Chai pe charcha

Many reasons have been offered for the BJP’s, or rather Narendra Modi’s, astounding win: unrelenting price rise, corruption and a sense that the UPA government was bereft of will or purpose. To these one must add not just the well-managed and well-funded campaign of the BJP, but Modi’s ability to turn every weakness of the Congress into his advantage. And, in mid-January the Congress handed him what turned out to be a bludgeon, when it disparaged him as a “chaiwala”.

The Modi wave really began after that Mani Shankar Aiyar remark at an AICC meeting: “…if he wants to distribute tea here, we will find a place for him.” Modi – perceived as a ruthless politician and economy manager – was transformed into a humble chaiwala who had risen to the top by virtue of his ability. This was unlike the mandarins in the Congress who considered it their birthright to rule the country. Suddenly, it seemed there was none better than he to understand lower middle-class aspirations and sensibilities. A skilled performer, Modi just needed a few minutes at a rally to became one of them, poking fun, for instance, at Rahul Gandhi visiting homes of the poor as a bemused ‘tourist’.

Mofussil India had had enough of the educated waffle of the UPA’s ministers and their advisors. Their clipped, urbane manner had come to no good. They shied away from the dust and grime of public contact. Modi smartly packaged himself as an earthy prime ministerial candidate -- not just a rough and tough desi , but also an achiever. A hard-boiled, efficient, business-friendly leader in December had by May turned into an exciting rags-to-riches role model for Middle India. Aiyar had outdone Modi’s PR team in a single stroke.

Senior Assistant Editor

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