DEBATE (1)

As I see it, three politicians who are fit to succeed Mr Modi are Mr Navin Patnaik, Mr Nitin Gadkari and Mr Rajnath Singh, provided age does not come in their way.

Kumar

DEBATE(2)

“ After Modi,Who? ”

I am filled with a sense of déjà vu. A similar question arose during Pt Nehru’s failing health. Nothing unusual happened after his passing away. Shastri ji emerged  from out of the blue. Nature is supposed to take care of such eventuality and fill the void. No one is indispensable. Everyone is replaceable.

Coming to the pointed question  : After Modi, Who,  I would like to be upfront and fiercely  independent .I hope my views are published in this site, irrespective of whether these support  the present dispensation or not.

It would be inappropriate to suggest that Modi is matchless. We, Indians revel in raising the question :  "After Nehru, who?", "After Indira, who?", "After Rajiv, who?", and now, "After Modi, who?" And, every time, voters themselves provide the answer. This is the beauty of Parliamentary democracy.

If, anyone expects the WIC surfers to name Amit Shah, Yogi and Nitin Gadkari as the three hopefuls for PM’s post, it would be mistaken. Rajnath Singh cannot be left out and many more. A bitter intra- party conflict would ensue. PM Modi is, at least, holding the flock together.

But, at what cost? The dividing line between the Union of India and BJP functionaries is very thin, almost non-existent. Public memory is no longer short. It remembers the travails of              de-monetisation, GST , farmers’ distress, question marks on defence deals , cast-based polarization of votes, assets monetization, Pegasus etc. Much would depend on the outcome of results in assemblies  elections and the fighting spirit of the weak opposition. It would be premature, at this stage, to make a guess on “Who, after Modi”? Turn of events could throw up new possibilities, new personalities, new permutations and combinations.

A K Saxena (A former civil servant)