It is difficult to know whether Donald Trump copies Narendra Modi or vice-versa. But quite often, they talk and act in an identical manner.
In a recent cartoon in The New Yorker, a bystander, observing the naked emperor speaking to his guests at a drinks party, exclaims: “I’m starting to think the emperor knows he’s not wearing any clothes, he just wants us all to see his penis.”
The cartoonist’s depiction of the exhibitionist emperor fits a few familiar modern ‘emperors’ today, including Donald Trump and Narendra Modi.
Most commentators in the media also know full well that the emperor has no clothes, but go on to describe the colourful dress he is wearing. The emperor himself has no time for these self-appointed advisors in the media. But the court jesters go on.
So when Prime Minister Modi sent out a red herring accusing his predecessor, Dr Manmohan Singh, former Vice-President Hamid Ansari and former Army chief Deepak Kapoor of “conspiring with the Pakistani military brass” to interfere in the Gujarat elections, it was not an inadvertent accusation. He knew that he was lying and talking out of his colourful tribal headgear.
But such wild and irresponsible accusations have become part of his campaign of calumny. He and his colleagues have accused in the past the Italian authorities of interfering in the case of seamen who were arrested in India and tried. One of their leaders even said that Sonia Gandhi was trying to save the charge-sheeted Italians. Similarly, the Chinese have been accused of interfering in elections in the Northeast. Swedish authorities have been criticised for protecting Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi in the Bofors case.
But now, Modi and his media loudspeakers want to equate the Congress party with Muslims and Pakistan. That is their way of consolidating the anti-Muslim sentiment, in order to build a Hindu vote bank. How often have bhakts and ministers said critics must be sent to Pakistan?
It is difficult to know whether Donald Trump copies Modi or vice-versa. But quite often, they talk and act in an identical manner. Trump blames the Democratic Party, mainly the Clintons, for running him down, and for all the ills of America. Modi accuses the Congress party, and the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, for keeping India poor, backward, and making the system corrupt. His hatred for the Nehru-Gandhis is so profound that he wears it on his 56-inch chest.
His hatred for Muslims is so visceral that he cannot even hide it. But he plays to the gallery when he says his heart goes out to Muslim women who are victims of triple talaq. Though he refuses to put on the Muslim skullcap and never even visited Muslim victims of the 2002 riots, he says ‘sab ka saath, sab ka vikas’ includes Muslims, and that he does not distinguish between Hindus and Muslims.
He pretends to admonish the goondas masquerading as cow protectors, but never takes any action. He has time and tears for the victims of bomb blasts in Brussels, Paris, or London, but has no time to even tweet about the brutal and bizarre hackings and burning of Muslims. Trump does not hide his hatred for African-Americans, Mexicans, Muslims, or liberals. Modi, too, is full of contempt for liberals and intellectuals. The BJP think-tanks feel that all liberals are Leftists, if not communists. They don’t even know that communists often resent liberals.
Perhaps both Trump and Modi do not read books, and have hardly any historical or political perspective. Modi obsessively visits foreign capitals and meet heads of various countries, but has never shared his views on international politics. He never explained how the Non-Aligned Movement had become irrelevant, and he was withdrawing from it. Modi’s world view is simplistic and governed by the delusion of India becoming superpower, and he himself becoming global leader.
Trump’s campaign of “Making America Great Again” is in the same vein, as if it was not great for decades, and he will now bring that lost greatness. Trump’s impractical idea of building a wall on the border with Mexico is matched by Modi trying to close the borders with Bangladesh and also stopping Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar entering India. Both of them cannot hold an intellectual dialogue with writers, artists, or editors. In the RSS, there is no culture of reading or multi-dimensional scholarship. Trump, of course, would feel at home if he visited an RSS shakha.
Their suspicion of intellectuals-experts stems from the fact that they cannot comprehend complex issues. They believe that any problem can be solved without bothering to debate or discuss. Most cabinet ministers privately complain that Modi does not discuss policies. He merely announces them, be it demonetisation or that sudden visit to Pakistan on Nawaz Sharif’s birthday. Both rarely seek advice, don’t visit art galleries, music concerts, or bookshops, except when they are chief guests at events. Modi’s indifference towards such activities is known to swayamsevaks who have worked and lived with him for decades.
Since he never reads the wisdom-filled edit or op-ed pages, he never knows the unwarranted advice he gets from sycophantic commentators and panelists. That’s why he doesn’t know what these commentators and panelists are trying to tell him – that people can now see that he is not wearing any clothes.
Kumar Ketkar is a senior journalist and economist.
bad news for you mr kk there is one more similarity bw modi and trump .. both of them are going to get elected for the next term and you’ll still be writing wisdom-filled op eds …lol
Emperor comparison between Trump and Modi by Kumar Ketkar is very apt . But the nature of both of these persons will prevent them from seeing and hearing the obvious. The difference btw the first phase and second phase of Modi’s Gujrat elections show clearly the venoumous effects of well planned strategy of bringing perverse treatment of divisive poltics.
Congrees must not lose heart and become more inclusive . At least Rahul Gandhi has succeeded in shedding his Pappu image and has become a competent and gentleman warrior .
“Perhaps both Trump and Modi do not read books, and have hardly any historical or political perspective.”
The arrogance is visible clearly. According to you, the leaders of two of the strongest democracies in the world do not have basic knowledge. Laughable assessment. With all due respect, you Sir need a reality check
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“His hatred for Muslims is so visceral that he cannot even hide it.”
(Facepalm!)
Yet the Muslim community of Uttar Pradesh voted him into power twice. Anecdotes of violence against Muslims are news, while violence against Hindus isn’t worth mentioning. This is a diverse country and does contains extremists. These incidents of violence do not reflect the general opinion. So stop viewing PM Modi along the lines of Hitler. Shed your prejudices and you will see the positives. Atleast direct your criticism on the right issues.
“But such wild and irresponsible accusations have become part of his campaign of calumny. He and his colleagues have accused in the past the Italian authorities of interfering in the case of seamen who were arrested in India and tried.”
I see, despite your designation as a senior journalist, you appear to be new to politics. The Congress party’s strategy for Gujarat Elections was based on making false promises, as they always have, of reservation, resorting to the sort of politics witnessed during the previous century. I haven’t seen 1 ‘liberal’ journalist criticize that.