reformed bhakt? Impossible. I sense a deeply deceitful plot here. He will suddenly spring a trap like Mao did after his 'let a 1000 flowers bloom' speech.
Patriotism Vs Jingoism
- Thread starter _Anonymous_
- Start date
He's been fishing for some time now.
One senses a nationalist. One also senses a sidelining post his late wife's saga. One also senses him being the Shatrughan Sinha of the Congress.
Cheers, Doc
After all , the nation survives on their whim and look upto then for their validation.
Good Read. Specially like these section:-
But no state, no religion, is perfect or flawless. And no leader either. The great B.R. Ambedkar, in his last speech to the Constituent Assembly, said that “in India, Bhakti or what may be called the path of devotion or hero-worship, plays a part in its politics unequalled in magnitude by the part it plays in the politics of any other country in the world. Bhakti in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul. But in politics, Bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship”.
Ambedkar’s warning was prophetic. It anticipated the rule, or rather the misrule, of Indira Gandhi, which came about only because her bhakts placed their liberties at her feet. And now, Modi bhakts are blindly worshipping our present prime minister. In truth, this cult of the great leader which Ambedkar warned against bedevils not only Indian politics, but also Indian corporate and intellectual life, even Indian cricket.
Gandhi himself once admitted to making a Himalayan blunder. But I cannot recall Narendra Modi acknowledging even a minor mistake. However, it is very important that citizens recognise that like nations and cultures, leaders are not perfect or infallible either.
But no state, no religion, is perfect or flawless. And no leader either. The great B.R. Ambedkar, in his last speech to the Constituent Assembly, said that “in India, Bhakti or what may be called the path of devotion or hero-worship, plays a part in its politics unequalled in magnitude by the part it plays in the politics of any other country in the world. Bhakti in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul. But in politics, Bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship”.
Ambedkar’s warning was prophetic. It anticipated the rule, or rather the misrule, of Indira Gandhi, which came about only because her bhakts placed their liberties at her feet. And now, Modi bhakts are blindly worshipping our present prime minister. In truth, this cult of the great leader which Ambedkar warned against bedevils not only Indian politics, but also Indian corporate and intellectual life, even Indian cricket.
Gandhi himself once admitted to making a Himalayan blunder. But I cannot recall Narendra Modi acknowledging even a minor mistake. However, it is very important that citizens recognise that like nations and cultures, leaders are not perfect or infallible either.
Finally one of the few who's read and commented on the piece - the primary reason behind posting the article here .
Let me venture my 2 cents , w.r.t what you've quoted - in a country as diverse and populous as ours the only unifying feature apart from popular can be a singular charismatic persona from whom power flows. Such a person can be loved and respected as PT Nehru or perhaps as divisive as IG or NaMo.All these were / are products of their time and in turn have shaped events as much as been influenced by it .
In all fairness to NaMo , IG "socialised " the economy - abolishing privy purses , nationalising banks & insurance cos , etc - although these were popular initiatives then and were primarily aimed at undermining her opposition within her party - the Syndicate widely considered to be closer to the capitalists / industrialists then - nowhere as radical as the steps NaMo undertook ( I guess the opponents of Modi here will point out to DeMo & GST , Pooh poohing my statement ). The 1971 campaign came later. Modi still has a year to go. Let's not discount him . I'm addressing both the supporters & opponents of Modi , here .