India Shining: To hell with the naysayers... We can and will overcome!!!

Photo Courtesy: theviewspaper.net

                          Disclaimer: I am not pro NaMo, I am pro India.

Despite not being a Modi supporter, I voted, with zillions others, for Modi to become the leader of this country in  May 2014. And I did, despite all odds, believe that it was just a matter of time before somebody who had been voted in on the development plank, will start getting India into its rightful position in the world economy.

My sense of disenchantment not-withstanding, I still believe that India has become a country where we needed just the right mentoring and our economy would go into the stratosphere.

In Sept 2014, I actually wrote a post that talked about the steps that were being taken for the sorting the policy paralysis and said that we needed to be patient to see the results. For those who know me, know that patience is not a virtue that I subscribe to, but I sincerely believed that in the Indian context it was warranted. Please see my previous post: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140923135540-1760677-acchhe-din-aane-wale-hain

It has been a roller-coaster 23 months since then and I am a little older, a tad wiser(I hope!) and disillusioned. The disillusionment is not with the current government and its antics. It is with the people at large(and this includes  the "janta" and the Government) and how we tend to blame everything on somebody else. The buck never ever stops with us - it is with somebody else.  The disillusionment creeps in from the sense of deja vu - of constancy, of never changing, of refusing to take charge, of everything really...

The government has made all the right noises - after all we have a rockstar PM who wooed and won over the masses in India and across the globe. There is suddenly work happening - the FM is making noises about simplifying the tax structure for individuals and corporates (though we are to be taxed more), the Defence Minister talks about boosting the morale of the armed forces(Never mind the OROP mess and Pathankot), there is talk of putting the infra projects on the accelerator mode, etc. And suddenly everybody is looking at India closely. 

And then began the announcement of one scheme after another from the national platforms - Digital India, Make in India, Swacchh Bharat, Start Up India, 100 Smart Cities... These were announced with great fan-fare from global forums, with grandiose plans, huge advertising campaigns, amazing amount of publicity. Each one was showcased as scheme that will change the face of India. And each by themselves were actually a piece of art - no pun intended: If they reach fruition, they will actually make India a better / smarter country.

The media went overboard with each announcement, what stood out in each communication was how this was never undertaken before. The comparison with the previous government was made by all and sundry, severely undermining the announcement - comparing with a Government that did "Damn all" after all does not show how wonderful you are - and incidentally the current Government was voted in only because of the abject failure of the previous one...

One of the biggest issue that I see is that we have a good PM surrounded by an amazingly bad core team. The examples are a plenty: The mess in education -Hyderabad and Delhi are prime examples of doing too little and too much; Home Ministry issues... Pathankot and Jat Agitation; The BJP Chieftains(and spokespersons), who gets the PM into bigger messes than any other single group; The lousy local state teams that ensure that the PM needs to step in and address maximum rallies across states if they have any chance of winning the elections and unfortunately make statements that are lapped up by the national media;  The communication team that ensures that the PM is not responding to all that he should and responds to all that he shouldn't.

I guess the biggest problem for the current leadership are "The BHAKTS", who take it upon themselves to support any and every utterance of the PM as the gospel truth, use foul language and hooliganism, and basically, by association, malign the good intentions of the PM. 

I firmly believe that the leader of the biggest democracy needs to just do one thing - LEAD!!! He needs to look at his coterie with his eyes wide open, ensure that he continues on the path of economic growth, tone down the rhetoric and speak out when he has to.

The PM needs to ensure that the schemes that have been launched with much fanfare see fruition, are actually able to change things on ground and do not need mere statistics to prove their success. He needs to focus on the growing parity between the haves and have-nots and make available a level playing field for the have-nots to better their situation. The distance between the rich and the poor is bigger and worse than anywhere else in the world. He needs to ensure that it is the people who need help that are focused on and this has to be sustainable and not merely through doles and subsidies! For this, the PM needs to delegate - we can not have him do everything - he needs to bring in more people, better qualified and experienced, to run his pet projects and ensure that these are delivered on time. 

When the work on the ground starts to be visible, we will indeed wake up. It is the momentum that is needed and a catalyst and with all the plans that are in place, we can be reasonably sure that if we are steered in the right direction, we will be able to become a very important player in the global scenario - and not just economically and politically.  The PM needs to ensure that we are finally moving towards a destination where each one of us can do our bit and be proud citizens.

What will be remembered in his first term as the PM will not be the mess - and there is indeed a huge lot of it, but the positives and the fact that he was able to deliver on the development plank, if indeed he is able to!!! So here's hoping that Atal Ji's India Shining becomes a reality sooner than later!!!

Narendra Modi's PR issues!!!

During his Chief Ministership,  Narendra DamodarDas Modi, the face of the development in Gujarat and an enigma for rest of the world, including people living outside Gujarat in India, went on a public relation spree when he hired a global public affairs and communication firm to improve his image and to showcase Gujarat as the dream destination for investment to the world community. His Vibrant Gujarat campaign became his calling card and suddenly Narendra Modi had arrived on the national scene on the development plank!

