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Modi Vs Nitish: What their development models say about their politics
by 53 mins ago #bIhar #ConnectTheDots #Gujarat #Narendra Modi #Nitish Kumar Share Email Print Share Share Share Comments Last week New Delhi hosted two political leaders. Visit of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, proponent of India First' rhetoric was followed by the rally addressed by Nitish Kumar, chief minister of Bihar, who asserted that in 2014, citizens will send only that alliance to power which puts backwards before others. What do their priorities tell us about their politics? Juxtaposing the models of the two leaders, Professor Badri Narayan, social historian, GB Pant social science institute, Allahabad, said, "Modi's definitions of inclusion and development do not recognise divisions of citizenship. Nitish's inclusion acknowledges minorities and vulnerable groups. The later considers distinctions for their potential and real vulnerabilities.

] Modi's alternative resonates more strongly across caste, class as compared to Kumar's discourse. Reuters/PTI The result of acknowledgment of fault lines by one leader and the lack of it by the other, results in two distinct perceptions about development, said Narayan. Development is a very violent process. We exclude someone and include someone. But Modi hides it. He presents development as something soft and easily replicable. Nitish does not run away from it even if it means his model not looking fancy. It is due to this packaging, perhaps, that Modi's alternative resonates more strongly across caste, class as compared to Kumar's discourse, said experts. Even as 2002 riots haunt him, he wants to strike a chord among
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3/20/2013 12:42 PM

Print :Modi Vs Nitish: What their development models say about their politics

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the population which is willing to move beyond politics of religion, said DL Sheth, honorary senior fellow and former director of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi. "The larger middle class is sick of making issues out of non issues and trying to harp on everything in the context of religion, as if, that is the beginning and end of India. They want a new ground. They don't want to sacrifice the rights of minorities, but they don't look forward to a continuous upfront activity which becomes alibi for development." The arena, where one can live with his or her identity 24x7, said Sheth, was more or less closed. Another reason why Modi appears to be omnipresent compared to somewhat limited mass appeal of Kumar, is because of their party sizes and marketing skills. "Nitish's message has always been always succinct. But many times it does not percolate down to the lowest common denominator as his party does not have a national presence. Modi is heard because of BJP's strong network. Also, the aggressive marketing which circulates Modi's message, is absent in Nitish's case," said Harivansh, chief editor, Prabhat Khabar, Hindi daily. However, it will be a mistake to gauge the workability or appropriateness of the model based on its mass appeal, cautioned Nayaran. Though Modi's discourse has caught the imagination of the masses, it is Kumar's approach which goes with the constitution of India as it talks about the issues of marginalized communities, said he. Modi's recent speeches are aimed at a national and NRI audience. Who is Nitish speaking to? Who is he hoping will hear him? To answer that, one has to consider the states they rule, said Alakh N Sharma, director, Institute of Human Development, Delhi. Gujarat has been a traditionally developed state, with industries and huge tracts of land. Modi did value addition on it and the result is an apparently affluent state. Bihar, on the other hand, was a sick state when Nitish took over. People had given up on Bihar. He has been converting it into a well governed state. Therefore, even after all these years of ruling the sate, much of Nitish's speeches are addressed to people in his own state including Biharis, Muslims and social justice groups, said Sharma. Sheth, however, said that despite his limited presence, Kumar should talk more to the middle class. He might not be doing it as, "Presently he is more concerned about two things: disengaging with Modi's so called inclusive perspective and secondly with the eye on 2014, he wants to improve his maneuverability in the era of politics of hard bargain."

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