by AMARESH MISRA
Analysts seem scared of predicting results of the Gujarat polls. Mainly because the electorate there is silent—at least as silent as the UP voter who stumped all forecasts early this year.
Still, consider this: during the Gujarat elections currently under-way, Narendra Modi runs a high profile campaign with the help of PR agencies. These agencies sell the `vibrant Gujarat’ story under the rule of what one sociologist called “a benevolent dictator masquerading as a democratically elected leader”— in another context—with élan. After a gap of almost 12 years, Gujarat’s Saurashtra and Kutch regions face a difficult drought. 36 million farmers are affected. Rs. 10,000 crores or more are required as immediate drought relief. But both regions combined get a measly Rs. 500 crore official package, the majority of which gets siphoned off by corrupt officials, especially in the extremely poor districts of the Kutch region.
At the same time, the PR campaign run by Modi’s core group for elections, owes no accountability either to the Gujarat BJP or the RSS or even government officials; a tightly knit circle of bureaucrats and private software experts and shady businessmen close to the Gujarat CM monitor the drive, which includes expensive tools like using 3D technology to relay Modi’s speeches, 29 Vikas Raths equipped with projectors, and 10 LED Raths each filled with 110 inch TV screens to penetrate backward villages of the state. Modi’s website has been promoted to extra-hi-tech levels; twitter and facebook carry several, staunchly pro-Modi new accounts which have sprouted suddenly; youtube is witnessing a flood of pro-Modi propaganda; what is more, the regularity of print-electronic-online ads have multiplied three times over. Just prior to the elections, Modi even launched his private NaMo TV channel—something which projects Modi like a demi-God. Even small towns of Gujarat have jhandu balm— made famous by the `Munni Badnaam Huee’ song from `Dabbang’—hawkers peddling a special Modi brand!
Confident about the media blitz, Modi has even started speaking about the “incapacity” of the Congress to outdo him in the race of virtual time and space. The ahankaar in his style and vocalizations is obvious—it reminds you of memorable tales of Indian mythology where Ravan or Banasura suddenly start appearing from several directions all at once or Rakhshasas cannot be pinned down as the real ones are hidden by several apparitions.
The expenditure of Modi’s PR exercise remains fiercely guarded. Since it includes both public and private players—a large “grey area of”—what Sreenivasan Jain in his NDTV story calls—“accounting and accountability”—is left festering—almost like an unhealed wound.
The Times of India for more
(Thanks to Asghar Vasanwala)