Narendra Modi’s supporters, Image: The Guardian.
He wakes at 5 a.m. and does yoga for ninety minutes. He is vegetarian. He lives a simple, almost ascetic life. He has vowed celibacy to concentrate his energies on making India great.
In a country in which corruption is endemic in every area of life, Narendra Modi is “clean,” incorruptible.
He is a technocrat, running a well-organised, disciplined government, getting things done.
He has been Chief Minister of Gujarat for 12 years. Without significant natural resources or population hubs like Mumbai or technology hubs like Bangalore, the state has achieved 10% growth annually, India’s highest. Its citizens have a higher per capita income than other Indians. Ahmedabad, its capital, is a boom town, high-rises everywhere, companies moving in, three million private cars for six million people, efficient public transportation, dedicated bus lanes…
(Outside Ahmedabad, however, is the insalubrious Juhapura ghetto where the city’s garbage is dumped and periodically burnt, and the 400, 000 Muslims who fled there after the 2002 religious massacre live in poverty, in dark, overcrowded surroundings, without sewage or municipal water (for which they are, nevertheless billed).
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A tough, ruthless, feared leader, Modi has the potential to be the strongest leader in the developing world. To make India a superpower to rival and outstrip China. To restore national pride. To develop India’s considerable human resources. Who knows, to woo back educated Indians from the diaspora perhaps.
Modi will, I suspect, be a boon to India’s economy.
Were I living in India, I would find myself hard-pressed not to vote for him.
But I would resist.
I would not vote for him.
I would vote for Rahul Gandhi and for Congress, though I believe the more experienced Narendra Modi would be better for the economy.
Because as Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi stood by and did nothing while 2000 Muslims were massacred under his watch in 2002, riots his henchmen are widely suspected of fomenting.
Because the sense of pride and belonging to appeals to is Hindu pride, and Hindu identity, not Indian pride and Indian identity.
Because he appeals to the worst, militant elements of the ancient, peaceful, gracious religion of Hinduism.
Because of the destruction of property, burnings, beatings, murder, rape of nuns, and atrocities committed against Catholics and Christians by the some of the violent and militant organizations which form part of the Sangh Parivar, to which his party, the BJP, and his original formative home, the RSS, belong.
Because just as Modi, a polarizing, divisive leader for a vast, increasingly powerful, secular democracy like India, wishes his supporters to vote for what would be best for Hindus, I, a Christian, who belongs to a family and town (Mangalore) converted to Catholicism in the mid-sixteenth century would vote for what is best for Indian Christians and Catholics. (So I must confess my motivation is as communal as the motivations Modi appeals to.)
Though forecasts of the winners in India’s elections have a history of being wrong, I fear Modi, the predicted winner, will indeed win.
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And what should Christians do? Watch the signs of the times very carefully and get out as soon as they can, if they can. Jews under Hitler could not believe that Kristallnacht would occur until it did. Could not believe in the horrors of Auschwitz until too late.
Emigration, however, is difficult and costly: financially, emotionally, psychologically, practically. But there is something simple and practical that we can do.
Pray. Pray for protection from Narendra Modi and the violent religious nationalism he appeals to.
Pray for Narendra Modi. Prayer is the strong weapon of the weak.
Like Gandhi, Narendra Modi is from Gujarat. Like Gandhi, he is vegetarian, ascetic, experiments with celibacy.
Unlike Gandhi, he has had limited or contact with true Christians. Unlike Gandhi, he is quite uninfluenced by the ideals of Christ.
Introduce Narenda Modi to Christ, and His ideals and what a leader he might be.
Prayer. A weak hope. Prayer, the strongest hope we have.
Pray for India, with a population four times the size of America’s and twice the size of the E.U.’s. A giant rising from torpor. A nation which will be a world leader in my lifetime, whether we like the direction it’s going to take. Or not.
Let us pray that the direction it takes would be one that would make Mahatma Gandhi smile. And even more, make my personal hero, Jesus Christ, smile.
Read my new memoir: Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India (US) or UK.
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My book of essays: Wandering Between Two Worlds (US) or UK
Dear Anita,
You took this bold step of stating what would it be if the inevitable had to come to pass. And, this i’m typing presently watching the results of the election, which clearly depicts the inevitable coming to pass.
As you have stated, PRAYER is THE ANSWER and there is nowhere else you can run to hide.
I really encourage you to keep up the good work that you have started so that the sluggish christians (that includes me), take this as a wake up call and do that which has to be done without tarrying. In Chennai, some 40 odd independent pastors before election held a prayer meeting for MODI TO BECOME PM. I sincerely urge that people stand for God and not for money or power and hold on to our good faith.
God Bless!!
Apparently, many Indian Christian leaders are supporting Modi because he is promising jobs, despite his party’s alignment with Hindutva: tough anticonversion laws, a crackdown on public criticism of Hinduism, and further limits on religious minorities.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/april/indias-christians-shrug.html
Fr Frazer Mascarenhas, S. J, the Jesuit head of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, one of India’s leading colleges has expressed his discomfort with the economic model of development espoused and practised by Modi–and with more erudition, eloquence and perspective than I can muster.
Here is the full text of his letter sent out to students, and posted on the St. Xavier’s website
”
The approaching elections have brought an interesting discussion to the public forum on what constitutes human development and how it is to be achieved. The Gujarat model has been highlighted for our consideration. That is very apt because it puts in stark contrast two current views. Is the growth of big business, the making of huge profits, the achievement of high production – what we seek? Or is it the quality of life for the majority in terms of affordable basic goods and services and the freedom to take forward the cultural aspirations of our plural social groups that make up India?
