THE WHEELS THAT MAKE A POLITICAL JUGGERNAUT ROLL

Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the oath ceremony in two states.

- SHASHI SHEKHAR

These weren't meant to declare Samrat Chaudhary and Suvendu Adhikari chief ministers of their states. They were a declaration of an electoral Ashwamedh yagya by the saffron outfit, inspired by its success in recent years.In May 2014, when Modi took the reins at the Centre, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with all its allies was in power in just seven states. Today, it rules 22 states. So, how did it achieve this? Some call it a victory of communalism. But is the explanation really that simple?

In 1988, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) lent Modi to the BJP that gave him with the charge of Gujarat. His first test was its municipal polls a year later. The BJP won the Ahmedabad mayoral post for the first time, marking the start of its victory march.

At that time, there was a big bootlegger in Gujarat, Abdul Latif, who contested independently on five councillor seats, and his supporters called him a 'caged tiger'. Modi made the Latif issue a poll plank, and the BJP won. Those who saw this from communal prism missed the point: Latif wasn't a war hero like Abdul Hamid or a scientist like Abdul Kalam. He was a history sheeter. How can his victory or defeat be a win or loss for secularism?