For almost the first time in India’s history, post-independence or even pre-independence, the Indian people have come together for the best interest of India. This coming together is not because of communally driven forces or smallish personal considerations or selfish reasons.
If Indians at large had come together over a thousand years ago, or even longer than that, foreign invaders and rulers would not have been successful. As the internal division within the country divided us, the great country and the great population got reduced to nothing but narrow-minded bunch of smallish people fighting against each other.
For the first time in recent years, the people have come together and said that we want better opportunity. We want to eliminate or reduce corruption. We want better services. We want a stronger defense. We want a relationship with large economic powers including the U.K., Germany and the United States on the basis of reciprocal respect, not on the basis of big brother dictating terms.
Narendra Modi is a very strong leader and supports these aspirations. A great nation like the United States refused him visa to enter the country. He did not fight their decision. Simply with his mental strength and bringing his people together, he changed that equation, and the US President invited him for a State visit prior to his taking office.
Nothing beats success in life, and success of the nation is more important than the success of the individual. What has happened in the last election is that we have shown the power of the electorate. We have demonstrated that a majority of our people are still poor, don’t have a roof over their head, a decent healthy meal or all the physical comforts, yet they are the champions of democracy.
They recognize their power in the democratic process, citizenship, and right to vote. It is a fact that 60+% of India’s population went to the polls, and yet many newspaper editors and news people are harping on the past and in a way casting their judgment through commenting on what Modi did in 2002. None of these individuals were elected to any position.
It is one person’s opinion or comments by a few so called enlightened commentators who would project it to be the voice of millions of people. However, over 400 million people have spoken and spoken in no unmistakable term.
The Indian Supreme Court has spoken: Modi had nothing to do with the 2002 riots. It is power to the people. As one of the great U.S. presidents said, it is “government by the people, for the people, and of the people.”
Niranjan Shah
(CEO, Globetrotters Group,
Chicago, IL)
