2004 campaign.
Perils of being an unpad chaiwala.
The shameful lumpenization of political discourse by PM Modi will not go unanswered in the coming elections and parliamentary debates. Because PM Modi does not have a patent on it. As Shakespeare says in Macbeth ‘We who but teach bloody instructions, which being taught return to plague the inventor. This even handed justice do commend the ingredients of our poisoned chalice to our own lips’. The world will laugh at us.
We have one government at a time and it is only for the elected government to hold talks with hostile foreign powers. The Congress party has spoken in secret to Pakistan and China – both times denying it at first and then later on admitting it. They should have looped in the MEA.
If people are being forewarned about Ahmed Patel, though why can’t he be CM of his home State if his party wins, why is there a hue and cry if ‘fatwas’ are issued during campaigns against election of muslim-baiters?!??
Since the PM has made serious allegations against, no less, a former PM and a former VP of, nothing less, conspiring with a foreign country (that too an extremely unfriendly one) to meddle with elections, he must be having solid proof of that. So he should immediately get an FIR filed against both as also against others that he thinks are involved in the plan. He should also instruct the MEA to summon the Pakistan HC and issue him a demarche for the same. Will he do it? Being the foremost nationalist PM (and the only one perhaps as implied by every BJPwala), we have to hope he’ll do it early and thereby avoid being called out for being a party to the same conspiracy by acquiescence. Think over it, the allegations speak more about the slanderer than about the slandered. Compare this to allegations of Russia’s meddling with US Presidential elections. The issue is being seriously probed, so no wild allegations. For good measure the PM alleged that there’s a plan to install Ahmed Patel as Gujarat CM. The tenor is so communal, as though there is embargo on Mr. Patel becoming CM? One can only say, he knows what to sow in the minds of the voters to reap polarized votes.
If attending a dinner in honour of foreign dignitaries (in this particular case PAKISTANIS) is anti -national by the MOST WELL READ PERSON IN INDIAN POLITICS- FORMER PRIME MINISTER MR MANMOHAN SINGH….What would you call the DETOUR of CURRENT PRIME MR NARENDRA MODI TO PAKISTAN …..while returning to INDIA…..and holding hands and embracing NAWAZ SHARIF……when it was not even part of his original itinerary. The very next week we lost officers and jawans at URI…..Mr Modi is happy with backstabbing by NAWAZ SHARIF but he has no shame in insulting A SENIOR POLITICIAN of his own country who is respected world wide .
Feel sad listening to news on day to day basis.
Amit Shah and their Spokesperson Sambit patra have one thing to say….WE R WINNING ELECTIONS……as if they r parrots .
The country is directionless…coz the leader is playing mindless games.
Sorry state of affairs. Regret our choice for CHANGE.
Who says that? Most politicians or other celebrities are too severe against opponents when they are competing at ground levels? Covert and overt level slangs, bad adjectives are often used to score brownie points. MM Singh can not be respected for his statement as a PM “under coalition government corruption takes place” in connection with 2G first, and he was so blind and mum when all scandals 2g, coal scam, commonwealth games and defense deals were taken place.That alone is enough to try him under treason (his stand/confession of corruption bound to take place under coalition dharma without preventing when sitting with highest postion ) forget about Modi’s Pakistan wrath!
In entire article Shekhar Gupta tried to justify a meeting… did he ever ask why such a meeting was required in Iyer’s house? Did they inform the foreign ministry about the meeting?
Iyer can have meeting with anyone including ISIS… but MMS and Hamid Ansari, as former constitutional authorities should have given a thought before attending such a meeting. Denying the talk about Gujarat elections will not be sufficient. This issue is not about Gujarat elections… this issue is about national priorities!
Shekhar Gupta… keep your love for Congress in your pocket, dont sell the country for your personal interest. You are giving more advantage to Pakistan.
Did Modi really accuse MMS and MSA of “treason”? I don’t know. I don’t understand Gujarati. I have not read any report that says Modi accused MMS, MSA and others of conspiring against India. Yes, he said there is something fishy in the meeting, and wondered if there was a link between the meeting and MSA calling him ‘neech’. Whether Modi is right in saying this or not is another matter, but the point is, did he accuse them of treason. I don’t think he did. If indeed that is what he did, then I would like to see some proof for it.
Shekar Gupta is one of the anti-Modi journalists, (but thankfully not a rabid, bare-fang like Siddharth Varadarajan). He (Gupta) should take care he does not let his personal convictions influence his writing.
This great writer Shekhar Gupta should at least remember as to how Manmohan Singh treated his predecessor and benefactor,P.V.Narasimha Rao.As PM he did not even the courage to permit the cremation of PVN Rao’s mortal remains in Delhi which was opposed by Sonia Gandhi.Next to Mughals this Italian Catholic family thinks that they are the owners of Delhi.Amit shah was absolutely right in bringing out how MMS allowed massive corruption to take place under him.He shamelessly swallowed the open insult by Rahul Gandhi when he tore the ordinance signed by him.MMS is highly self centred and all his glorious days were only under the guidance of PVN Rao.MMS forgot him after getting into Sonia clique.
Truth is bitter
It is amusing how Modi apologists go on about ‘treasonous’ meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyyar’s house, as if this is the first time Pakistani leaders have met with Indian leaders in a private capacity! Advani, anyone?
We thought, and as you said in your piece, Modi was all about “NEW” – New India, New inclusion, New development: Sab Ka Saath and Sab Ka Vikas. Alas, the genes go no where – he is a mean and cheap POLITICIAN. Not a visionary that we all thought. His vision is restricted to I, Me, Myself and My BJP. Do whatever it takes to protect it.
Development agenda is history. Deriding on Gandhi family is current. It will not take him long!
I am ashamed to say we have Modi as our Prime Minister.
i am sure you are ashamed and we are ashamed of people like you who prefer India to be a third word with third class leaders at the helm. corruption day in and day out.
Jumping the shark,may or may not be true but a point to ponder is former Prime Minister of India should have avoided meeting a former foreign minister of Pakistan that too in the house of ostensibly a known pro-Pakistan politician at this juncture when relations between the two countries are really bad.
The whole attack and the conspiracy theories peddled by the PM were bizarre and the sign of an unhinged mind. I hope this does not become the new norm.
If the country has a national policy whereby pakistan is being isolated why would you want to run a parallel govt?
Shame is Missing in Dictionary of RSS Pracharak.
Cos the italian dictionary you read dont have english words
It was Congress spokes person who said that the act of meeting Pakistanis by Manmohan amounted to treason while denying presence of Manmohan at the meeting
Dr. ManMohan Singh has to apologize. He knew very well that dinner at Mani Shanka’s house could have bad implications.
Out of all the journalists, Mr. Shekhar Gupta, you have given the twist of treason. Stay away from choice of words. Do not land MMS in any further trouble.