Gujarat may be doing well in the first sense, although not as good as some other States in the country. But all the Human Development Index indicators and the cultural polarization of the population show that Gujarat has had a terrible experience in the last 10 years. Take the example of education: schools for the ordinary populace show abject neglect with a very high dropout rate in the last 10 years. Higher Education has not been allowed to move forward. To take just an example, St. Xavier’s College Ahmedabad, thrice NAAC accredited with an equivalent of the A grade, has not been able to gain permission from the Gujarat Government for Academic Autonomy, for the last 10 years and has finally won a battle in the High Court to approach the UGC directly for this status. Gujarat has also been the worst performer in settling claims and distributing title deeds to tribal people and other forest dwellers, as shown by the latest data put out by the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry. Till 2013, the State, with 15% tribal population, settled only 32 per cent of the claims, the lowest rate in the country.
As opposed to this, efforts like the Rojgar Yojana and the Food Security Act have been called “election sops”. However some of our best social scientists like Amartya Sen and Jean Dreze have supported these as necessary in the emergency economic situation the country and the world is facing. The country is grateful that committed activists like Aruna Roy and Shailesh Gandhi have worked with the Government to initiate and sustain the Right to Information Act which makes accountability possible. Corruption still needs to be addressed effectively but since it is so prevalent at every level of society, it will take civil society long agonizing efforts to root it out.
A massive investment in health and education is sorely needed in our country of widening disparities and those who support big business and its unethical profits will never agree to such public expenditure for the masses. In fact, the worsening situation of environmental degradation and depletion, in the lunge for growth and profit, shows up the real intentions of the greedy. None can withstand this, as seen by the many clearances given in a week’s time after the recent change of guard at the Central Environment Ministry, which had earlier tried to hold the line under a different Minister.
So what lessons does a reflection on the approaching elections teach us? The prospect of an alliance of corporate capital and communal forces coming to power constitutes a real threat to the future of our secular democracy. Support for people who pledge to work to take Human Development Indicators higher and who commit themselves to a pluralistic culture in diverse India – this is the hope for the future. No magic wand or divine miracles will come to the aid of the Indian people. Their reasoned choice of individuals and political parties who promise to work for a real quality of life for all, will see India prosper or flounder on the precipice. Choose well!”
Thanks, Anita. Since you and your family come from India, you would know much more about Mr. Modi. I’ve heard a number of negative things about the BJP party in India before. Mr. Modi and his policies concern me to no end.
Yes, Mr. Modi is living a “clean” lifestyle, but what is the condition of his heart? How open is he to seniors, children, the disabled, and people in all sorts of poverty? How open is he to both ethnic and religious minorities? Sure, he might be “good” for India’s economy, and cause the GDP to make healthy gains. But these additional questions are questions I would ask of him, and ask of myself, before voting for him.
I was especially moved by the reference you made to Kristallnacht. Yes, yes, and yes. Truly a politician to watch–and we had better keep a sharp eye on him, and his policies! Thanks again. @chaplaineliza
Hi Elizabeth, to refer to an Indian politician as “clean” means he does not personally take bribes nor condone bribery in his government. According to the media, Modi is “clean” in both respects. Rahul Gandhi is certainly personally “clean.”
“What is the condition of his heart?” you ask. That is my question too, “Is he more of a good man or a bad man.” I would say at the moment, he is a primarily a technocrat, so is not operating at the level of emotion. He will do what is necessary to get him elected, and then what is necessary for a thriving, prosperous economy.
Economic development has been impressive on his watch; human development less do. Gujarat ranks 11 in the nation out of 28 states in the human development indices, when it comes to malnutrition among under-5’s, women’s health and literacy (2/3rds are illiterate). The dalits, the very poor, and, of course, Muslims, have not been included in his economic gains for the most part.
I think his election sounds inevitable, and it will not be good news to the disadvantaged or to Christians.
At such times, I draw great comfort from the truth that the whole world is in God’s hands!
hello anita ,
as one of the countless Indians who is supporting BJPs bid to secure a majority mandate to guide the country’s fortunes for the next 5 years or more , may I respectfully indicate that your fears are largely unfounded , based as they are on some stray incidents in the past and the recent campaign rhetoric . BJP in power is bound to provide a more efficient and relatively cleaner government that will drive the country to greater heights in the years to come .
Let us review the situation a few months from now….
g rajagopalan nair
Dear G. Rajagopalan, Thank you for your comment, and it would indeed be good news for everyone if my fears were unfounded! I hope so. And an efficient and cleaner government is, indeed, much to be desired. Thank you for visiting!
So glad you are calling us to pray for the Indian elections.
It would be awful if the Christians ran away, wouldn’t it? How likely are they to be persecuted to the extent they should, do you think? (Mythology, of course, says that Thomas the apostle went to India… )
Nationalism seems to be dividing up the world today… nationalism is indeed the enemy of Christ’s teaching – which of course says that there are no such divisions and calls us all to be under God not under nationalistic rulers, and to regard everyone as having worth. How frightful for those Christian and Muslim minorities, I don’t think we in the West ever hear much about this, unless an incident is picked out on the News…
Praying!
Thanks Mari.
I think there will be sporadic outbreaks of violence against Christians. This has been steadily increasing since the BJP, the RSS and the “Sangh Parivar” association of militant Hindus have gained power. Depending on how much violent rhetoric Modi tolerates this could increase. Cultivating an us versus them mentality has helped him into power, and perhaps even into the premiership. Our best hope is that once in power, he will curb violence and religious hatred because, in the long run, these are bad for the economy. His stated goal is to make India an economic powerhouse like South Korea or Singapore, and both nations have peace between various religious groups. I’m praying.