Modi’s exemplary experience has surely proved that he is anytime better than Rahul who is yet to prove his mettle and speak his mind clearly despite a praise-worthy speech. But his plans as ‘˜chaiwallah’ will further ensure that Congress thinks twice before speaking anything against him.
Two leaders addressed their respective parties, and thanks to the electronic media, the whole country listened to their ideas too. The enthusiasm was same and similar was the theme, but there was a distinction in the speech which kept them apart.
The enthusiasm that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi showed at the AICC meet was his best performance to date. He spoke with a vigour typically uncharacteristic of him. His speaking in English and switching to Hindi back and forth, ease with popular Hindi phrases, changed body language, grip over audience, shout outs for leaders ensuring his command and outlining of some of his agendas – all gained him cheers from party workers and his critics.
But his glory was short lived just like his short-term agendas in his speech for Bhartiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi ripped his best performance apart during party’s national council meeting.
It was Modi’s first address to the BJP national council after being anointed as the PM candidate and he did not disappoint his supporters at all. He had come prepared to send a message across the country that the ‘chaiwallah’ knew more and better than the ‘prince’ and his party, any day, anytime.
Modi gave a point by point rebuttal to Rahul’s speech and his party’s criticism. Attacking Congress directly on its style of working, he presented the history of the party that has showed little or no respect for democracy.
The three points – Pundit Nehru taking over the reigns of country despite parliamentary party endorsement to Sardar Patel for becoming prime minister of the country, Rajiv Gandhi’s ascendance after Indira Gandhi’s assassination without any parliamentary party meeting and decision, and Sonia Gandhi’s sole move to make Manmohan Singh PM – should keep Congress’ mouth shut before speaking of being a democratic party and attacking BJP’s democratic foundations again.
Speaking on his party’s line, he dubbed the Congress AICC meet as a platform to save Rahul from him. The enthusiasm that Congress workers might have gained from Rahul’s charged-up speech was doused by his satirical remark where he said, “They came hoping for a prime ministerial candidate and went back with three cylinders of LPG.”
Taking a dig at Congress’ unreasonable move and Sonia Gandhi’s firm words on it, he further said, “I see a human reason for the Congress decision. When defeat is imminent, will any other mother sacrifice her son?”
It is undoubtedly a fact that the sole benefit that the country and Congress workers received from Rahul’s speech was these extra LPG cylinders. Else, the takeaways from his speech were as less as his party’s days left in the government.
When Rahul had charged his words against Modi in his AICC speech, he has played the same old communal card and the played to the fear of Modi’s critics that he may move the country into the direction of ‘one man rule’. But he never contested on the point whether Modi can give better governance to the country than his party’s ten year rule.
This is where Modi showed Congress scion his place. Modi not only enlisted his vision for the country, he also put forth a combination of long and short term agendas which he would employ when given the chance to form the government.
His promise to put forth a real time data on important policies like crop output, set up price stabilization fund to help poor afford food, establish skill development institutions to fight unemployment and a national gas grid to end fight over LPG cylinders is a good answer to tackling the basic problems that the country is marred with.
His developmental agenda of modernizing railways, ensuring urbanization across the country, development of dairy institutions, reforming health care and ensuring power supply are sure shot formulas of economic progress.
Not only that, he has plans for delivering better governance to the people by empowering the federal structure of the country. And when he attached the aspirations of regional leaders with it, he played a masterstroke.
“We want to move ahead with a vision of inclusivity. We should not consider regional aspirations a problem. They were earlier viewed as a burden but regional aspirations can also be viewed as an opportunity,” he said.
Modi wants to form teams where the PM along with Chief Ministers, bureaucrats in states and Centre worked together to ensure the entire nation developed individually and collectively.
Unlike the vague agendas of Rahul and his party-centric goals, Modi presented a seven point agenda for the country: Preserving family structure and values, growth of agriculture, empowering women, preserving forests and land, protecting the youth and developing it, strengthening democratic institutions and developing institutions of knowledge.
While Rahul’s imagination was limited to women reservation, Modi put forth a plan which should ensure women empowerment and women safety. “What is happening with our mothers and sisters in the country leaves us shame faced. Dignity of women should be a commitment,” he said. “We should have a ‘beti bachao, beti padhao’ campaign. There isn’t anything worse than female infanticide in this era,” he added.
Modi also unveiled his 5T formula for developing the nation: Talent, Tourism, technology, Tradition and Trade.
It is a well-known fact that the tourism industry does not need great infrastructure and earns best revenue results. Modi has achieved that in his state and it is like extending his state’s success to the whole country.
This 5T formula may also be called summary of his policy plans outlining his main focus areas which would earn the country economic as well as social gains.
Last, but not the least, was his old promise to bring the black money back. He dedicated his promise to veteran leader Lalkrishna Advani who, during his deputy prime ministerial days, had launched a campaign against black money being stashed away in foreign land.
His exemplary experience has surely proved that he is anytime better than Rahul who is yet to prove his mettle and speak his mind clearly despite a praise-worthy speech. But his plans as ‘chaiwallah’ will further ensure that Congress thinks twice before speaking anything against him.
