- Modi 3.0 failure to take on the RaGa 2.0 challenge head on is a direct fall-out of Moditva itself. Particularly for the past five-six years, the Modi troll army has become dependent on HMV for fire and flame. It is not forthcoming post-the electoral setbacks.
- In Andhra Pradesh, Jaganmohan Reddy is setting the agenda while his bete noire Naidu is busy releasing White Papers on Reddy follies and is engrossed in his endless review meetings.
By Malladi Rama Rao*
As Modi 3.0 is inching towards its 100-day mark, a question doing the rounds of power lobbies is not about its longevity but whether the political narrative has slipped into Ra Ga 2.0. hands.
What is true of Kartvya Path is having its echo in Amaravati with Jaganmohan Reddy 2.0 donning a new mantle to the dismay of Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu (NCN).
The unmistakable impression from the Congress party which has failed to reach the 100-mark even after three electoral rounds is that Rahul and his egg-heads are not letting the three-time Prime Minister to have respite from their onslaught whether it is on the floor of parliament or on the platforms of social media.
In a sense, the GOP is beating the Modi camp which has pioneered the use of social media to run down its opponents. Remember the way they had decimated Rahul Baba by dubbing him as Pappu.
A cursory look at the You Tube channels which have mushroomed and the social media posts that have multiplied hundred thousand times in the past couple of months provides the give-away to the new game that has clearly stymied the stride of the One-Man enterprise the Modi regime has been for over a decade.
It is not that the ruling camp is short of Pun – doctors and Wordsmiths of some repute. In fact, there are one too many of this tribe in its stable.
STRIDENT TONE
But all of them give the impression of being awestruck, if not scared by the strident tone of Ra Ga 2.0, and his acolytes, who are not letting any and every opportunity to declare that he is the man in the shadows ready to usurp the throne.
Every word the RaGa says, every stand RaGa takes, and every attack RaGa team mounts echo what Modi 1.0 used to say about the sense of entitlement of the crown prince.
Now to specifics to buttress my case that Modi 3.0 has allowed the narrative to slip into RaGa 2.0 hands.
But before I slip into that subject, a flash back to the Rajiv-Advani-Vajpayee era. It was the time when the country witnessed a sudden burst of private TV news channels like AajTak.
Advanis were quite awestruck by the new media atmosphere more so since they had cut their political teeth in the days when an occasional press release or presser served the purpose of putting across an idea whose time had come.
Those days deep throats had a field day to the delight of specials with by-lines. In a sense it was a mutual admiration society.
It was also the time when spokesman of the party or government had the luxury of saying “We will get back to you later”. That they rarely did is only post script.
The advent of AajTak et al changed the rules of the game. And Advani frankly admitted that his party was at sea by the development.
“The demand is for quick reflexes. Prompt replies. Not press release after 24 hours. We are pushed to the drawing board”, he told me once.
TROLL ARMIES
In those pre-cell phone/pre-fax days, the BJP had perfected the art of simultaneous statements on the same subject by different functionaries from different state capitals. Neither the Left nor the Congress was a match to the BJP.
To the saffronites’ credit, they cashed in on the ‘AajTak opportunity’, while the Congress led by old time spokesmen like Vittal N Gadgil almost missed its tryst with the new age journalism.
Modi as Chief Minister in Gujarat and as the PM face of the BJP had rewritten the rules of the political games with his innovative approach to tap the FB and Twitter.
Well, the Moditva gave birth to troll armies. And reduced the conventional tools of media management into relics that have no takers even in journalism class rooms.
Modi 3.0 failure to take on the RaGa 2.0 challenge head on is a direct fall-out of Moditva itself. Particularly for the past five-six years, the Modi troll army has become dependent on HMV for fire and flame. It is not forthcoming post-the electoral setbacks.
Not many in the official camp appear keen to take the initiative to silence the criticism.
For reasons that the BJP is shy of grappling with, this phenomenon was very much evident in the run up to the last ballot.
It is still unclear as to why the BJP, which, in essence means Modi himself, had allowed the RaGa and his brand of INDIA to get away with half-truths and wild conjectures – be it on Agniveer or Reservations.
