Modi most insecure, can’t run India like Gandhinagar: Rajdeep
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 06 December 2014 18:38 IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most insecure person and should remember that he cannot run India like Gandhinagar of Gujarat, which could be run singlehandedly, said Rajdeep Sardesai, India’s veteran TV journalist.
The famous TV anchor and author of his new book ‘2014: The Election that changed India’ made startling revelations about Modi during conversation with his journalist colleague Naresh Fernandes, after the launch of his book at the Goa Art and Literary Festival.
The book was released at the hands of defence minister Manohar Parrikar, who was recently inducted in the Modi cabinet, by replacing Goa chief minister. Parrikar heard the hour-long conversation and the minute observations made by the author.
Sardesai, who enjoys love-hate relation with Modi for several decades now, feels that Modi could fulfil highly raised expectation of the Indian people only if he could take the whole team along with him by changing his attitude – Might is right.
Rajdeep, as he is widely known all over the country, listed out several positive features of Modi, who captured number one position in the Bharatiya Janata Party within 12 years, sidelining many PM aspirants like L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Govindacharya, after the frontrunner Pramod Mahajan was killed by his brother.
“I had observed him in 1990 during L K Advani’s Rath Yatra, which Modi was the in-charge of. His skills of managing the media have been unimaginable since then”, said Rajdeep, recalling his assignment days of Rath Yatra.
“He was even guiding us on what could be tomorrow’s headline, just not managing newsworthy statements every day”, he recalled.
While many people talk of frightening eyes of Modi, Rajdeep looks at it as ‘tough eyes.’
Listing out his positives, Rajdeep said Modi is a terrific speaker, knows what appeals to the people, dresses impressively, takes quick decisions, carries immense self-confidence and has an ability to sell dreams to the masses.
As the prime minister has been passionate about drama from his young days, Rajdeep feels what he displayed during the historic election campaign was a ‘single-person drama.’
However his negatives like over-relying upon the handful of bureaucrats and his inability to take the whole team along could prove disastrous.
“He also needs to control the hate-speech culture in his Parivar like what Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti performed, realising that this is a country of multiple faiths. I hope this is not his idea of India”, Rajdeep quipped in reply to the question posed by Fernandes.
While describing Modi as ‘work in progress’, the experienced journalist feels it is too early to be judgemental about the man who has taken reins of the country with very high expectations.
Fernandes also sought to know Rajdeep’s views on the formal media and the usage of social media by Modi to achieve the historic victory.
“Modi wanted to eliminate the media that questions him, thus established direct contact with the people through single-way communication system called Social Media”, he opined.
According to Rajdeep, Modi created a social media army to prevent any kind of healthy discussion in the social media and proved that the social media could also be the chamber of hate and spreading poison.
Stating that the campaign managers concentrated in micro-detailing like even converting the lotus symbol into black and white like it appears on the voting machine, the cricket-fan journalist said: “Modi played six bouncers in an over by taking even the election commission by surprise and won the match.”
“The BJP would have won 200 seats but the additional 82 seats are solely the gain of Narendra Modi”, said Rajdeep, who had all praises for his campaign skills.
Recalling the election Indira Gandhi won with thumping majority in 1970, Rajdeep equated her victory to Modi’s, which had one factor common – Vote for Me!
“From the orator, now he needs to act as a performer. Will he be able to fulfil these expectations? That would decide his fate”, said Rajdeep, while reiterating that it is too early to comment on it.
