Britain decision on Modi leaves Dileep Padgaonkar jumping with anger!

Hugo Swire

Dileep Padgaonkar epitomizes the journalists who are responsible for the complete loss of character for media in India today.

In his latest article – ok, its more of a rant a-la-fresh blogger with a new blog account and anger in his/her head – Padgaonkar riles against whoever he can set his sights on.  Why, because someone has patted his favorite hunt – Narendra Modi.  Padgaonkar sees red.  Is mad.  And can’t think straight and come off with unrealistic comparisons.  If they were unrealistic one could be ok, but they cannot be justified in any way if – a BIG IF – one were use his/her intellectual capacity and look at historical facts.

He has his “one side of the facts” against Modi all secured – no talk of the credibility and the incredible cooking up powers of those who have “provided the evidence” against Modi though.  Oh well.  And, since he is angry.. and Britain, which was once upon a time – a jolly good power – has chosen to shake hands with Modi, the “Colonial” nature of the Brits is all too obvious to Padgaonkar.  Convenient views resting on selective “facts” makes for decidedly jaundiced journalism!

These reasons are of course self-serving  though, yet again, they should not surprise anyone familiar with Britain’s record of double-speak.

Prejudice in writing is interesting, but then comes innuendo-not-meant-to-innuendo statements which leave one bewildered as to what the heck did he mean to say?

Some might be tempted to compare the British government’s decision to reach out to Modi to prime minister Neville Chamberlain’s infamous Munich Pact in 1938. The appeasement of Hitler, ostensibly to ensure that he would be content to subdue the Czechs and spare Europe a devastating war, came a cropper. But to describe Narendra Modi as a Hitler, or to argue that David Cameron has acted like Chamberlain, or to suggest that today’s Gujarat can even remotely be compared to Nazi Germany is not very enlightening. Such comparisons are worse than odious: they are misleading.

First he thinks that there are some people who would like to equate British Government’s “appeasement” of Modi with Chamberlain’s appeasement of Hitler.  If one were to read his article before this para, one would be left in very little doubt that Padgaonkar is afraid of his own prejudices.  No wonder he uses third person where first person was shouting at the top of his lungs.

The last line leaves me completely perplexed!  Honestly.  So the comparison between Hitler and Modi is misleading.  Ok.  Which way?  Modi is not Hitler and British aren’t appeasing him?  But what does a country exercising “double speak” and which is “self serving” point to?

If you really wanted to say Britain is appeasing Modi as it did to Hitler, but know that this is a boat of rather stinking BS, just say so.

Lets cut the crap

Let us cut to the chase here, guys.  Modi has been hounded by these very journalists, while the Gandhis and Vadras have had a field day plundering the country.  These journalists have deliberately shielded these diabolical forces as they exercised their selectively informed journalism.

But there is one area they couldn’t do much about – Gujarat’s progress and its ability to generate revenues for the state exchequer the way it did.  Every major businessman and country with economic ambitions has lauded Gujarat’s ability to work with the businesses.  That is why, they see a larger picture.  How long and how much can they keep on ignoring probably the only bright spot in the business environment of India?  From UP to Haryana to TN to Andhra, every state is ruled by a corrupt CM and government with no idea of reforms.  If India has a success mojo – educated class and low cost – then it also has a worrisome cancer – of prejudices of the politicians.

Modi makes sure that none of those negatives come in the way of the businesses.  GE estimated that it was able to set up a plant in the fastest time than anywhere else in the world by a wide margin.  In a country where it takes forever to get a birth certificate for someone, this is a miracle!

For the businesses, the promise of India’s educated class and efficiency of a First World processes comes together in Gujarat.

Also, the Gujarati diaspora is no ordinary group.  Gujaratis in US and UK specifically have contributed immensely to the local economy and are now emerging as major donors to the political process in their home countries.  That’s a big clout that cannot be ignored.

The statement of Britain’s Minister of State for the Foreign Office, Hugo Swire where he asked his High Commissioner to India to visit Gujarat and meet with Modi and senior leaders is based on pragmatic understanding of the reality on the ground, given the state of the economy.

Is it Indictment of Congress

Leaving Modi and Padgaonkar’s rants aside, is Swire – at this moment of the election campaign in Gujarat – saying more than what appears on the face of it?  Congress is trying its best to unseat Modi from Gujarat.  It will and has been trying its best to paint Modi into a devil and a dictator.  It hasn’t succeeded, for the Gujaratis can see what change has happened due to Modi.

By jumping in with such a statement at this juncture is to serve a warning to Congress, that Britain is ready for change in Indian political helm.  The winds are changing and you Congress-walas are short term irritants.

Maybe as per British calculations, Modi will be elected as the Chief Minister again.

Now, that – CM of Gujarat – is the smallest step to 7 Race Course Road.  So things can’t look up for Congress Party anytime soon.

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