MODITVA -FLIPSIDE
A classic case of abject surrender before the resurgent GOP is Nirmala Sitharaman budget speech.
Since Modi was privy to the budget preparation and budget speech, he should shoulder the blame for the way the Tam Bram delivered the two-state centric Union budget.
Poor Naidu and dismayed Nitish swallowed the bait and could do no more than squirm with unease at the delivery of peanuts packaged as Manna.
This is what happens when politicians with a penchant to not look beyond the nose do a solo act in what turns to be no more than a suicidal mission.
The short point is that the brickbats Modi-Sitaraman faced was a self-inflicted wound. There was no need for them to appear to be pleasing the two crutches since both were briefed of what was to be on offer.
The budget speech was a classic case of thoughtless surrender to politics of expediency when there was no such need.
While on the budget, it is difficult to not miss RaGa’s monopoly of the new lament over budget-halwa.
It was not for the first time he had raised the issue of representation to the deprived classes in the decision-making corridors. He has been harping on the issue for a while and is demanding share in the pie to every section in proportion to their numerical strength in the society.
Sitaraman listened to RaGa. So did others on the treasury benches. Patiently. Without interrupting.
Well, they gave the impression that they were amused by Ra Ga logic but made no effort to counter him in what appeared to the people glued to Sansad TV as a state of helplessness. And the media lapped up the show boosting in the process TRPs for RaGa and the channels alike.
True, a day or two later Sitaraman came back to the Lok Sabha, and launched an offensive to blunt RaGa-speak. She did a creditable job by all means.
So Nadda in the Rajya Sabha by asking about the SC/STs and OBCs in GOP’s forums like Working Committee and the RG Foundations, the First Family of the Congress runs.
NO TALKING POINTS
Neither their very calibrated counter attack nor the caste needling by Anurag Sing Thakur offered any talking points.
In fact, RaGa snatched the caste card to reassert his position – ‘abuse me any number of times but I will continue with my demand’.
In a gratuitous remark, he declared that he would not seek Thakur’s apology.
And went on to declare as if he is the Government that he would implement the caste census.
There are many such examples which clearly show that RaGa and his gang are setting the agenda even though they are aware that the electoral mandate is not theirs.
Like Jaganmohan Reddy is doing in Andhra Pradesh while his bete noire is busy releasing White Papers on Reddy follies and is engrossed in his endless review meetings.
Who will tell NCN that he doesn’t enjoy the luxury of old times, and that the need of the hour is not only doing the right thing but also appearing to doing the right thing.
Review meetings and white papers are good as talking points for the party faithful and for the op-ed pages. These are not the delight of babus, who are never happy to sit glued to the chairs/ monitor screens.
The same yardstick is valid for Modi 3.0.
NO GOEBBELISM
This is not a call for a separate ministry/ spokesman cut in the mould of Nazi loudmouths, as some egg-heads appear to think.
No, the call is also not for Goebbels, who will only muddy the waters with their overkill.
Then, what?
Return to the drawing board.
Learn from the past.
- The way Indira Gandhi grabbed the narrative from the Syndicate when she had split the Congress and survived on the Left support.
- Also, from the way Morarji and Charan Singh made a mess of their mandate with their tryst with the Shah Commission.
- Leadership by definition in a democracy is a collective show though at the end of the day there is a number one amongst equals and that worthy bears the cross.
- To be quick witted is the need of the day.
- Prompt rebuttal is the urgency of the times.
- Ability to grab the initiative from the rival camp is as essential as the play with words.
This is the message from Hasina-nama as well.
Elephant ride to Belchi in Bihar on a rainy day was enough for Indira Gandhi to bounce back on the centre stage.
Many Belchis are coming the way of her grandson with what his acolytes packaging and presenting him as the one and only entitled person to run the country.
Privilege motions fielded on the floor of Parliament and the no confidence planned against Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar are a clear give away that there is going to be no dull moment. Of course, unless the ‘other camp’ puts its act together!
(*Malladi Rama Rao is Consultant at Deccan Council for Strategic Studies and former Chief Editor for a national news paper).
