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Will Modi be all Indians' PM? Even those who voted against him?

The hope is that, as opposed to thumping that 56-inch chest, Modi will use the second term to address the issues faced by all of India and not just the majority.

"Together we grow. Together we prosper. Together we will build a strong and inclusive India. India wins yet again! #VijayiBharat (India Victorious)." That's Indian PM (re-)elect Narendra Damodardas Modi yesterday telling 1.3 billion Indians via a tweet that he's their prime minister. Not just of those who voted him and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to power for a second term, but also those who voted against him and his policies. And those who blatantly rejected his personality-driven political advances. And those who have no real faith in his narrative of inclusiveness, which is best manifested in BJP's election slogan 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' (roughly translated as inclusive growth).
A Dubai-based expat who says he once knew the Indian PM from close quarters told me that he believes that Modiji (as he's popularly addressed) is being absolutely magnanimous in victory. "It isn't just a tweet - it's what he's always aspired for, and he'll prove it now that he's victorious again." And what a victory it has been.
Brushing aside the anti-incumbency threat, the unemployment crisis, the pain that demonetisation may have brought about, the implementation issues with taxation, and everything that could have been a stumbling block for the Modi juggernaut, the NDA is back for another five years. And it's back with a mandate similar in its size and scope to the thundering 2014 win that it first achieved under what was then termed as the 'Modi wave'.
The year 2019 has showed us that that wave is still as strong and as powerful as it was five years ago. In fact, with almost two-thirds of the lower house under its belt, that wave has now become a tsunami. For, in 2014, Modi was arguably the biggest, but he wasn't the only personality that the BJP boasted back then. Beyond the troika of mentors - Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L.K. Advani, and Rajnath Singh - there were several seasoned campaigners including Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj and Manohar Parrikar. None of these BJP personalities was a factor in the 2019 elections, which the NDA fought on the back of just one brand - NaMo.
In fact, such was his clout in these elections that there was no leader that came even close to his carefully cultivated ascetic image - and not just in the NDA, but across the political spectrum of the world's second most populous country. As one of the several KT newsroom discussions yesterday concluded, it was a one-horse race. He could have walked, cantered, trotted or galloped at will, and he would have still been home and dry. Congress President Rahul Gandhi, too, was gracious in defeat and was quick to congratulate Modi and his NDA, acknowledging that the "people have decided".
Now that the dust has settled and the margin of victory has been roaring, the ball is once again in the big man's court - the one with a 56-inch chest. The hope is that, as opposed to thumping that chest, he will use the second term to address the issues faced by all of India and not just the majority. The hope is that he will speak out more often and louder on issues like rape, mob lynchings and other criminal acts no matter who the perpetrators may be. That he will work harder for the upliftment of women, and of minorities. That he will focus on policy reform so that issues like defence procurement, farmers' distress, job-creation and tourism get their due share of the Modi spotlight.
Modi yesterday made a promising start to his second innings. In his customary address to BJP party workers last night, he did say that while elections are won with a majority, you need mandate to run the country. He has both, and following that maxim of true inclusiveness will elevate him from being a great leader that he is to the stature of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, India's finest statesman who unified the country. Then he'll finally be the PM that the world's largest democracy deserves.
- vicky@khaleejtimes.com