Tale of two fasts: Why Modi's worked and Vaghela's didn't

Here’s a tale of two fasts - one basking in media glare and the other turning out to be a sorry footnote to it; one a national talking point and the other nearly invisible. It is also a story of two political parties - one focused on the states and the other oblivious to them; one serious about its political future and the other confused about the political course to follow. That the Congress in Gujarat would go for a copycat fast after Chief Minister Narendra Modi announced his three-day event itself is a pointer to the paucity of ideas in the party. That it was longer—Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela broke his fast on Tuesday while Modi did it on Monday—is immaterial too. Narendra Modi’s three-day fast, a largely self-promotional event, was planned to precision and achieved what it set out to do. It established the primacy of Modi in the BJP, signalled the beginning of his image correction and made clear his plan to move to the national stage at some point in future. The entire exercise carried the Modi signature all through - confident, authoritative and self-assured. If the question of his being the party’s candidate for the prime minister’s job was left hanging, it was deliberate. [caption id=“attachment_88222” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Image courtesy PIB”]  [/caption] By contrast, Vaghela’s counter-fast was purposeless. It aimed at nothing, had no message. It was a reactive move only to assert that the Congress was still alive in the state. Till the other day Vaghela was in virtual wilderness after being sidelined in the faction-ridden Congress. His sudden appearance in the thick of affairs reflects the lack of choices in the party. Modi, his one-time BJP colleague and long-time foe, has firmly established himself in the saddle. It’s a battle of unequals. Modi’s fast was also a show of BJP unity. All senior leaders made it a point to be on stage with the chief minister, showering words of praise on him and his achievements. The icing on the cake was the presence of representatives of NDA chief ministers from across the country. Vaghela’s was a low profile event which Congress leaders at the national level decided to give a miss. There was only long distance lip service from a couple of leaders, including the party’s rabble-rouser Digvijaya Singh. Even the party’s crown prince Rahul Gandhi did not feel it was worth the trouble supporting the Congressmen on fast. Modi called the fast part of his Sadvhabna Mission. The liberal sprinkling of members of different communities, including Muslims, and the chief minister’s inclusive language reflected he meant business. The Congress fast was more of an assembly of dissenters, people opposed to Modi for different reasons. The gathering was singularly lacklustre, conveying nothing, except a lot of heartburn at Modi’s success. The party said it fast was to promote ’non-violence’. Clearly, the idea lacked rhyme or reason. The fast also is a reflection of how and why the Congress has shrunk in the states. The party is losing its foothold in its erstwhile bastions alarmingly fast. Most of it has to do with the apathy of the central leadership and its inability to promote leaders with merit in the states. The Congress will be apprehensive of someone like Modi in the party because such leaders would be perceived to be threats to the leaders at the top. The party is more comfortable with leaders who are pliable and adept at surviving the machinations in Delhi’s power circles. It is not that the party does not have competent leaders at the state level or cannot develop such leaders, but the party is loath to doing it. There are too many insecure people up there. The BJP, by contrast, has no inhibition in promoting strong leadership at the state level. It does not mind if the state leaders have national ambitions. The approach was in ample display during Modi’s fast. Possibly that differentiates a sinking party and a rising one.