| Author | Message | ||
     Teluguhero Comedian Username: Teluguhero Post Number: 1257 Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 24.129.104.215 Rating: N/A |
http://www.niticentral.com/2014/05/11/the-stop-modi-campaign -its-many-avatars-and-how-it-only-made-namo-stronger-222395. html The âStop Modiâ campaign: Its many avatars and how it only made NaMo stronger The Campaign to Stop Narendra Modi An outstanding feature of the Campaign for the Lok Sabha elections has been the âStop Modiâ campaign which started way back in 2013 and assumed multiple avatars as the campaign progressed into 2014. A look back at the multiple avatars of the âStop Modiâ Campaign is instructive for it reveals much about the psychological trauma the Congress and its cohorts have been through over the past 18 months. It also says much about the utter cluelessness of their campaign as they drifted from issue to issue to âStop Modiâ while only ending up strengthening Narendra Modi every step of the way. âStop Modiâ Campaign â Denial Phase To trace the origins of the âStop Modiâ campaign one would have to rewind the clock back even further. Back in 2012 when Gujarat was due to go to assembly polls one International Pundit famously wrote that âModi is unlikely to become a National Leader, by December (2012) he might not even be a regional leaderâ Fareed Zakariaâs remarks in many ways reflected the state of denial of the Delhi elite refusing to acknowledge the rise of Modi even as they nursed the foolish and naïve hope that he would be voted out of power in Gujarat itself back in 2012. The denial phase of the âStop Modiâ campaign lasted through all of 2012 and well into early 2013. Between February and April of 2013 Shri Narendra Modi gave a series of high profile speeches starting with the one at the Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) in Delhi which drew the most national media attention. It was through this series of speeches that Narendra Modi introduced himself to a wider National Audience and the country at large started to understand the Gujarat Model. By April of 2013, the arrival of Narendra Modi on the national stage was complete leaving little mental space for any psychological state of denial. It was time for the âStop Modiâ Campaign to move from denial phase in to the malign phase. âStop Modiâ â Malign Phase The Congress outsourced the malign phase of the campaign to a motley group of anti-Modi NGOs who had already run out of steam on the 2002 riots issue. This time their goal was to malign the Gujarat Model and label Narendra Modi a âliarâ with the use of the epithet âfekuâ. The malign phase of the âStop Modi Campaignâ also saw the advent of a series of highly forgettable websites and non-descript pamphlets that sought to portray Narendra Modiâs development story in Gujarat as a pack of lies. Neither the websites nor the pamphlets made much of any impact beyond the echo chambers of social media, quickly fading from public memory. The malign phase died a premature death when Narendra Modi defying all odds was declared the BJPâs Campaign Committee Chairman in June of 2013 at the BJPâs National Executive in Goa. âStop Modiâ Campaign in Schizophrenia It was clear that the Congress and its clueless leadership had not in their wildest of dreams imagined that Narendra Modi would ascend to the top within the BJP so much ahead of the crucial battle for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The public utterances of top Congress leaders through the month of June 2013 and the name calling they indulged in makes it clear that Narendra Modiâs anointment as the BJPâs face for the 2014 Campaign had thrown the Congressâs âStop Modiâ Campaign into utter confusion even as its leaders were seized by Modi Schizophrenia. 4th June â âPizza without Toppingsâ â Maharashtra Congress spokesman Anant Gadgil 7th June â âan âinflated balloonâ that would âburstâ soonâ â Sharad Pawar, NCP Chief, UPA Minister 8th June â âruler like Hitler and (Combodian dictator) Pol Potâ â Congress MP Shantaram Naik 8th June â âModi is not a factor for the Congress party and is only a factor in the mediaâ â Digvijay Singh, Congress General Secretary 8th June â âlike a show of monkeys and people come to watch a monkey performâ â Salman Khurshid, Congress MP, UPA Minister 13th June â âBhasmasurâ â Jairam Ramesh, UPA Minister 15th June â ânot really my concernâ â Rahul Gandhi, Congress Vice President 16th June â âkabadiwaalaâ â Digvijay Singh, Congress General Secretary 17thJune â âCongress faces no threat from Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modiâ â Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister 17th June â âModiâs coming is not a danger to usâ â Ghulam Nabi Azad, UPA Minister 17th June â âNamo just a Promoâ, BK Hariprasad, Raj