Paradoxes galore

The Paradoxical Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his India

Shashi Tharoor

Aleph

512 pages; Rs 799

Shashi Tharoor wears his two hats — one of an active politician and the other of an incisive commentator and writer — with aplomb. He repeatedly stirs controversy in public life partly because of his proclivity for being “politically incorrect” and choice of words — incomprehensible, as well as those considered inappropriate by those ready to pick a grumble. In recent years, he has kept people guessing over his political orientation because of his “willingness to give” Prime Minister Narendra Modi the “benefit of the doubt”. His name was removed from the panel of Congress spokespersons in October 2014 for endorsing Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, despite Mr Tharoor’s “three-decade-long paper trail of trenchantly liberal opinions.” Extraordinarily accomplished in framing arguments and putting these across sequentially using words that are “the best ones for the idea” he wants conveyed and “not the most obscure or rodomontade ones,” Mr Tharoor repeatedly stirs the a hornet's nest but his gift of staying relevant is benign — when he quoted an unnamed RSS leader drawing the “scorpion sitting on the Shivling” analogy for Mr Modi, it was apt for the audience he addressed.

Since this book was out, I have had occasion to hear him talk on two occasions. First, during a TV show where the anchor’s one-on-one interview was followed by a discussion and the second time, at the Bangalore Literature Festival. Reading the seamless book thereafter, Mr Tharoor’s hitherto unknown elephantine memory manifests itself — he virtually read out long portions of the book without even holding it in his hand! This capacity obviously stems from conviction of the liberal writer and commentator and not from the initial assessment of a “fair-minded Opposition MP” weighed down by necessity to respect the mandate. 

The paradox is not just Mr Modi's — a man yo-yoing between what he advocated or preached and his practices. Instead, the author is paradoxical too for alternating between a man whose tolerant and pluralistic heart must have made it unambiguous that anyone with Mr Modi’s political past and the objective to replicate the stint as CEO of Gujarat across India would not fulfil most pledges. Yet, Mr Tharoor was also guided by political compulsion and a desire to avoid being accused of being driven by negativity. Unfortunately, at some point, Mr Tharoor may disagree with this, he too possibly began believing middle India's conclusion that Mr Modi was not all demonic. But, once this illusion was shattered and the author-commentator hushed up the circumspect opposition leader willing to unilaterally respect divergences across the political divide despite the absence of reciprocity, the result is a book which serves as a comprehensive handbook for the Opposition preparing for the 2019 campaign, as well as a key for those seeking to fathom the true nature of damage to political civility and institutional integrity since 2014.

Mr Tharoor assesses Mr Modi's tenure through four prisms: Politics, governance, economics and foreign policy. In addition, the book begins with a penetrating profile of the prime minister, drawn from existing books and secondary writing on Mr Modi, as well as from personal insights, interactions and exchanges. Mr Tharoor provides new information of circumstances leading to curtains on Mr Modi's international ostracism in January 2013. At a private lunch after the Gujarat chief minister secured his third term in December 2012, the German ambassador, Michael Steiner, sided up to Mr Tharoor to seek his opinion on a plan to invite Mr Modi to meet European ambassadors. Mr Tharoor assured Mr Steiner there was nothing inappropriate in EU heads in India seeking an interaction with Mr Modi but advised to make this informal and simultaneously invite leaders of other persuasions. Mr Steiner hosted a lunch for Mr Modi eventually with European ambassadors in attendance, thawing Mr Modi's diplomatic winter. 

No evaluation of Mr Modi is complete without mentioning Ashis Nandy's thesis — that Mr Modi was a textbook fascist. Mr Tharoor opts for the middle-ground: Mr Modi’s silences, promotions, endorsements and weak responses to illiberal practices do not still add up to make the personality Mr Nandy depicted. However, Mr Tharoor accepts “certain aspects of fascism” have appeared in India in recent years. Tactically, he leans on columnists to paint a “culture of fear”, propped up from the top.

For years, as the Modi cult flourished, Moditva became an indefinable jumla used to build on his myth and delineate his policies from Hindutva. Mr Tharoor examined the coinage and defines it: “Combination of Hindutva, nationalism [would have been appropriate if this was prefaced with hyper/ultra or another word from Mr Tharoor’s word list], economic development and an overweening personal leadership. It is carefully packaged and marketed, with considerable attention (and expense) being paid to disseminating its message to the public. It is always sold in terms of ideals — Narendra Modi is selfless and devoted, a man who has given up all personal interests for the nation, a man with no Swiss bank accounts…”

Much of the book provides incisive analysis of various facets of Moditva in practise and examination of policies, schemes and blusters on Indian economy, the alternating Pakistan-Kashmir policy and overall foreign policy. Like his readers, Mr Tharoor too awaits the 2019 verdict with trepidation for it will reveal if 2014 and events thereafter, are merely symptoms of temporary breakdown of Indian polity or does this mark the beginning of India’s political transmutation. In not hiding his fears — that not only is the future under threat but also the past may be abolished —  Mr Tharoor puts his assessment of Mr Modi being paradoxical in his own past.