WHY IS CONGRESS COMPARING YOUR MODI WITH MY NEHRU?

Congress M.P. Shashi Tharoor has sent out some photographs of Nehru in Moscow, Samarkand, New York and London showing how he effortlessly attracted crowds then. He then went on to say that "you don't need to spend 1.4 lack crores on a welcome party to buy some respect". The dig is obviously at 'Howdy Modi' but the comparison is laughable as the timelines are incomparable. But what is most atrocious is while I am bloody proud of Nehru's popularity despite our ideological differences, Shashi and Congress seem to be distinctly uncomfortable with Modi's popularity with the overseas Indian diaspora.

The fact is that the two leaders belong to two very different times and while the story of Nehru is all done and dusted and we now know that the left and left of centre historians made him look good despite his political shortcomings and military blunders, the Modi saga is ongoing and history is yet to pass its verdict on him.

Jawaharlal Nehru was the product of half a century of freedom struggle, moulded by men like Gandhi, by imperial Britain, and by a galaxy of lifelong comrades. And, he was made by countless Indians who gave him their affection "in such abundant measure".

In a world uncomplicated by 24x7 news Nehru's goals were uncomplicated. With his own understanding of history, he tried to accelerate the historical processes he saw: to achieve within the space of decades what had taken other nations centuries; to modernize a feudal society; to industrialize a rural country; and to mould a fragmented quilt of princely states into a 20th century nation state. These were worthy goals to chase and he has to be credited for them.

Three passions guided him and gave direction to his work: a passion for independence, a passion for democracy and a passion for modernism. And it is in these that his legacy principally rests, his building of democratic institutions, his effort to forge a united, secular society with a modern scientific outlook, a self-reliant industrial country, non-aligned in a world dominated by superpowers.

But it cannot be denied that he lived in an imaginary world of idealism and had profound intolerance to the contrarian view. It was his ignorance that led to first the Chinese annexation of Tibet and then to the IndoChina war in which we lost precious territory. He had an opportunity to champion the cause of Tibet in the UN but he did not. He blundered again and again in Kashmir despite being warned and only when Sheikh Abdullah was about to declare independence and a few of our neighbors were ready to recognize his efforts did Nehru get him arrested. In the name of non-alignment he sacrificed American assistance in our science and education sectors because his left and left of centre leaning kept him more comfortable in Soviet axis. He refused to pursue for a seat in the UN Security Council which Kennedy suggested. He was distinctly uncomfortable with more popular leaders, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Sardar Patel being the brightest examples, and cultivated a coterie of mediocrity around him. There were far too many communal riots during his tenure and in today's age of 24x7 news he would have been a disaster. The developing world held him as their champion as he was considered to be Gandhi's successor but the developed world soon lost all hope of excellence from him and dismissed him as any other English educated third world leader like Kenyatta and Mugabe.

Nehru can never be compared with Modi because they were in different times, came from different backgrounds, took different courses to reach the top and faced different challenges. Modi is a product of 24x7 news and his ability to both plan and deliver can only be matched by his ability to advertise about these achievements to the world. He is a master communicator and he connects well with the masses, whether in India or overseas. His achievements in his state of Gujarat and in the centre are so obvious that the Congress continues to overlook them at its peril.

Modi is at a crossroad though, now that the spotlight is on him he will have to bring about big ticket reforms in education, labour, manufacturing and agriculture. Article 370 and triple talaq can be at best a side dish, they can't be the main course to satisfy our hunger. Instead of comparing Nehru with Modi, which I am quite sure the latter is enjoying with a sly smile, the Congress should work as a worthy opposition and hold him accountable like a responsible opposition. These stupid social media posts are just optics, they have to do better.