Narendra Modi, our 15th Prime Minister, and the second one from the state of Gujarat (after Morarji Desai), looked uncharacteristically sombre and out of his depth when he arrived for the historic swearing-in ceremony in the forecourt of the magnificent Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 26.
Fortunately, it did not rain on Mr Modi’s parade, and even the monsoon gods behaved themselves as Mr Modi and his team of 45 ministers took the oath in the presence of 4,000 invitees. His self-consciousness is understandable. You either “belong” to Delhi, or you don’t. As of now, Mr Modi doesn’t belong. My guess is that Mr Modi will remain an outsider in the capital, regardless of the number of terms he serves. Delhi is that sort of a place. Closed, secretive, incestuous. Delhi does not welcome those they view as “aliens” (meaning anybody who does not own a fancy bungalow/farmhouse there, and is not on buddy terms with fashion designers).
Delhiwallas can be rather immature and silly when it comes to welcoming someone like Mr Modi — a self-made man with humble origins who is more comfortable in Gujarati than either Hindi or English. Mr Modi is as “Gujju” as they come — and that is perhaps his biggest strength. Will he play ball with Dilli types and host those nasty durbars where everybody is shredded and all backs are watched? One sincerely hopes not. Mr Modi is an unknown entity to most of India.
The man who tirelessly held over 400 rallies across the country during the hectic months leading up to his spectacular win, is not the same person who now occupies the gaddi vacated by Manmohanji. The biggest difference is this: Delhi is the ultimate “pass-the-buck” city. For the past 10 years, nobody had a clue where that buck stopped. It suited vested interests just fine to keep people guessing. The government remained aloof, distant and inaccessible. Nobody talked to anybody else. There was widespread paranoia everywhere. And as we well know, nothing but nothing got done though people still made humungous amounts of money. The hope is that Mr Modi’s arrival in the capital will change this state of wretchedness.
Will it really?
Which is where an Arun Jaitley comes in. Here’s a seasoned politician who is not intimidated by Delhi. If anything, his admirers insist, Delhi is intimidated by him. Since Mr Jaitley has been given two very key portfolios (finance, defence), all eyes will be on him and his equation with Mr Modi — two alpha men leading a party of several other alpha men. Mr Modi has displayed enormous confidence in entrusting the fiercely ambitious Mr Jaitley with high-profile portfolios that can overshadow the Prime Minister himself.
But that’s Mr Modi. His braggadocio is known to all in Gujarat. Let’s see whether it also flies in tight-assed Delhi. That he has shown guts in the formation of his Cabinet is also being seen as a “non-Delhi” move. His decision to ignore the objections raised by J. Jayalalithaa and others to Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajpakase’s presence at the swearing-in ceremony, along with his decision to go ahead and invite Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (thereby putting Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray in his place) is also being seen as most audacious by Delhi’s “all is well” and “all are welcome” stance.
No sir, Mr Modi seems to be saying, I am my own man. And I will call the shots. This is both sexy and scary. If Mr Modi becomes a power unto himself, answerable to no one but his own conscience, we will be stuck with a male version of Sonia Gandhi (but minus her Rahul-Robert baggage). If Mr Modi softens a bit too much in order to play the Delhi game, that will not be good either.
India has voted for change. Mr Modi is the change. If India had wanted to stick to the status quo, Rahul and gang would still be in charge.
And it would have been back to business, Delhi-ishtyle. There are several high expectations riding on Mr Modi. If he doesn’t deliver and deliver fast, the electorate will immediately start looking over his shoulder for the next leader. Which is why it is imperative that Mr Modi plays the game, a la Delhi… so long as he stays on top of it, and is not sucked into those ugly power games.
Gujarat Bhavan has already become the focal point of political activity in the capital. But Mr Modi has to go beyond Gujarat — in his thinking, manner of functioning, decision-making, even networking. Delhi is a strange and suspicious creature. Delhi is also a fickle, demanding city.
There are no real loyalties in Delhi (see how rapidly the knives came out when it was obvious the Congress had been thrashed, and Madam was in an alarmingly weakened situation). Delhi has no time for losers, as a lot of whipped Congresswallas are discovering.
Mr Modi has been given a brilliant, unprecedented mandate to go ahead and lead India. We should let him get on with this difficult job without cramping his style. If he chooses to make the delicious dhokla a national snack, let him. His rivals are eating crow, anyway. Meanwhile, political watchers are wondering: Will Mr Modi survive Delhi? To that there is a counter question: Will Delhi survive Mr Modi?
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