1984

My friend Rahul officially joined the BJP last week. He was a celebrity CEO till two years ago, when he was sacked for having embezzled some company funds. But, Rahul took this setback in his stride. If anything, he became even more famous. He was one of the first corporate voices to publicly back Modi for PM and that made him a frequent invitee on television talk shows.

“I am not pro-BJP. I am pro-Narendrabhai,” he told me over coffee the other day. “I wasn’t going to join the party, you know? But, Narendrabhai, himself, called me and asked me to work with him.”

I nodded in a non-committal fashion. As a banker, I too have a soft corner for Modi, but I am a bit scared of what the wife would say about that. She is rabidly anti-Narendrabhai.

“We are seeing a complete change in the way politics happens in this country, you know?” Rahul continued. “Parties are dead now. What matters is key individual leaders. It’s like the US. The PM is now like the President, you know? I mean like POTUS.”

“The US has shown that political parties are not necessary for democracy to function. What you need is a strong powerful leader who can lead, you know?”

“That’s not really true, Rahul” I said. “The US has a very strong party system. I mean, the Democrats and Republicans have a lot of say inside the Congress and Senate.” I saw the second season of House of Cards in 4 days flat.

Rahul ignored me. “Democracy can sometimes be very bad for the people. Not everyone understands what is good for the country or the economy. You have to leave these things to the experts so that ordinary people can lead their lives in peace. We need the government out of the economy, and we need people out of government.”

“The Presidential system gives authority to one strong chap, who gets a free hand to set things right. That’s what Modi has shown in Gujarat. He leads it with an iron hand, takes decisions immediately and solves problems immediately.”

“Corporates need that kind of quick decision making. You go to him with a project and you say Narendrabhai I want to invest in this thing, but I need the government to do the following. Modi tells you right there whether it can happen or not. That’s why corporates want this guy.”

Rahul paused as the waiter came with his third cup of espresso. “Boss, don’t you have some biscotti?”

“I will get it right away, Sir,” said the waiter and withdrew.

“You know, I would have nothing against Rahul Gandhi if he had been like his dad. Rajiv was a man who believed in progress. He believed in the private sector and the market. Rahul is like his mother. He is too influenced by pinko NGO-types, you know?”

“But, you corporate types seemed to like him in 2009,” I said.

“No. Corporates liked Manmohan Singh. Everyone was happy when he kicked out the left. But, Rahul has always been anti-corporate. He has always made it clear that he does not trust us. He was behind all this environmental nonsense which has set India’s growth back by a decade, you know? Don’t you remember how he went to the tribal rally and he said I am your soldier in the capital? Crazy, man!”

Rahul controlled his anger by stuffing a mini-biscotti into his mouth. “And then ET does a story on how Reliance has lost faith in the Gandhi family. What did they expect?”

“The Gandhis are honest people, but they are terrible for the country. At a time when the world is pushing austerity, the Gandhis want more hand-outs. You have to train the poor to fish and not just give them fish for free.”

“Modi understands economics better than anyone else. He knows that the private sector has the passion to push growth. You need to encourage the private sector, not shackle it. Give incentives to big companies and they will create jobs for people. All this NREGA-Sharega will only spoil them.”

“But, the BJP is also populist,” I interjected. “Look at MP or Chhattisgarh. They give free food and loads of subsidies. Will the party accept a pro-reform stand by Modi?”

“Boss, that is where you have to understand the difference. You see, today the BJP is nothing. It is of no consequence. Modi is everything. He will decide. The BJP is being completely overhauled, from top to bottom. The old-fogeys have been thrown out and a new professional breed is taking over. It is people like me who are running the party now. It is being run like a company, with a proper marketing strategy and sales targets. Our target is 272.”

“You see, India is a vast segmented market. Each state is different, and within each state there are different target groups who consume politics differently. Our objective is to tailor our message to reach each of these target groups. The old BJP system of pushing an overarching Hindutva ideology is over.”

“Is it really?” I asked sceptically. If there’s one thing I don’t like about the BJP, it is this Hindutva business.

“Hindutva is there.” Rahul replied. “I am not denying it. But, it is horses for courses. Hindutva is important in UP. It is not needed in Delhi. In some places it has to be about jobs, in other places it has to about women’s safety. Horses for courses.”

“Are you trying to say that Narendra Modi is not a convinced Hindutva waala?”

“No, I am not saying that. All I am saying is that it does not matter. The NDA was in power for six years. Did anything bad happen? No. Instead, roads were built, disinvestment happened, the telecom revolution was unleashed, markets opened up to foreign companies. The Gandhis turned the clock back.”

“I, for one, am willing to accept a bit of Hindutva if that means stability, rule of law, a strong India and a free market. All this is more important now, you know? Even Muslims will accept this soon, like they have accepted in Gujarat. IThe Congress is no less communal. If you are talking about 2002, don’t forget 1984.”

The wife had joined us just then to catch the 1984 remark. (We were supposed to go to watch a movie from there.)

“Yes Rahul, you are right,” she said.  “We should not forget 1984. But not the 1984 that you want us to remember. It is a different 1984 that you would not know, since you are completely innocent of literature. That’s the 1984 your Narendra Modi is going to bring to this country.”

Rahul looked completely perplexed. So was I. I have absolutely no idea what the wife was talking about.