Narendra Modi has beyond doubt established himself as one of the most astute and crafty politician around. He has managed to hold on to the Guj CM’s post even with more than a tenth of his electorate staunchly against him. US denies him visit. Self proclaimed activists are gunning for his head. A bitter propaganda of a desperate opposition has found favour with the media. And most people outside his state prefer to overlook his achievements and look at him through the lenses of Godhra.

Still, every now and then, he manages to come up with two parted fingers flashing the sign of victory and a bearded smile nothing less than a slap on the face for his detractors. The reason for this, as I discern, is the simple philosophy he seems to have espoused perfectly – “Try pleasing all and you’ll please none”. He might not be the darling of the mainstream media, but he knows that there’s nothing that a Rajdeep Sardesai or Barkha Dutt, sitting in their airconditioned offices do to harm him on his turf. He sees no point in trying to woo the multiple power centres in grim looking Party. Or in even going about shouting from rooftops about his accomplishments as the Chief Minister with full page glossy ads in News Papers.

But one thing he knows is how to marshal his meager PR resources in a nation of liberals that loathe him. And he does that with perfection. A point in case would be the recent rollout of the first Nano from its Sanand plant in Gujarat, which ironically coincided with Mamata’s sweep of Bengal Municipal Election, one women who played bigger role in bringing Nano to Gujarat then Modi could ever had. Nano is just a car, and car manufacturers set up their facilities all the time. But for a nation running on two wheels, it was probably something bigger. Modi saw the opportunity of publicity that a possible shifting of its base could bring. And he knew he had to seize it. He may say that it only cost him a one rupee sms to invite Ratan Tata, but it is a no brainer that his team would have worked overtime to ensure all administrative clearance and allotment of land, man and machinery in record time.

The liberals cried foul, like they always do. Manufacturing a car that has aspirations of millions attached with it from a state with dubious human rights record would stain it with blood of innocents that fell to state inaction some 8 years ago. Media found a story and flashed it on our screens and papers. They appealed Ratan Tata to rethink, who despite all the philanthropy is only a businessman (and unarguably one of the best we’ve seen). He brushed them all aside and went on with his plan, establishing Gujarat once again as the best investment option in india. And Modi laughed his way to the headlines. And a few days back when the car finally rolled out, the man behind the wheels with Tata was Modi, and the shutterbugs caught a smiling Modi, yet again. All this while Ratan Tata, one man we trust, the most to showcase Brand India to the world, inadvertently played a mascot to Modi.

The other man whose name has recently been taken time and again with Modi might have let it happen a bit more purposedly than Tata.

Bachchans are to the Bollywood what Nehrus are to India’s Politics, inseparable and incomplete without each other. Bachchans and Nehru’s shared shared close family ties since the times of Harivansh Rai and his friend Jawahar Lal. The relations though soured the Bofors Scandal, both sides alleging betrayal by the other. After that Amitabh aligned himself with Amar Singh who had apparently helped him out during ABCL crisis. But after Amar Singh’s fallout with Samajwadis and Jaya Bachchan refusal of SP’s RS seat it was clear to all that Bachchan’s political affinity no longer lies with Samajwadis.

Amitabh then decided that he wanted to become the Brand Ambassador of Gujarat. And thus started his eulogization of Modi and his workt. A good press never hurt anyone and Modi welcomed Amitabh with open arms, ignoring the fact that Amitabh had earlier been a Brand Ambassador for “Uttam Pradesh” at the behest of Modi’s Political and Ideological adversaries. Amitabh too on his part doesn’t seem to be at any sort of discomfort first promoting a party with leftist leanings which touts itself to be a messiah of Muslims to now promoting a right winger that epitomizes capitalism. In all this Modi has nothing to lose neither does Amitabh unless government decides to unleash CBI (Congress Beauro of Investigation :) on Amitabh’s land holdings.

Till then it’s a thumbs up to Modi and his ways…

Modi and his Mascots