Ideas Famine vs Modi Machine

Are freebies the way forward for the Opposition? Anything they promise, Modi will improve on the offer. And since he has the power of the incumbent, his promise will be taken more seriously

- SHEKHAR GUPTA

Heading for the first anniversary of his third term in office, Narendra Modi looks and sounds supremely confident and assured again. The diffidence and stress lines you could see after that verdict of 240 seats are gone. Haryana and Maharashtra victories helped, of course—as did the disarray in the INDIA bloc.

But there is a deeper and more substantive justification for this new confidence, bordering on smugness. It is the bankruptcy of new ideas from his challengers. There is nobody—no leader, party, or idea—that threatens to disrupt national politics today. This is the politics of doldrums. Nothing is rocking the boat. Modi's BJP is the boat in this case—and he's happy with where the boat is.

All his rivals have their old ideas—either already defeated, or adopted and improved by him. And in case you are also looking at those WhatsApp forwards about Modi retiring at 75 in September this year, please don't embarrass yourself. Modi isn't going anywhere.

He will lead the BJP again in 2029.

This does not need astrology or political prescience. Just the facts. In 2029, he will only be as old as Trump today. If his rivals want to live in the fantasy world that they can time him out, and that Rahul has age on his side, they are disrespectful of the Modi epoch.

They simply do not seem to have a better offer for the voter. Or, at least, a more interesting, exciting offer. None of them in their style, ideology or political proposition brings what could create the grand disruption needed to shake this comfortable stalemate. Meanwhile, Mr Modi is going on like a team in a Test match chasing 300 (that number is deliberately chosen), and batting at 190 for 2. What will—or can be—that one, big disruptive idea?

It can't be anything that the Opposition has on offer currently. Secular-communal divide is an old trope, its edge blunted. The rich-versus-poor debate, they can't win.