By Raghvendra Vaghela
Now, America is trying to cosy up with chief minister Narendra Modi after humiliating and denigrating him twice. In 2005, America rejected Modi’s visa charging him with human rights abuse. Modi was naive then and did not have APCO Worldwide to guide him. Like most Gujratis, desperate for American certification, he unwittingly applied for a diplomatic visa which was also turned down by America on the ground that he did not qualify for a diplomatic visa. Of course, since Modi is an expert at propaganda and mass mobilisation, he successfully converted his personal visa rejection as an insult of five crore Gujaratis.
A lot of water has flowed down the Hudson and the Sabarmati since then Modi has changed into an able administrator. Modi in his new avatar is every capitalist’s dream come true.
There was a phase, not long ago, when Indian women were suddenly all over. Every other Miss World and Miss Universe happened to be an Indian. Till Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita Sen, Priyanka Chopra or Lara Dutta arrived, were there no beautiful Indian women? There seemed to be a pattern. First came the beauty crowns. Consumer companies quietly followed. From hair colour to lingerie, fast food to phone manufacturers. After our McDonaldisation was complete, we realised there was something beyond the beauty crowns. India is one of America’s biggest consumer goods market.
Now America seems to be in a mood to kiss and make up with Modi. As curtain raisers, American media is feeding us crackerjack slick propaganda of how Modi is India’s hope. Suddenly America loves the vision of the man they earlier called a blot on freedom and a human rights abuser. Of course, Modi is a great Indian bet. Local businessmen, especially small and medium entrepreneurs, those catch-a-penny types, may cry foul at his policies but big industrialists worship Modi. He may have to turn down demands of small time traders from Paldi or Palanpur but go and ask Peugeot Citroen and they will tell you what a great visionary Modi is.
An industrialist from Odhav or Vatva may denounce Modi for his astringent attitude but ask Hitachi, Ford or even a Tata or an Adani and they can enlighten all bemoaning mortals how magnificent, chivalrous and humble Modi is. Not many local journalists can vouch for Modi’s modesty but most international journalists have suddenly started praising Modi’s mannerisms. While even his own ministers complain how difficult it is to approach Modi, America is marketing Modi as the most accessible chief minister. You can just walk in and get an audience with him. Of course, for industrialists this is not untrue. Unlike most Indian politicians, who are wary, Modi is ready to embrace them openly and unconditionally.
Like America, Modi thinks big. American companies with myriad interests ranging from oil and gas, to exploration, BPO, induction technologies are queuing up to invest in Gujarat. Modi is suddenly the new poster boy of America Inc. Is this Modi marketing being done to ensure that it is high time there was an American Adani who could milk Modi? What else can explain what was earlier dubbed as arrogance and conceit on Modi’s part now being packaged as self-confidence and bold off-beat political behaviour?
Has America realised that Modi is on a merciless march towards Raisina Hill in 2014 and they ought to remove him from their visa “blacklist” before it is too late and they look blatantly opportunistic? Some credit in influencing America to be open towards Modi also goes to APCO Worldwide, the PR and strategic communications firm hired to market Modi and Gujarat. And in that order. So while wooing Modi, America may even grant him a gratis visa. There is already an internet campaign where a non-descript group is demanding US accord an official state guest status to Modi and invite him to the US.
Modi is a man of mass connect. It is Gujarat which has made him this globalised figure from an obscure RSS pracharak. For him Gujarati Asmita (Honour) should definitely matter more than America. Six crore Gujaratis have been itching to teach America a lesson for spurning their beloved leader. Now after seven years, even if the US offers Modi a visa or an official invitation, Modi should reject it outright. If Modi plays into the American trap of accepting it and visiting the US, it would again be the same old story of a superpower devouring another wannabe.
The United State of Arrogance, or the USA, rejected Modi’s visa twice in last seven years. Debt-ridden America now perhaps needs Modi, his bright capitalistic vision and entrepreneurship-friendly Gujarat. But Thank you, Modi and Gujarat do not need an America.
“Modi is a manipulator and is using his public relation agents to get people to click on “yes”. No leader in the world manipulates the way Modi does….just because he wants to be on the magazine’s list.” How nicely TIME Magazine has fallen into the trap, which has shown extremely poor editorial judgment by including Narendra Modi in a voting list of 2012’s “influential” people who are “leaders, artists, innovators, icons and heroes”.
In 2002, over 3,000 people were killed on the streets of Gujarat by frenzied mobs while Narendra Modi was at the helm. The magazine cops out by saying that Modi is “associated” with the ugly legacy of the 2002 Gujarat riots while featuring him under a list looking to short-list heroes, icons and others. Come on, we do not need an America to tell us that Modi is good. We always knew it, didn’t we? INAV