Narendra Modi risks peaking too early & suffering from burn-out

n four decades since Narendra Modi stepped into politics as a junior apparatchik of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( RSS), he would have referred to Shyama Prasad Mookerjee innumerable times.

In the past 10 years since he returned from Geneva with the ashes of freedom fighter, Shyamji Krishna

In two months since his anointment as the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate, Modi has had as much publicity as scrutiny. But typical of the man and his bunch of cohorts, while they love the former, they detest those who deploy the latter. And mind you, these are still early days into a campaign that is already promising to be a consistent exercise in mutual muck-raking.

What are among the most politically significant statements or claims of Modi? His statements that Hindus and Muslims need to unite to fight poverty and that construction of toilets needs to be given priority over building temples of worship are cited to contend that this is the beginning of the 'toning down' of Modi's Hindutva rhetoric. But rushing to such a conclusion is hasty because in the same breath, Modi calls Rahul Gandhi 'Shehzada' of the 'Sultanate' and not 'Rajkumar' or 'Yuvraj' of the 'Samrajya'. Modi's political algebra also begins by equating Indian Mujahideen with CBI and the latter with the Congress; thereby suggesting linkages of the first with the last.

This shows that there is no real change in the core of the Modi's divisive, prejudice-deepening politics. The more amenable bits are for keeping certain avenues open for a possible later turnaround. Modi after all, is no crusader waging a Holy War — he is just a political leader in search of power.

There are some significant aspects of Modi's recent meetings and speeches and it would do supporters and adversaries a world of good if they take stock of them. For starters, there is no denying the huge responses indicating that Modi is by far the most charismatic political figure in India now. But for this enthusiastic curiosity to convert into votes, he will have to ensure slippages like Mookerjee-Varma are not repeated.
Varma, and constructed a memorial in Mandvi, Kutch, Modi wasted no chance to tom-tom this. If he mixed up Mookerjee with Varma, the obvious conclusion would be that he has lost it. But has he?