Babbar, Shakeel Ahmed â all Congress Office Bearers 20th June â âhas a Communal Faceâ â Chandrabhan, Congress State President Rajasthan 21st June â âFailureModiâ â Ajay Maken, former UPA Minister, Congress General Secretary 22nd June â âBatmanâ â IANS 22nd June â âEnemy of Minoritiesâ â Sukhpal Singh Kehra, Punjab Congress Spokesperson 23rd June â âWants to become Ramboâ â Manish Tewari, Congress MP, UPA Minister 24th June â âIs an Undertaker, will bury BJP 8 feet deepâ â Francisco Sardinha, Congress MP from Goa 24th June â âSymbol of Fundamentalismâ â Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee member Raman Bahl 25th June â âSuperman or Rambo or Ravanâ â Satyavrat Chaturvedi, Congress Leader 25th June â âFeku at work againâ â Digvijay Singh, Congress General Secretary 25th June â âFeku Mahaashay â a Liarâ â Digvijay Singh, Congress Secretary 25th June â â being Rambo does not need much brainâ â Renuka Chowdhury, Congress Spokesperson 26th June â âFekuâ, âRamboâ, âScamboâ and APCOâ â Assorted Congress friendly media outlets and one Congress dependent Son-in-Law Congress dependent Son-in-Law It appears that Modi Schizophrenia led the âStop Modiâ Campaign down a dark alley as the Congress revealed the lengths it could go to stop Narendra Modi. Schizophrenia drives them to âFix Him at all Costsâ The Congress it would seem had made up its mind to go to any lengths even if it meant abusing Institutions of the Nation to fix Narendra Modi. Through much of June and July of 2013, one witnessed attempts to fix Narendra Modi in a criminal case involving alleged âfake encountersâ thus vainly hoping to nix any chances of him being declared the BJPâs Prime Ministerial candidate. The âfix him at all costsâ phase of the âStop Modiâ campaign dragged on for weeks as the Nationâs top Investigative Agency was pitted against the Nationâs top Intelligence Agency while gravely imperiling National Security. But the Congress led UPA was now completely in the throes of Modi Schizophrenia. The extent to which the Congress strategies had been mentally destabilized by Modi Schizophrenia was reflected in the manner in which even Mr. Advaniâs words were quoted out of context by the Congress spin doctors to deny the inevitable. In July 2013 Modi Schizophrenia had become contagious having afflicted not just the Congress but also its extended media ecosystem as they sought to stoke Minority fears over comments made by Mr. Modi during a media interview to Reuters. Trying to portray Narendra Modi as an anti-minority figure and whipping up mass hysteria over Narendra Modiâs inoccuous remarks the Congress hoped in vain that the BJP would shy away from naming him its Prime Ministerial candidate. In this mass hysteria phase of the âStop Modiâ Campaign, the Congress found a willing partner in Nitish Kumar who for his own cynical political calculations borrowed every one of the failed tactics from the Congressâ âstop Modiâ playbook none of which paid off in the final analysis it would seem. The âAnyone but Modiâ Phase By August 2013 the âStop Modiâ Campaign was clutching at any straws it could get its hands on. The good Shivraj Singh Chouhan, incumbent Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh much to his surprise was to soon find âliberalâ friends in Delhi he never knew he even had. The Congressâ âStop Modiâ Campaign with much help from Delhiâs Media was now into the âanyone but Modiâ phase. By playing up a faux controversy over âskull-capsâ, Delhiâs Media did the Congressâ bidding by trying to project Shivraj Singh Chouhan as a more acceptable face of the BJP. Little did they fathom the enormity of the challenge Narendra Modi posed to their political future. On 15th August Narendra Modi showed up the stark contrast between the UPAâs uninspiring leadership and the challenge he posed by delivering a much televised Independence Day speech following the Prime Ministerâs speech to the Nation at Red Fort. The âshock and aweâ effect of the Independency Day by Narendra Modi knocked the Congress strategists out of their senses. In a hark back to the dark days of Emergency, soon advisories followed to Television Channels from the Congress run I&B Ministry for having telecast Narendra Modiâs Independence Day Speech while comparing and contrasting with Dr. Manmohan Singhâs uninspiring address. The Congressâ âStop Modiâ Campaign was now scraping the bottom of the dirty tricks barrel to come up with something new. âStop Modiâ Campaignâs Silly Season Between August and early September the âStop Modiâ Campaign had hit rock bottom and was reduced peddling silly accusations of plagiarism by Narendra Modi over his âYes We Canâ moment at a mega rally in Hyderabad. It took a video from 2004 to set the record straight on when Narendra Modi had originally used that