Tag: Politics of Development

Brand NaMo: A Metaphor for Development Authoritarianism

Narendra Modi is a good student of political science as he gauges social architecture both soft and hard to rule Gujarat. He has built a brand very attractive to the urbane middle class. Well, about 80% of the urban seats in the recent third term win is a testament to the same. This article is certainly not a summary of recent reads available in the conventional media and being such as polarizing figure in the Indian Political Landscape, he is very well researched by writers.  This post touches upon the governance model and its political symbolism as a flagpost for democracy in this country.

I am not a Modi Fan, quite was quite anti his genre of politics actually as i am for a plural, secular and inclusive idea of India. A man who presided during the 2002 riots and supposedly did not discharge his Raj Dharma, is not a man who is to be a leading opposition party’s candidate for Prime Minister. He has been an international recluse with the Americans refusing him a visa. Although the Brits being born businessmen as Gujaratis have warmed up to him.

The research question that pops up in my psyche is : What makes NaMo such a hit with the urbane middle class inspite of all the negative rhetoric blemishing his resume?

Firstly, He is Macho. Aggressive, Powerful Orator with a persona of being a man of action helps when contrasting him with Dr. Singh and Rahul ji.  He is Tech Savvy; uses Twitter, has a laptop and connects well with the aspirations of the right side of the populace representing the demographic dividend. He connects well with the Industry and realises that development only can create jobs. The Vibrant Gujarat Summit and its success speaks  volumes as an advertorial for the State. He has brought in Technocrats to oversee projects in his administration. Although seven of his ministers lost in this election, Brand Modi remains popular as ever. A Development oriented Politician with a mass base. A rare sight in our public discourse where caste and creed define electoral fortunes. And in this election, the Sangh supported the opposition and he still won with an overwhelming mandate.

His government still has to improve human development indicators in the socially conservative state. Modi reminds me of the South Korean Military Leader, the father of the current president who drove Korea to prosperity or an Pinochet who ruled with an iron fist while his nation did economically very well. A Singapore with a Lee Kuan Yew ran a single party democracy while shepherding his country from ‘Third World to The First’. Deng Xiopeng was a Communist Ruler who advocated economic liberalization.

Developmental transition comes with a political/social cost. The minorities in Gujarat are paying for that in a way with their space reducing every day. In Singapore, communities were moved from Kampungs or villages to shoe box apartments in State built housing estates. Their old way of life was lost forever. Singapore has done an amazing job. I salute LKY and the PAP leadership on their meritocratic governance.

Modi’s win is a watershed in a way that people will tolerate particular variety of authoritarianism if the job is delivered. The Late Shiv Sena Chief Balasaheb called it the ‘ThokShahi’ or Dictatorship as a form of rule needed in India. No wonder he was a fan of Hitler.

The politics of development is gaining currency. India needs it badly. Secular or not.

Rubanised India: Changing Development Narratives

A lot of states in India are predominantly urban. Delhi NCR, Haryana, Goa, Punjab along with Coastal  Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat have urban landscapes. A large number of folks have moved on from agriculture to the service economy, given up their lands in lieu for SEZ’s and made an attempt to join the community of wage earners in the network economy. Four Lane Highways are built, new factories are set up- the marginal farmer now works as a gate keeper in on the same piece of land his farm land used to be on (Ala the movie Shanghai). This has made a few farmers rich who drive Pajeros in Gurgaon but the tenant farmers who are now landless move to cities to join the unorganized economy.

Urbanization and the proliferation of towns and new expanded cities are the locus of the neo middle class with global aspirations. He wants to send his kid to a public school and not a Kendriya Vidyalaya and works in a IT related job. The new workforce is tiny and has transitioned past caste or religion based affirmative action to find them work. This although has not changed basics: attitudes towards women, religion still plays a major role in our social fabric and the ills of caste still persist.

As cities expand in to the hinterland, the villages in the periphery of these cities demonstrate symbols of modernity such as a motor bike and a dth box on terraces. Sadly these same places lack clean drinking water and primary health centres that are poorly staffed.

Rubanization is a two way lane; the physical infrastructure will have to complimented by social software of cultural up gradation, medical facilities and maintaining natural social capital. Urban communities have a propensity to rediscover identities in their faith and exert a community centric politics. Delhi Sikh Riots and Gujarat 2002 are illustrations to make that point robust.

The politics of urban India is changing too. Manifestos proclaim the free distribution of laptops and slogans of India Shining and Bengal Leads flood the airwaves. This though has extremely limited political payoff. The mantra of Bijli Sadak Paani is commonplace in political discourse. Newer actors have entered the scene such as the Aam Admi Party and Team Anna, espousing Middle Class India’s grievances. The Shiva Sena and MNS base their survival on the Urban Vote, along with the BJP and the Congess in Delhi.

Narendra Modi’s victory for the third term has vital implications for the politics of urban development in our country. Modi won 80% of the urban seats in Gujarat to drive home his win. Dixit in Delhi is the three term CM of the Congress with a urban banner.

The down side of rubanization is the inability of our economy to create meaningful employment away from the land. The Demographic Dividend can tick way to a Demographic timebomb if proper environment and opportunities are not rendered to the youth. In this Web 2.0 globalised age of social media on our cell phones, expectations are rising and the demand is not being met by the education sector nor by the industry. Frustrations can leads to a politics of politics and parochialism if not checked in time. Structural reforms are needed to create jobs.Development is often all about employment. Youth are already angry with the inflation and the widening chasm between the have and the have nots. Not everyone can join the global economic mainstream. It needs a distinctive skill set. The MBA degree is now a mere pre requisite for a job of any sort.

This mega trend will accelerate in the coming decade and has a potential impact on politics and demographics beyond current estimates. Interesting times are certainly coming up.