Modi not a <i>mukhota</i> (mask)

To win India, the Gujarat Chief Minister must keep his house in order, too

Sardi khaansi na maleriyaa huaa /
Yeh gaye yaaron inko /
NaMo, NaMo, NaMonia huaa

 

Any idea how many Indians caught pneumonia during the past four years? No, absolutely not. The idea is not to create panic in your mind. In the Google age, you can easily find any answer on the Net.  

 

According to Kronos Global Absence Survey Report, India is the second worst country in the world when it comes to workers (read netas) availing of sick leave, even when they are not ill. Several prominent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders including LK Advani, Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Singh, Uma Bharti, Shatrughan Sinha, BC Khanduri and others are reportedly down with NaMonia – ‘Modi phobia’. The doctors in beleaguered Congress diagnosed it as a case of NaMo-nitis. 
. BJP cadres in NaMo-PM chant, top leaders cautious

 

 

In her prescription, Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdhary said: “NaMo-nitis is spreading like an infectious virus in Goa ... the Goa Chief Minister should take immediate steps or else it will affect tourism in his state.” Be careful Ms Chowdhary: it is an communicable ailment. A quick flashback may help you to understand the symptoms of the disorder. The party high command recently removed Rashid Alvi as spokesperson a few days after he apparently compared Modi with Yamraj  (buffalo metaphor). 
. Modi loyalists protest outside Advani's house

 

Modi worships Goddess Durga. In this tumultuous times, the PM-aspirant may well need all the blessings he can gather. He is up against heavy odds: the metamorphosis of his mentor into a rival will likely to bring his doom. Political scientists say Advani could be his protégé’s nemesis.
. NaMonia not the reason for skipping BJP meet: Yashwant

 

To brush up your memory, yours truly wants to rebuild a true tale. Suspended BJP MP Ram Jethmalani got  beaten up when he protested against the aspiration of Chandra Shekhar to become prime minister. When the National Front government was being formed in 1989 , he thought Chandra Shekhar did not deserve the job and preferred VP Singh. When Jethmalani sat on a dharna before  Chandra Shekhar’s house, the socialist leader’s supporters thrashed Jethmalani.
. Jethmalani expelled from BJP for 6 years

 

Even a few years ago, they called him the Iron Man. For nearly half-a-decade, Advani played second fiddle to Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the party and also as Deputy Prime Minister in the NDA government. Now, priorities have changed for the party. The Ram temple issue is not a "priority", especially in face of other stubborn issues like inflation, corruption and bad governance of the UPA II government.
. UPA II report card: Downfall continues, proxy war on, future imperfect

Perhaps coming events cast their shadow before. On Saturday, Modi ‘loyalists’ staged a demonstration outside Advani's house for "opposing" a greater role for the Gujarat Chief Minister. There is a lesson hidden in the audacity of protesters: it is high time for the deputy Premier hang up his boxing gloves. In a nutshell, prevention is always better than cure.
. After nine years in power, UPA faces questions of credibility

 

There is, however, many a slip between the cup and the lip. Whoever is the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate will also have to be a leader of the National Democratic Alliance. Here Modi’s past will become a stumbling block for his future.  It’s a battle Modi can’t afford to lose because he has public opinion on his side. To win India, Modi must also keep his house in order. The ' Advani versus Modi' debate is a ceaseless tussle between two competing visions of what the saffron party’s path towards power should be.

Before I conclude, I must quote a few lines from Vajpayee's poem:

Na haar mein, Na jeet mein / Kinchit nahin bhaybhit main /
Kartavya path par jo bhi mile / Yeh bhi sahi woh bhi sahi.