Are Left Liberals Influencing My Critique of Smriti Irani?

Following publication of my interview by Vrinda Gopinath in Scroll.in http://scroll.in/article/694110/Somebody-has-done-black-magic-on-Modi:-Madhu-Kishwar)  Niti Central had published an attack on me under the title: “Madhu Kishwar Sells Out to Left Liberals’. Within a day the title was changed to “Madhu Kishwar’s Attack on Smriti Irani Disgraceful”.

I am disappointed at this change because I was hoping Niti Central would tell me the names of left liberals who have purchased my loyalty so that I can at least go and claim the price they are supposed to have put on me. 

The writer makes it out as if I my criticism of Modi’s appointment of Smriti Irani as HRD minister is born out of personal angst. Firstly, I don’t have any history of association with Smriti Irani. My one and only brief interaction with her was in a TV studio more than 10 years ago when I took part in a panel discussion she anchored. Other than that I have never interacted with her. I do not inhabit the world she lives in nor does she have anything in common with my world. How can I be jealous of a person I don’t know?

Is it Niti Central’s case that all criticism is born out of jealousy? By that logic Modi must have been extremely jealous of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi because he tore them apart at every conceivable occasion.

I have also repeatedly criticized Modi’s choice of Jaitley as Finance Minister on a number of counts. Is it their case that I wanted to be Finance Minister, hence my criticism!

As Modi fans and followers, it should worry Niti Central that people within the BJP are no less upset at Modi having made such a questionable choice for the crucial HRD portfolio. It has given rise to the most unsavory rumors and surmises within the BJP.  They should actually thank me for not giving legitimacy or currency to those ugly rumors which bring credit neither to Modi nor to Smriti. I have instead focused only on the most obvious issues at hand:

a)      Her lacking the minimum qualifications required for leading the HRD ministry in a credible manner;

b)      Her lying on oath about her educational qualifications;

c)       Her general penchant for lying in order to dress up her credentials.

It is ironical that my having supported Modi at a time when very few even within BJP were willing to stand up for him is being used as a stick to beat me up with. I defended him against malicious attacks because I was convinced he was being unfairly targeted. But that does not mean I signed a lifelong slavery bond with Modi thereby surrendering my right to point out flaws in his decisions –as and when I notice that he is trampling upon the promises he made to the people of India.

I wonder if Niti Central realizes that when they allege that I am attacking Smriti Irani because I have been denied ‘rewards” by Modi or I wanted this portfolio for myself, they are suggesting that only self seeking people came to support Modi, that none came to support him out of conviction.

Let me say it for the Nth time, Modi owes me nothing just as I owe him nothing. My support for Modi as PM and my defense of him against Left-Congress attacks was born out of conviction. He neither offered me any quid pro quo nor did I ever expect anything in return.

My criticism of certain policies of Modi is likewise born out of conviction. Abusive attacks are not going to deter me from expressing my opinion in a fearless manner just as I remained steadfast in support of Modi despite left liberal attempts to defame me.

Modi does not have anything to give me which I could not have gotten on my own strength from the earlier regimes, had I so desired. 

Of "Modi & Black Magic" Remark & Media’s Penchant for Sensation Mongering

On December 8, 2014, journalist Vrinda Gopinath came to interview me about the performance of the Modi government and the controversy around Smriti Irani’s appointment as HRD minister.

I told her it was too early to come to a firm conclusion about Modi as PM but as far as appointment of Smriti Irani is concerned, I have not changed my opinion one bit about it being a disastrous choice. And my opinion was shared by a large number of people within the BJP.

Vrinda asked me if I had any explanation as to why Modi made that choice.

My response was if I could find a reasonable explanation, I would not have been so shocked. She then began hazarding her guesses and asked me if such and rumour about Irani was the likely reason. I said, it doesn’t sound credible to me. She then put forward a couple of other explanations like, “Is it his arrogance? He thinks he can get away with anything, even a useless puppet.”

My answer was the same that they don’t sound satisfactory to me. She persisted and said, “But there has to be some explanation!”

My answer was that  none of the likely reasons she had offered appear convincing to me and then I added in a light note, more in jest than venturing an explanation or hazarding a guess “May be occupying the PM’s office has disoriented him or may be someone has done black magic on him.”

It was my way of saying that like many others, I can’t make sense of his choice of such an unsuitable person to head the most crucial ministry. But next day when the interview appeared on a web portal, the light hearted dismissive comment about “black magic” was used as a banner headline.

I am sure discerning readers will read the line about "black magic" in the spirit it was intended and not be swayed by the sensationalist intent of the editors of the website.

Modi's Celebration of Sardar Patel : Patel, a National Hero, Not Congress Property

Anyone who knows Narendra Modi –and many Congressmen do—would know that Modi’s veneration for the entire range of freedom fighters -- especially Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel -- is nothing new.  For example, before Modi went to take the oath as CM on October 7, 2001 the first thing he did was to seek the blessings of 5 leading figures of the freedom movement. Here is the video link showing Narendra Modi, on his way to the oath taking ceremony, getting out of an old blue Maruti 800 to pay homage to these heroes:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd0Ndc3mQ4Q.

He began with a prayer at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, followed by a similar floral tribute and prayer at the statues of Sardar Patel and Babasaheb Amebedkar. Thereafter, he went to seek blessings at the statues of Ravi Shankar Vyas and Vithalbhai Jhaverbhai Patel.

