Grappled by an unfathomable and preventable COVID crisis, my beautiful India is being described as ‘hell on earth’. I wish I could say there is no truth to this, but the fact is there is! What have we not seen, from thousands dying every day to a lack of oxygen and black marketing of essential drugs and medical services by BJP politicians themselves. The Lancet report in so many words said that, Prime Minister Modi’s actions are inexcusable, his suppression of domestic and international media is condemnable and his handling of the COVID situation is a massive failure and it is costing India and Indian’s their lives. Caught in the eye of the storm are now rural areas, spread like wild bushfire is COVID in India. Will Indians be able to forget this preventable catastrophe? Can any amount of money or aid alleviate the pain of death of our loved ones? India is burning and Modi is nowhere to be found. Let us analyse his mind and many other alternatives to Modi and his incompetent Raj.
Narendra Modi
He has led a peculiar life and it is admirable that he came from nowhere and is now the Prime Minister of India. At first, India was in awe of his oratory charm and Hindutva ideology. There comes a time, when people see through this polarisation based on religion and the game changes so quickly, that it took a COVID catastrophe for our PM to be exposed.
Why is he not addressing the nation? How can he sleep at night? What must be going through his mind? I can tell you for certain, as a Mental Health activist, that Modi is no angel. There is evil in the way he has brutally handled the COVID situation in India. Was he thinking of Indians with all those election rallies in West Bengal, which he eventually lost? Albeit this amounts to, criminal negligence. Each death is blood on the hands for our PM. He is accountable for all that has gone wrong in our beloved nation. Even hardcorderightwingers are seeing through this macabre facade of the PM. No humility, no shame, trying to control and suppress democratic institutions; he is what we call a power hungry, megalomaniac leader. This sums up his internal personality, according to many Indians.
Psychology of his Potential Alternatives
MAMATA BANERJEE
A fierce woman made history with a three-time win in Bengal, showed Modi and Shah the door, she needs no introduction, she could be a potential alternative to Modi. From where I see it, her heart’s not in the wrong place. We do know that she can be a strict and whimsical leader, however – her habit of mingling with the crowd goes to show that she is a people’s person. She plays musical instruments, keeps herself informed, referred to as ‘Didi’ by Indians, she mirrors many great female leaders. The soft, feminine energy, emotions and the ‘Shakti roop’ of Ma Durga, all present in Mamata. I will leave it at this and let past and future decide Mamata Banerjee’s political role on a national level.
Although there are many alternatives, I would like to look just into two.
Last but not least, we have
Rahul Gandhi
He may be privileged and a dynast, but there are a great amount of nuances in Rahul Gandhi’s personality. He was seen campaigning in the South of India and telling college students “Don’t call me Sir, my name is Rahul”, that shows a small glimpse into his casual, humble, easygoing nature.
He is not who people think he is, he is soft spoken, educated and I personally feel that the dynastic label that he has received works in his favour because if you look at it, he has had experience seeing his grandmother and father as Prime Ministers of our country. He knows it from home, how to run a nation. Rahul Gandhi may not have taken any ministerial roles, which he could have easily, he chose to remain a true leader from the backstage helping his nation with the liberal ideology of love, inclusivity, and politics of empathy. He may not be ‘The Chosen One’ but he has all the capabilities for a Prime Ministerial candidate. I would like to end this analysis by saying, we need a Prime Minister who can feel the pain of each and every Indian.
By Shabri Prasad Singh
