BackNarendra Modi, Arvind Kejriwal corner the buzz at NRI meet
NRIs at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas favour the AAP's style of politics
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New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has always had a faithful following among the Indian diaspora but snapping at his heels is the new kid on the Indian political block—the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) Arvind Kejriwal.
A random survey of a group of delegates attending the 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas showed Modi is the clear favourite to be India’s next PM, with many saying he has proved his credentials at the helm of the administration in Gujarat for more than two terms.
In contrast, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, expected to be named the party’s prime ministerial candidate, got a uniform thumbs down.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, a three-day annual event that began Tuesday, aims to reconnect people of Indian origin across the world with India. This year’s event has attracted some 700 delegates, the ministry for overseas Indian affairs said on Monday.
Piquing the interest of almost all the delegates was Kejriwal and his seemingly rag-tag AAP, which belied all predictions to win 28 out of the 70 seats in the Delhi state assembly election last month. Kejriwal, a political greenhorn campaigning on an anti-corruption plank, trounced three-time Congress chief minister Sheila Dikshit and was sworn in Delhi chief minister on 28 December.
“Modi is alright; we have tested the BJP before," said Harmohan Walia, an engineer who emigrated to Australia 23 years ago. He was referring to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government that was in power nationally between 1998 and 2004.
“But Kejriwal and his AAP is an interesting phenomenon. He has already started delivering on his promises just days after being sworn in. This is the kind of leader India should have—move forward aggressively and delivering," he said.
Modi is one of the half-a-dozen chief ministers scheduled to address delegates on Thursday. The organizers have sent Kejriwal an invite but officials in the ministry of overseas Indian affairs were unable to confirm on Tuesday if he would attend.
India is to hold national polls in April-May and analysts predict the Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA)—weighed by allegations of corruption and apparent policy paralysis—will be voted out of office, based on its poor showing in recently held state polls.
Raksha Gosai, a third-generation person of Indian origin from South Africa’s Cape Town, too, favours the AAP’s style of politics. “India needs people like Kejriwal, and his party who will root out corruption and cleanse the system," she said. Gosai agreed it was early days yet for the party, “but it seems there is passion to serve the people".
Echoing Gosai’s views was 20-year-old Vinita Nair, a resident of the UAE. “India needs a change in the style of governance and it seems AAP appeals to people who are looking for that change—a party that is different from the Congress and the BJP," she said.
Ranking Kejriwal as her top choice for India’s next prime minister, Nair said the Congress had “lost the faith and confidence of the people".
Udeshwar Kumar Singh, who migrated to London’s Stratford neighbourhood from Bihar 15 years ago, said his vote in the upcoming national election will go to Modi, though he said Kejriwal “is someone to watch out for".
“Modi has proved his administrative and leadership capabilities. I think he will be able to improve India’s prospects and bring India on par with countries like China and Brazil in terms of development. I think he has the ability to give India a clean administration and strong leadership," he said.
“India’s young people need jobs, and economic development is what will bring in jobs. Modi’s track record for attracting investment and delivering on promises made is good. He will be able to bring India the economic prosperity the country needs," Singh added.
Peerthum Satherdeo, a retired school teacher from Vacoas city in western Mauritius, described Modi and the BJP’s campaign to capture power nationally as “very promising" while dismissing the UPA’s prospects for a third successive term in the government.
Referring to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s press conference last week where he said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had good credentials to become India’s next prime minister, Satherdeo said, “India is not a kingdom, where the king gives his crown to his son, the prince. India is a democracy and in a democracy, there is no place for dynastic rule."
The Congress party’s Nehru-Gandhi dynasty has administered India for almost four decades since India’s independence from British rule in 1947. The dynasty has given India three prime ministers in the country’s 66-year post-independence history.
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