Come National elections and BJPs choice of the PM candidate,  disclosed in 2013 itself, Narendra Modi had firmly been estblished as a messiah for the downtrodden who would change the face of India with a magic wand just like Harry Potter.

In the run up to 2014 election, BJP and Mr. Modi hired another firm, an Indian firm this time, for image and reputation management. There is no denying that the agency did a tremendous job as it was successful in creating a Modi wave across the country and BJP came to power with a resounding win.

He is one of the very few politicians who understand that news makes opinion and that this is a job best handled by professionals. His PR machinery works wonders for him and, despite one or two hiccups, the entire campaign was successful in creating the brand "NaMo".

After he became the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi got the attention that he deserved and the national as well as international media was quick to share how a tea vendor with no resources at all  became the Prime Minister of the largest democracy of the world. His invitations to the leaders of the APAC region, especially Pakistan, to the swearing in won him laurels from across the world and this was only through effective media management.

After one year of Modi Government, the social media which was instrumental in his phenomenal rise, has suddenly been filled with sarcastic remarks pointing out mistakes in his working style. The news of his meeting with the Chinese premier, Obama's visit to India as a Chief Guest for 26th january, India’s Nuclear Pact with Australia, decline in communal clashes, Rising hopes of the world in Indian economy, has all been overshadowed by his travelling across the world, his suit on republic day and the Lalitgate episode.

The sudden change in the PR tactics where he chose not to respond to these accusations, neither in any interview, nor on the social media, is quite surprising as he was the one who used social media successfully to shape his public image. The role of his PR machinery and the external PR agency that I believe he is still working with, therefore becomes very very important. They have to ensure that they are proactively disseminating information on his ideology and his leadership that will lead to a strong and prosperous India. 

It is high time that the people of India start witnessing the changes that have been brought about in the country which was why they had bestowed faith on this man and given him a majority in the Parliament. It is the responsibility of the PR team of NaMo to start working in full gear again. Today the dent in his credibility is more due to his sudden silence on several controversial issues rather than any real change in his situations. Things are getting better on ground and people's perception of the same is getting worse.

It is important that his PR machinery understands that the Indian population, which voted him into power on the basis of the trust that he commanded from each one of them, is very very finicky and can easily overturn the situation at the next elections. Backed by strong actions, the PR team needs to come up with a long term strategy to undo the damage caused, and move on to rebuild the trust amongst the citizens of the country.

The PR team also needs to proactively look at what and when to comment and  when to shut up and share their thoughts on topical issues. People in the country are suddenly very sceptical of the status quo and Team NaMo needs to realize that it takes time to build an image. The team was successful in building the image and reputation once but it needs constant work. The NaMo machinery needs to start reinforcing the brand MODI again, before it is too late.  

Image Courtesy: www.narendramodi.in

Is Modi’s Campaign headed for a PR disaster?

Recent events have cast a shadow on the Modi juggernaut. First, repeated wrong quoting of facts and figures and then, the invasion of privacy of a Girl have all put a question mark on Modi campaign managers and his PR team.

I am a Modi supporter but that does not make me deaf and blind. Obvious repeated mistakes on first data and then history: looks like the Modi campaign is not very well prepared. It is true that Modi has great oratory skills and is able to connect to the people and ignite their imagination, but that does not mean that we turn a blind eye.

A cross section of his supporters would say that the mistakes are due to the fact that he does not orate prepared speeches but speaks extempore. But a man whom we see as our future PM cannot have a seemingly casual attitude and accept such lame excuses.

Besides this, the recent controversy of keeping tabs on a Girl using government machinery makes one queasy. The reaction of the BJP  is along expected lines. They have blunted the allegation by showing that the tabs were at the behest of the Father.

However the whole episode when linked to others like Godhara, intolerance towards other senior leaders, over the top self propaganda, etc. leaves one feeling and asking whether we are right in our equivocal support to Modi. One is forced to think if we are sure that we are not making a mistake in electing a person whose personality shows signs of being Machiavellian and who sometimes appears to show the traits of being a Narcissist.

Herein lies the challenge for the Campaign managers and the PR team of Modi. 

It might be true that the communication team may be aware of these issues but Modi might not be listening, but then again if they do not tackle these challenges they might appear to be winning the battle but will risk loosing the War. 

It is time Modi looked at his team of professionals and sought and followed their advise.

The Campaign Mangers must make sure that every speech the Modi makes from hereon must be thoroughly vetted allowing for no more Faux pas.  Modi must be careful that in his zeal for going extempore, he does not lose sight of the ground reality.

The PR managers have so far done a great job in capturing the mind space, but this advantage can easily turn into a disadvantage. With increased mind space, they must realize that every action and word of Modi is open to the greatest scrutiny. They have almost created a Demi God with an image in people's mind that Modi is infallible and he has a cure for every ill that plagues India. This is a highly risky proposition. 

It would be better for Modi and his supporters if the PR machinery toned down the Modi image to a more human level. Because if they manage that, then mistakes will be overlooked and forgotten by the people. If they succeed in this then Modi will become truly unstoppable.  They should remember that “God’s are not expected to make mistakes whereas to make mistakes is being Human”