I’ve been firm in my opposition to Brand Narendra Modi for some years now (Supremodi, May 26). I’ve held him personally culpable for the 2002 killings and still do. I’ve been consistent in my belief that there was no way the electoral math would add up to give the BJP the requisite numbers in the Lok Sabha. All said and done, Modi has pulled off a stunner. He has decimated a party more than 100 years old. One man has proved—for once—that coalition governments are not necessarily a default option. The moment of opposing him as PM candidate has passed. He is our PM now.
Santosh John Samuel, Kochi
My social, economic and linguistic/ethnic background makes me more likely to benefit from the kind of society and economy envisaged by Modi. But I wonder if they’d be right for the man at the bottom of the pyramid, and this country is full of such men. My wishlist, for whatever it is worth, is as follows: a) Permit members of minority communities to contest from seats reserved in the Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and local bodies; b) ensure reservations for the more socially and economically backward; c) refrain from interfering with personal laws or ensure that if a uniform civil code has to come, it is a genuinely secular code which respects traditional customs and is not a means of imposing the personal laws of the majority community on the minorities.
Mike Desai, New Delhi
It’s simplistic to attribute the BJP’s impressive performance wholly to the widespread disillusionment with the Congress despite its entitlement programmes, the corporate backing for Modi or his promises of ‘good governance’ and ‘economic progress’ without acknowledging the groundswell of wholehearted support for Modi as a symbol of Hindu nationalism. It will be a devastating blow to the country and its unity if a triumphant BJP interprets the electoral verdict as a popular vindication of the ideology it subscribes to and the goals it sets itself and leverages its thumping majority in the Lok Sabha to push through its Hindutva agenda.
G. David Milton, Maruthancode
His swashbuckling victory has ensured that Modi will have no worthwhile opposition to keep his trigger-happiness in check. It will be incumbent on him alone to do all the right things.
George Jacob, Kochi
Had Advani been the BJP’s PM candidate, he’d have got the party more than 282 seats with less effort and no aarti-pujas.
Anil Kumar, Hyderabad
Modi could prove to be India’s Shinzo Abe. Like his Japanese counterpart, he would oversee higher asset prices and revive growth, but struggle with structural reforms.
C.K. Subramaniam, Mumbai
People have finally enabled Modi to give us a stable government. In gratitude, he should ensure that India is rid of terror and economic bleakness.
Jayanthi Subramaniam, Mumbai
From Kashmir to Kanyakumari to the faraway Andamans, from Anand to Assam, what a sweep! The BJP would have hoped that the lotus would bloom in Kerala too. But O. Rajagopal’s valiant fight against Shashi Tharoor was in vain.
K.P. Rajan, Mumbai
The Modi tsunami has routed not just his political rivals but also the intelligentsia, academia, activists and media.These groups have executed a vigorous and vicious campaign against Modi in India and abroad for the last 12 years. The politics of Mandal, minorities, and even secularism, has met its Waterloo and big players like Mulayam and Mayawati, Nitish and Laloo, have been left licking their wounds. No, He Can’t? Sorry! Today, Modi is the man who can.
M.C. Joshi, Lucknow
The 16th Lok Sabha, said a recent report in The Hindu newspaper, will have the highest number of MPs—34 per cent, going by the election affidavits—with criminal cases against them. This includes 35 per cent or about a 100 BJP MPs. Welcome to Modi sarkar!
Alastair Murray, Panchkula
Not the corporates, it’s the poor who have delivered this judgement, proving once again that democracy has deep roots in India. Modi does know his poll math, but his real victory will come only if he can understand the chemistry of the people. Hope he does not fail in this effort.
V.N.K. Murti, Pattambi
