Each time, I drive nearer home, puppy love makes me cautious. What if I may just inadvertently crush or injure the many who live by the roadside. It is not just puppy love. It is also swine care-- one has to be careful about the cute little piglets too, while driving in Gurgaon. But for some days now, this puppy love reminds me of an aspiring prime ministerial candidate.
Media and political circles was recently abuzz with why did Narendra Modi use the puppy analogy to convey that he too felt bad when Muslims were killed in Gujarat. Good or bad, the analogy makes me wonder whether the only thing that he could have done was to feel bad. As a chief minister of a state witnessing one of the worst riots, he just had to make governance little more effective and not let law and order go out of hand. Instead, even after 11 years, Modi and his fan club are unapologetic and all the aspiring prime ministerial candidate wants to say is that his heart beats for puppies if they come under the car while he could have simply said Gujarat riots under his government were unfortunate. To his defence, he says no concrete proof of his involvement has been found. This may be true, yet the sheer adamant attitude of trying to show that nothing was ever wrong hints to endorsement and a probable connivance. Besides, it also goes a long way in showing the articulation level of an aggressive leader who riding high on popular support could be leading the country in international fora.
The Modi brigade may find it offensive but it is true that the feline smile on his face will henceforth always remind me of a proclaimed Hindu nationalist with a puppy love. At least, now, I know that he has compassion for at least the dogs on the road. It is hard to believe that those who love animals can be cruel to humans. Of the many animal lovers I have seen, there is one common string, they care for fellow beings too. But this is not to say that the theory works in reverse and those who do not like animals are cruel. Anyhow, animal love is one thing, and protecting citizens is another. While puppy love is understandable, not being open to an inclusive nation, trying to create a smoke screen by wearing a pro-industry face and projecting a governance that works for business is an attempt to wash off an image created by the Gujarat riots. His extremely efficient public relation machinery and an obliging media have created a reality out of this smoke. It is certainly worrying for all those who may equally be a Hindu and a nationalist and of course love their puppies.