The first three names are well known. But here is a brief description from Wikipedia about the other two heroes who Modi sought on the most eventful day of his life, i.e., 7 October, 2001.

Ravi Shankar Vyas (1884–1984) was a Congressman and freedom fighter born at Rudhi village in Kheda district of Gujarat. He combined social reform work with political mobilization.  He was known by different names such as "Borinvala Maharaj" and "Muksevak"— meaning “silent worker.” He was one of the earliest and closest associates of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. In the 1920’s and 1930’s, he was one of the key organizers of the freedom movement and revolts against the British rule in Gujarat along with with Darbar Gopaldas Desai, Narhari Parikh and Mohanlal Pandya, Jhaverchand Meghani’s book "Mansaee Na Deeva" provides a rich account of select episodes of Ravi Shankar Maharaj’s eventful life and his social upliftment mission, including his pioneering work of successfully persuading outlaws to give up a life of crime.  His political stature is evident from the fact that he was the one chosen to inaugurate the formation of Gujarat as a separate state in 1960.

I wonder how many Congressmen remember this stalwart of their Party during its earlier avatar—its Mahatma Gandhi led days?  

Vithalbhai Jhaverbhai Patel was the third of 5 Patel brothers. He was four years elder to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He too grew up in the village of Karamsad and like Vallabhbhai, Vithalbhai too studied law in Bombay.  He worked as a lawyer in the courts of Godhra and Borsad before he went to study law in London and topped his class. He returned to Gujarat in 1913 and became an important barrister in the courts of Bombay and Ahmadabad.

Vithalbhai also joined the Congress led freedom struggle though he had differences with Gandhi.  When following the Chaura-Chauri incident in 1922, Gandhi called off his Satyagraha, Vithalbhai left the Congress to form the Swaraj Party with Chittranjan Das and Motilal Nehru.  He also became a strong ally of Subhash Chandra Bose.

All these stalwarts have been universally revered among Gujaratis of all hues, cutting across party lines.  By attacking Modi for “stealing” what Congress leaders claim is their “exclusive political legacy”, they are playing a very dangerous and divisive game. They not only wish to disenfranchise Modi as a Gujarati and rob him of his cherished political heritage, but also create permanent fissures in our societysociety whereas Patel and other freedom fighters have thus far played the role of emotionally unifying people.

Patel’s “Statue of Unity”: Honouring the Foremost Nationalist Icon of Gujarat 

Sardar Patel has been Modi’s hero from very early on. Like most Gujaratis, Modi has grown up believing that Nehru stole the prime minister’s post through undemocratic means from a far more able and deserving Patel.  As a student of history, I too believe the same and feel anguished at the shoddy manner in which Nehru often treated Patel. It was the Nehru led Left in the Congress which created prejudice against Patel by dubbing him a Hindu communalist. As a result, the Left has always treated Patel with disdain and mistrust.  Why do Congressmen resent Modi honouring Patel, if they really care for him? They should be happy that a BJP leader is honouring a Congress leader. Is it because Modi doesn’t fail to remind the world that Congress had discarded Patel long ago? Or is it because the Nehru dynasty seems to be failing to hold on to power on the strength of its own over used and abused charisma?

I personally find the idea of a Statue of Unity very fascinating, especially since it is not meant as a mere standalone tourist site like the Statue of Liberty in New York. This is how Modi explained its purpose in an interview:

This is going to be the tallest statue in the world – twice the size of the Statue of Liberty. I tell people, there are three things associated with Sardar Patel – one that he was the son of a farmer, second that he was known as the Iron Man of India, third that he made a big contribution to uniting India by bringing over 550 princely states together to merge with the Indian Union. He united India at the most trying time in our history when divisive forces were out to break up India into many pieces.  He was also an exceptionally able administrator and sensitive to the plight of marginalized groups like the tribals.

People are surprised that I am collecting old pieces of Iron from all over India, but my intent is the same -- to unite people, to bring them together. That is why I’ve appealed to each village of India to contribute a small piece of used iron to be melted for making the statue of Sardar Patel as the Statue of Unity.

If a village wants to gift a sword or cannon for it, we will not accept that.  As the son of a farmer we want a small piece of used farm implement from each village.  We will melt it for use in that statue.  That statue will be honoured as a symbol of India’s unity, because the 7 lakh villages of India would have contributed in its construction.  It is through such symbolic things that we can unite people emotionally.  My basic thought process is to bring about emotional unity among people. That is why such ideas come to me spontaneously.   

But the place where his statue is going to be installed won’t be just be a tourist place as is the statue of Liberty.  We are planning a world class knowledge hub in that area. My vision is to develop the place as a source of inspiration for ages to come.

Apart from tourist attractions like water sports and a live underwater aquarium, the area around Sardar Patel memorial will have a high-tech museum, chronicling 90 years of the history of India’s freedom fighters (1857-1947). Narendra Modi’s website says, “It will be developed as a research and academic centre for preserving the unity and integrity of India, its rich culture and heritage, for research on agriculture which was dear to the Sardar, for research on tribal life, and so on. Thus, it would be standing high not just in meters and feet but much more in terms of academic, historical, national and spiritual values.”

This project is likely to do for this relatively less developed tribal belt of Gujarat far more than what Rann Utsav has done for the backward Kutch region that brought unprecedented economic and cultural dynamism into the region. (Video Link:   http://www.firstpost.com/topic/person/narendra-modi-statue-of-unity-a-short-film-video-ycr97Uic6BY-20711-1.html)