Sunil Gatade | Can Modi Find ‘New Ideas’ To Give BJP Momentum?

What does one make of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 12th Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort this year, his longest speech ever, and what does it reveal about him as a man?

The charismatic politician who was once praised by his fans and admirers as the “strongest leader” India has produced since Independence does not only seem to have completely run out of ideas, but appears to be totally devoid of them.

Ideas make a man, and here Narendra Modi is not moving an inch beyond his oft-repeated card of communal polarisation. The only difference is that the more he seems to be losing the plot, the more he is becoming strident.

This was visible in abundance in the PM’s address. This could be seen in his warning against illegal immigration, which he claimed was threatening the demography of the country. Mr Modi announced a high-powered demography mission to protect the country from the dangers posed by illegal immigrants who were “invading” India.

While speaking about India’s diversity, the PM offered the example of the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, saying it showed how Bharat’s diversity was lived. “The success of the Maha Kumbh is a resounding testament to Bharat’s unity and strength”.

In his heart of hearts, Mr Modi knows that Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, could beat him hollow in this game of polarisation any time and in every way. Yogi’s “Batenge to Katenge” has remained the ultimate, and all of Mr Modi’s attempts to improve upon it have met with utter failure. Amit Shah might fail to agree, but the UP CM has the dubious distinction of being the most diabolic in the game.

The Prime Minister’s high praise for the RSS, which is celebrating its centenary, looks more to please a disgruntled Sangh leadership in Nagpur, which is having some reservations on the way things are being run, since Mr Modi failed to secure a majority for the BJP in the last Lok Sabha polls.

Despite a section of the media proclaiming that the PM’s “pearls of wisdom” were unparallelled, he has given more than enough indications that he is a man under siege after being in office for over 11 years.

There was absolutely no mention of US President Donald Trump and his controversial actions that hit India hard, and he also steered clear of the Opposition’s “Vote Chori” campaign, which is gaining momentum. That tells its own story.

While vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar’s forced resignation is seen as a setback as he had been handpicked by the PM, it is his seeming inability to counter the Opposition’s campaign against the Election Commission over the Bihar SIR issue that puts a question mark on his victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

He is not exactly Abhimanyu caught in the “Chakravyuh” in the Mahabharata war, but a man whose past is suddenly haunting him and who is feeling unsure about the future.

Otherwise, how does one explain the Opposition INDIA bloc appearing to wake up from its grave and becoming more united and cohesive? This is happening despite all the propaganda and the craft and cunning of the world’s largest party, which hopes to govern India at least until 2047, if not longer. And despite all the assistance it is getting from agencies like the CBI, ED or the income-tax department.

Look at Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party, which has been down and out since its defeat in Delhi early this year, and which had announced its exit from the INDIA bloc not too long ago. Now it seems to be back, and is associating with the protests against “Vote Chori”. One cannot expect a sudden revolution. Change come little by little.

Interestingly, Prashant Kishor of the Jan Suraj Party, not an admirer of Rahul Gandhi since his days of being a star poll strategist, is insisting that what the Congress leader is saying on “Vote Chori” is very much relevant. The chants of “vote chor, gaddi chod” are growing by the day. And this comes while Mr Kishor’s party is a rival of the Mahagathbandhan in poll-bound Bihar.

Everyone is now familiar with the game of the controversial EC and its wayward ways, with Mr Gandhi hosting a tea for those declared “dead” by the poll body. The picture has gone viral all over the world. The timing of the EC’s press conference on the very day Rahul Gandhi’s Vote Adhikar Yatra began in Bihar has exposed the not-so-closely guarded secret that it is closely aligned with Mr Modi and his party.

Donald Trump’s tantrums and his targeting of India on tariffs are also trampling the ego of the PM, who had often heaped extreme scorn and ridicule on his detractors, especially the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. The US President’s controversial anti-India actions are undoubtedly to show that he is a bigger bully. Mr Modi’s silence is quite intriguing. No one gets terrified of the scarecrow when the word gets out.

A leader of substance is different. He or she turns a crisis into an opportunity, as Indira Gandhi did when the United States sent its Seventh Fleet into the Bay of Bengal to threaten India. It only steeled her resolve, and led to the birth of Bangladesh.

Operation Sindoor was meant to be the zenith of Mr Modi’s leadership so far, but resulted in a crisis for India on the foreign policy front, with few countries backing New Delhi. The faithful billed Operation Sindoor as a huge Balakot strike that would make Mr Modi unstoppable, but Mr Trump had other ideas.

Apparently ridiculing Mr Modi's much-touted “hug diplomacy”, which was in a shambles, a foreign policy expert said dealing with a whimsical Mr Trump required simply a handshake, as an embrace would choke.

Added to this is the fact that Pakistan and China have come together like never before. What’s worse is that Pakistan has played its cards so well that it has suddenly become the darling of Mr Trump and the Americans, much to the dismay of New Delhi.

However, however troubled he may be, a Prime Minister’s lack of ideas is a tragedy not only for him but for the entire country.

The failure to find a “big idea” has cost the BJP dearly, as it had failed to secure a majority in the Lok Sabha polls last year. That outcome too has now come under question.

The writer is a journalist based in New Delhi