They both are the major news makers of 2014. One is currently in the limelight for having re-asserted Russian might on the world stage. The other could well be the cynosure of eyes starting from a fortnight for now, when he starts his quest to be leader of the world’s most populous republic.
Much has been written on Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Narendra Damodardas Modi in their respective nations. Here is a list of uncanny similarities between these two leaders:
Both devoted themselves to their respective nations early
Vladimir Putin joined the KGB in 1975, after graduation. Narendra Modi joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1970 and was a pracharak till 1985, when the RSS assigned him to its political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Both courted controversies immediately after coming into power
Putin resorted to strong-arm tactics in the Second Chechen War (1999-2000), which eventually resulted in a decisive Russian victory and broke the back of the Chechen resistance. Putin won the war for Russia but not before becoming the target of fierce criticism and flak for the alleged human rights abuses and war crimes committed by Russian forces in Chechnya during the war.
Narendra Modi took over as chief minister of Gujarat in 2001 after Keshubhai Patel’s health began to fail. A few months after Modi’s becoming the chief minister, the Godhra tragedy and the riots in Gujarat happened. Modi’s name has since become synonymous with the riots.
Both have been consistent subjects of media and other types of scrutiny
No other leaders have been as subject to media scrutiny as Putin and Modi. Putin has been in the dock for his handling of the Second Chechen War as well as his authoritarian ways. Modi too has been the target of criticism ever since 2002 for his alleged role in the riots. Like Putin, he too has been labelled as being too authoritarian.
Both, reportedly, cannot tolerate dissent
Putin has stifled all opposition against him in Russia. He took on the oligarchs, defeated them and replaced them with a business elite of his own. No other political party wields any influence in Putin’s Russia today except the one he supports: United Russia (whose symbol, coincidentally, is also a Russian brown bear).
Modi too, has reportedly stifled all dissent in the ruling BJP in Gujarat. As has been widely reported in the Indian media, Modi has not allowed anybody else to take centre-stage, other than himself. Consequently, there is no leader of influence in the Gujarat BJP other than Modi himself. Fears have been expressed that if Modi becomes the prime minister, he will do what he has done in the Gujarat BJP on a national level.
Both have espoused a very aggressive nationalism
Putin has consciously promoted himself as the strong man of Russia, a person who saved the country when it was teetering on the edge after the break-up of the USSR and the subsequent Boris Yeltsin presidency. With his defeating the separatists in Chechnya and the growth of the Russian economy under his presidency, Putin has supposedly proved his mettle. With his latest victories in Syria and the Crimea, Putin has also showcased the might of Russia globally. His appearing bare-chested before international media and shooting an Amur tiger with a tranquiliser dart in Ussuri in the Russian Far East have added to his ‘macho’ image.
Modi too has cultivated his image carefully in the noughties decade. First, with the riots in Gujarat, Modi projected his image as a ‘Hindu Hriday Samrat’ and the Saviour of Hindus from an aggressive Muslim minority. Later, he successfully shifted the discourse surrounding himself from the secular-communal divide to development, by projecting himself as the ‘Vikas Purush’, the Development Man. In the years leading up to the 2014 election, Modi has succesfully highlighted himself as the Messiah of India, the demi-god who can save a faltering country from the mess it has fallen into because of the evil Nehru-Gandhi Dynasty and become a world-power.
Like Putin, Modi too has cultivated a ‘macho’ image of himself - a real ‘he-man’ with a ‘chappan-inch chest’ (56 inch chest).
Both’s finest hour is still yet to come
While Putin may have defeated the oligarchs and Chechens, transformed the Russian economy and defeated the west in Syria and the Crimea, his best might be yet to come. Being virtually a de facto ‘President for Life’ of the Russian Federation, one can expect plenty of more fireworks from Putin for the cause of Mother Russia in the years to come.
Modi’s tryst with national leadership in India is barely a month away. By 16 May, it would be known whether he is to be India’s next prime minister or not. Even if he does not become the prime minister (which is very unlikely), at 63 years of age, Modi has a long political career on the national stage ahead of him. The best of Modi, is yet to come.