phrase at an event in Gujarat where he had exhorted the people of his state with a âCan Doâ inspirational slogan. The âStop Modiâ Campaign was now verily out of dirty tricks to stall the inevitable as buzz began to build in BJP circles over the prospect of naming Narendra Modi its Prime Ministerial candidate ahead of his birthday on the 17th of September. The Congress it seems had one last trick in the bag, as an incarcerated Police Officer languishing in a Maharashtra Jail was induced into writing a letter that recycled old and baseless allegations against Narendra Modi. The so called âVanzara Letter Bombâ hurled by the Congressâ dirty tricks department ended being a dud as the BJP firmed up its mind to declare Narendra Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate on the 13th of September. Even lame attempts by the Congress at encouraging dissension within the BJP failed as a determined BJP went ahead with its decision. Stray dirty tricks by the Congressâ media ecosystem continued through September into October as every minor utterance by Narendra Modi was distorted and amplified to manufacture media controversies 24Ã7 and attempt to stereotype Narendra Modi as not well read or knowledgeable. These lame attempts too ran their course before ultimately failing. âStop Modiâ by sudden removal Karan Thapar, a Delhi based TV personality, had back in 2007 in a despicable Op-Ed in the Hindustan Times written this: Only the sudden removal of Narendra Modi can stop this Six years on it seems the âStop Modiâ Campaign was to have its âsudden removalâ moment if not by design, by default. The cheap mindset underlying the âStop Modiâ campaign perhaps did not realise the extent to which it would go to unwittingly to even imperil Narendra Modiâs personal wellbeing. In October of 2013, Patna which was to witness a mega Narendra Modi rally was struck by a series of blasts including at the venue of Narendra Modiâs speech. The nation saw a calm Narendra Modi not just address the mammoth crowd that had assembled in Patna but also help defuse the situation calmly with no further other untoward incidents. The security lapses leading up to the blasts at Narendra Modiâs rally venue have neither been fully investigated nor have individuals at fault been held accountable to date. The âStop Modiâ campaign extending across the political spectrum from the Congress led UPA to the JD-U led Nitish Kumar now stood exposed on how hatred had blinded them from discharging their basic constitutional duties even as they fell head over heels to label him the âgreat Polariserâ. It is to Narendra Modiâs credit that he took this label hurled at him in stride, often joking during his rallies that all those climbing poles to catch a glimpse of him are reinforcing this label of him being the âgreat polariserâ. âStop Modiâ Campaign in disarray The Congressâ âStop Modiâ Campaign was now in disarray as Narendra Modi toured the nation to campaign in the ongoing assembly elections as well as to build the momentum towards the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The momentum building in favor of Narendra Modi pushed the Congress to resort the worst kind of mudslinging the Nation had ever seen against a Prime Ministerial candidate. In the last week of November a group of websites well known with a long history of practicing gutter Journalism claimed to expose Narendra Modiâs alleged misuse of state power to snoop on a Woman by releasing tapes of questionable authenticity. By now the Congressâ âstop Modiâ campaign had a new partner in crime â the upstart Aam Aadmi Party with its leader Prashant Bhushan identifying himself openly with this expose. This was the first time the âStop Modiâ Campaign had made a direct personal attack on Narendra Modiâs by running a whisper campaign on his personal life through third parties. This attempt too fell flat on its face when on the 8th of December the results of the Assembly Polls were declared and Narendra Modiâs marathon campaign paid spectacular results and the BJP swept Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, won back Chattisgarh and emerged on the top in Delhi. The âStop Modiâ Campaign suffered another severe setback in December of 2013 when a Trial Court in Gujarat accepted the SITâs Closure Report on a complaint by Zakia Jaffri while rejecting her protest petition. The disarray in the âStop Modiâ Campaign was now exposing the snobbery and elitism within the Congress. âStop Modiâ Campaignâs greatest blunder The New Year 2014 saw Narendra Modi deliver his most visionary speech at the BJPâs National Council in Delhi mid-January. This was also the occasion for the âStop Modiâ Campaign to commit its greatest political blunder practically handing the BJP itâs most potent political weapon for the 2014 Campaign â Narendra Modiâs humble origins as a Tea Vendor and backward caste background. Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Mani Shankar Aiyar committed the greatest blunder of Campaign 2014 in early January when he mocked Narendra Modi for his humble origins as a Tea Vendor â âChaiwallahâ. Mani Shankar Aiyarâs âChaiwallahâ taunt not just bared how deeply angry and frustrated the âStop Modiâ Campaign had become but also how disconnected the Congress leaders were on the rising tide of aspirations of the Neo-Middle Class. It was a fatal mistake by the Congressâ campaign. The BJP went ahead full steam building an entire new wave of Narendra Modi campaign events titled âChai pe Charchaâ to reinforce his humble origins as a Chaiwallah. The campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha had now truly begun with Narendra Modi the challenger setting the agenda as the front-runner and the incumbent Congress Government forced into a defensive and reactive mode despite the best efforts of the âStop Modiâ campaign. Assorted worthies within the Congress were now beginning to lose their head and shoot themselves in the foot by launching random verbal attacks on Narendra Modi, none of which got anywhere close to sticking to him. Some even went to the extent of attacking Narendra Modi while on foreign soil at the World Economic Forum. None of this mattered as the Narendra Modi juggernaut rolled on. âStop Modiâ Campaign goes 100% personal on Narendra Modi By February 2014 the âStop Modiâ Campaign had settled down into a two pronged strategy of using the Delhi Media to prop up the upstart AAP and project Arvind Kejriwal as some sort of foil for Narendra Modi, while the Congress itself was on the lookout for more dirt. The dirty tricks department of the Congress did not even spare an elderly Lady leading a private life, dragging her into the political cesspool by turning the media glare on Narendra Modiâs unfortunate child marriage. The relentless personal attacks on Narendra Modi continued well into April of 2014 when his unfortunate Child Marriage became the focus of the worst kind of political attacks by both the Congress and its minions in the media. With more than 20 political parties joining the NDA, the âStop Modiâ campaign was deprived of the last remaining argument on Narendra Modiâs acceptability. Cheap personal attacks were all the âStop Modiâ Campaign was left with as India started to vote in April of 2014. If one day it was about his marital status then next day it was about his caste. When both failed it was back to whispers about stalking a young lady. The Congressâ belated attempts to fix an enquiry into the alleged stalking also failed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh showing a rare spine and the family concerned approaching the Supreme Court over repeated violations of their privacy by the media and political parties arrayed against Narendra Modi. The verbal assaults became more and more direct and personal with even Nehru-Gandhi family members naming Narendra Modi in his speeches and calling him all sorts of names. Fear mongering by Nehru-Gandhi family members has only ended up betraying their worst fears as their monopoly on power for the last 10 years stands gravely threatened. From Chidambaram to Kapil Sibal, from Shinde to Digvijay Singh one is hard pressed to find a single Congress Leader who has not made a fool of himself launching personal attacks on Narendra Modi. The biggest fool of them all was however Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi who did not think twice about dragging Narendra Modiâs mother into their cynical political games. As the 2014 Lok Sabha elections come to a close the âStop Modiâ Campaign is now gasping for its last breath mixing up historical facts and resorting to cheap casteist innuendo to go even to the extent of denying his backward caste origins while one worthy even sough to label his entire caste as being âgenocidalâ. Over the past 18 months the Stop Narendra Modi Campaign has turned history on its head, language on its back and logic upside and down in the vain hope that anything â¦. anything at all could stop Narendra Modi. With Varanasi and 40 other Lok Sabha seats set to vote in the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections on the 12th of May, the âStop Modiâ Campaign is perhaps mulling its next cynical avatar to stop Narendra Modi through post-poll political maneuvering on the 16th of May when the votes will be counted across India. None of this however has distracted Narendra Modi from leading his partyâs campaign from the front and running the most extensive marathon campaigns India has ever witnessed in its democratic history that remain firmly focused on the positive agenda of Development and Good Governance. |
