Rahul Gandhi and his team should attend a Narendra Modi rally. It will help them understand the mind of the Modibhakt and the Modibasher better. Who exactly goes for Narendra Modi rallies? Who screams, shouts and raises the “Modi! Modi!” war cry? Are all his listeners his fans? Why are some BJP candidates competing with each other to host Modi shows?
Had the Congress been there during Modi’s 5-stop tour of Rajasthan on Tuesday, it would have known some of the answers.
There were hundreds of people at five venues spread across five districts. But a quick sample reveals those attending Modi rallies fall mainly in three categories—the devout, the doubtful and the double-minded. All three have their own reasons for listening to Modi.
The double-minded: Early in the afternoon, Modi is addressing an election gathering in Deeg, a medieval town between Jaipur and Agra. Modi is here in response to an SOS from party candidate Digamber Singh, a jovial gynecologist who stopped smiling since he got locked in a tense contest with Bharatpur maharaja Vishvendra Singh of the Congress.
Both the Singhs—the king as well as the doctor—are Sinsinwar Jats. So they are equal claimants to the Jat vote that dominates the area. Since the electorate rewards and punishes the maharaja every alternate election, Digamber, who won in 2008, is worried that Deeg may elect Vishvendra this time.
Though Vishvendra is from a royal family, he is admired more for his rustic style, political whims and penchant for danda raj. A few years ago, his supporters had bashed up state Congress chief Chandrabhan to permanently establish their leader as the biggest Jat and Congress leader of the area, designations notwithstanding.
The local youth, especially the burly and brusque Jats, are fans of Vishvendra’s machismo and his might-is-right politics. Deepak Tanwar, 21, a local nursing student is one of them. But he has heard also of Modi. “I like maharaj. But I want to vote for Modi too,” says Tanwar. Digamber is hoping that with his powerful rhetoric and oratory, Modi will win over undecided voters like Tanwar. So has made special efforts to pack the ground with them. “I am sure the youth will remember just Modiji after the rally and forget maharaj,” Digamber says, combining optimism with prayer.
The Doubtful: Modi will next stop at Sawai Madhopur to bail out Jaipur royal family member Diya Kumari, who is caught in a complex triangle here. The electorate comprises city voters of all communities, Meenas from remote villages and Muslims from almost everywhere. Diya’s rivals are Meena strongman Kirori Lal Meena and Congress candidate Danish Abrar, a Muslim.
The equation is complicated. Muslims do not like the Meenas, mainly because a cop from the community was torched alive after a confrontation with the Meenas. The Meenas do not like anybody other than Kirori, whom they proudly call their daaktar (because of his medical degree) and the state’s future CM. The contest is thus between the Meenas and the rest. Diya needs others to side with her. Her poll managers hope that if this happens, even the Muslims will join her anti-Meena front. But many Meenas are part of the Modi audience, mainly to find out what the fuss over Modi is all about.
They are not his fans. They see him instead as a threat. As they wait for him, they compare him with their hero Kirori. “Daktaar wali baat na hai (he is nothing compared to Kirori),” says Kailash Meena, from the adjoining Todabhim town. He goes back home unmoved, still a devotee of Kirori. DP Chaudhary, a government employee, gets irritated by the noise at the rally. “This looks like a gathering of village louts and unruly youth. Modi isn’t Atal Behari Vajpayee,” he says. He is unlikely to vote for Modi either.
The voter who doubts Modi’s ability to lead India, who prefers the local hero—Kirori in this case—over him and the one is put off by the noisy melodrama at his rallies is the biggest challenge for the BJP. Combined with the minority vote, this voter is likely to remain his staunchest critic and opponent. Even a million Modi rallies may not sway him.
The Devout: He is everywhere. All Modi rallies have him in large numbers. The quintessential Modibhakt is angry with the Congress and its dynastic culture; has no faith in Rahul Gandhi’s abilities; gets irritated by the likes of Digvijaya Singh and Renuka Chaudhary; and hates the Congress’ idea of secularism for its pro-minority tilt.
His anger due to the Congress’ inherent ‘flaws’ has been ignited further by rising corruption, inflation, unemployment and the indecisive, weak leadership under UPA-2. Modi is his mascot against the fight against the flawed system and the Congress.
These Modibhakts produce the sound effects at his rally in Alwar early in the morning. They occupy the front row, laugh at Modi jokes and answer all his questions. When Modi raises his left hand, those on the left start screaming, when he raises the right hand, those on the right start shouting. And when he raises his both hands, they start chanting Modi! Modi! Like a true master, Modi conducts them like an orchestra.
This Modi army, in essence, is the biggest enemy of the Congress. Its leader Modi is just the sum total of all those who are part of this brigade. They are united in just one aim: Throw out the Congress for all the problems it has created. Had the Congress turned up at his rallies, its leaders would have realized they still have two options: Retain the Modi-basher and win over the fence-sitter.
But the tenacious Modibhakt is unlikely to change his mind unless the Congress reinvents itself completely or something dramatic convinces them that Modi will betray their expectations.
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