Modi – a super crisis manager? Not really

Krishna Sagar Rao's article 'PM Modi- A reliable crisis leader' is a masterpiece in self-delusion and deception. It is good class room essay defining what a crisis is and about crisis management. But his futile attempt to attempt to present Modi as a super crisis manager is like rubbing salt on the wound in the face of his failure in combating the current Covid crisis. One fails to understand why the BJP leaders always try to evoke sympathy for Modi as if he had been facing crisis after crisis eve since his advent into politics.

As CM of Gujarat he had comfortable run for three terms with the dwindling Opposition . As PM, he has massive majority in the house and is virtually un-opposed. Yes, he proved to be an expert in creating crisis after crisis. First, it was note-ban which failed to curb black money but resulted in deaths of people waiting in lines. The sudden announcement of lockdown last year created a crisis for lakhs of migrant labour as they were left in lurch.

The SC had to intervene and issue directives again and again to improve the situation. Again he created a vaccine crisis by exporting vaccines without bothering about initial domestic requirement, which made us a laughing stock in the international community. The apex court is appalled and wondered whether government is having any policy on vaccine and it asked the government to submit all relevant files in evolving the vaccine policy. Modi had not paid heed to the advice of the experts and the country is plunged into an economic crisis where the GDP has touched an all time low. So much about the crisis management abilities of Modi that were unabashedly praised sky high by the author.

As is their wont, the author had belittled the earlier leaders to highlight Modi as if they never had to face any real crisis. The first crisis the country faces soon after independence was of hunger and poverty. Through successful and imaginative implementation of five-year plans, India could overcome the crisis and ushered in Green revolution. It is Nani Palkhiwala who made this observation with regard to buget of a particular year- " it can be termed a bad budget in a good year and worst in a bad year" Same is more or less applicable to Modi's abilities as a crisis manager. Rao is endowed with a fertile imagination and it will do good if gentlemen like him point out the real position to PM rather than constantly lionising and eulogising him.

Vinay Bhushan Bhagwaty, Hyderabad

A sycophantic write-up

This refers to "PM Modi: A Reliable Crisis Leader" (THI 4 June). The BJP spokesperson has all the right to defend his leader who has been Chief Minister of Gujarat for 13 years and seven years as PM of India now. To call Modi a crisis leader is nothing but a height of sycophancy. One can even agree that at this moment there is no strong political opponent to PM Modi from within and outside., to call him a crisis leader by the author is beyond imagination but a height of hero-worship and sycophancy.

S Natarajan, New Delhi