Prime Minister Modi’s convoy today had a major security breach when he was in Congress-ruled Punjab. In what appears to be a deliberate attempt to put PM Modi’s life at risk, Punjab government allowed ‘protestors’ to block the convoy on a flyover for over 20 minutes about 30 kms away from Hussainiwala.
Not too surprisingly, the Congress workers and leaders rejoiced and celebrated the security breach. Some even were proud of the ‘protestors’ and hailed them for ‘inspiring’ them. These are the leaders and workers of the same political party whose two very prominent leaders were assassinated. Indira Gandhi, a sitting prime minister of the country and her son and then former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was out campaigning for elections, were both assassinated.
One would want to assume that at least these people would understand how the security breach of the prime minister is such a sensitive matter. But then, this is the same party that forgot Balwantrai Mehta, then sitting Gujarat Chief Minister whose plane was shot down by Pakistan air force for ‘flying too close to border’.
But I don’t want to talk about them. I want to talk about the people of my country who were shocked and extremely upset and angry at the security breach. And I speak for myself as well as many others that if something like this had happened to Dr Manmohan Singh when he was the Prime Minister, we would have been equally angry and upset. We may not have elected him, but he would still have been our prime minister, albeit reluctantly. We would have been equally angry and upset.
Gujaratis are particularly upset at the events that have unfolded today. See, many people I know are upset with the ruling dispensation. Because they expected a lot more from a party they gave a thumping majority to, twice. Okay, so some promises were not fulfilled and there may be slight resentment amongst them, but in their hearts, Modi is still ‘their man’. And here I say Modi and not Prime Minister Modi. Because the ‘Modi’ has the feeling of ‘apnapan‘, the belonging.
And why not? For two terms straight they sent him to the Centre with full majority. All 26 Lok Sabha seats voted for him. This, despite the 2017 Gujarat Assembly elections which were so neck-to-neck that at some point in time people feared BJP might not cross the majority figure. Despite that, just 18 months later, even those constituencies which voted for Congress sent the son of their soil (rather, sons of the soil as even Amit Shah is equally loved in his home state) to Centre.
It is this unshakable faith in Modi that the Congress party cannot digest. They cannot believe that someone other than The Family has so much reverence. The ones who claim to be flag bearers of democracy regularly insult the same democracy that elected the man twice.
Congress has regularly attacked and insulted Gujaratis. Perhaps it is because the people of Gujarat have consistently voted against Congress in all elections in over two decades? The last time a Congress leader was the Chief Minister of our state was in 1995. An entire generation in Gujarat has grown up in a non-Congress ruled state.
In 2017, when Gujarat was inundated with one of the worst floods, Congress flew its MLAs to a luxury resort in then Congress-ruled Karnataka to ensure Ahmed Patel retains his Rajya Sabha seat. The party gambled away the state to save ONE Rajya Sabha seat. Obviously, in the subsequent state election, BJP returned to power. Sure, BJP is not perfect and has its drawbacks, but when people were drowning, the elected representatives were not having a fun time in luxurious resorts.
When Congress loyalists demand an apology for the 2002 riots, Gujaratis remember how when the state was burning in the riots that followed the burning alive of karsevaks, the neighbouring Congress-ruled states offered no help. Ashok Gehlot, Digvijaya Singh and Vilasrao Deshmukh – they let our state burn. Our people died while your leaders watched – only because they did not want Modi to come on the national stage.
But you know what? Modi put Gujarat on the world map. Vibrant Gujarat investment summits have shown how Gujarat is one of the most preferred investment destinations in India. The infrastructure development in Gujarat is so amazing that businesses are moving here. Roads are so smooth and well connected that it is a way of life and don’t need sexist leaders to compare them to women’s cheeks to prove it.
That Modi is now doing the same on pan India level – ensuring villages are connected with roads, electricity. That there are toilets in homes. That a prime minister of world’s largest democracy had to construct toilets in millions of homes, 70 years after independence, the majority of those years being ruled by Congress, shows how pathetic the top leadership was.
That basic things such as toilet, cooking gas and electricity were never a priority for Congress is not forgotten. Which is why the baba-baby living in their ivory towers are so clueless that for them, toilets and cooking gas as ‘not women empowerment’.
“We were lucky that Modi was Prime Minister during the pandemic otherwise Congress we would have either had a ‘vaccine scam’ or Congress would have put our national assets on mortgage for Pfizer vaccines and way more people would have died,” said my uncle at our recent family gatherings. “2024 maa pan Modi pakko aavshe, (in 2024 also Modi will definitely win)” he said.
Here, let me say it again, Gujaratis usually refer to PM Modi as ‘Modi’ very very fondly. They consider him their ‘son’. An insult to him, a security breach on him which could have put his life in danger has made them so angry. Like it happened to their own son.
Which is why an average Gujarati today is angry. “Kaya modhe aavshe vote maangva (by which right they’ll come to ask for vote),” said a friend when we met over coffee earlier today. “Some days they keep attacking Adani-Ambani for them being Gujarati and other days they call us names for electing Modi. If Gujarat administration catches drug at Mundra port they blame Adani as if he was going to consume those 1000 kg drugs himself. Are these people that stupid that they can’t see the drugs were actually caught before they reach consumers and that is a good thing? Badhane Pappu jeva pappu samajhya chhe (They think everyone is Pappu like their Pappu),” he said.
This is the general sentiment amongst Gujaratis. All the community wants is to live and let live. But then every few months Congress does something that triggers them so much that, well, hell hath no fury like a Gujarati scorned.
If you want to fight him, fight fair and square. And while elections are almost a year away, it seems Gujaratis are in no mood to forget the incident where the life of their beloved son may have been endangered for political gains.
