otherwise...: The Other Modern Avatars that Modi Forgot

When our PM compared the Punjab CM (Prakash Singh Badal) to Nelson Mandela, other politicians lost no time ridiculing Narendra Modi. Of course, this is another of the bloopers that Modi routinely makes, but I feel our netas were peeved more with the fact that they have never been compared with any one as great as Mandela.

Now, I do not have the same stature as even the local politician but to assuage the feelings of our netas (and other bigwigs), here is my partial list (arranged in alphabetical order) of some of our countrymen who are no less illustrious than Mandela or the senior Badal:

Amit Shah – Forced to leave his home state (though under the orders of the court), he has braved it all out like that another famous exile – Dalai Lama. All but win the Nobel peace prize, but we all know the Nobels are usually a western conspiracy.

Asaduddin Owaisi – For the zeal & single-minded focus on voicing the concerns & protecting the interests of the significant minority, can there be a more suitable person to be considered Martin Luther King Jr of our times?

Asaram – His message of brotherhood to girls about to be raped (Pls read http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-01-07/news/36192700_1_asaram-bapu-religious-guru-gangrape) along with practical tips to avoid it, reminds us of that another spiritual leader who mesmerized the americans by addressing them as brothers (and sisters) – Swami Vivekanand (of course, SV was only attending a conference & had no reason to fear anything).

Laloo Prasad Yadav – (Hope the bhakts don’t gun me down for this one) Sardar Patel may get the credit for a mammoth of an achievement for uniting the various Indian states into one union. But I consider Laloo’s feat of uniting various political parties under a Grand Alliance as equally commendable & more difficult. Do we expect a Grander Alliance in 2019? If this one lasts till then, maybe we can.

Manmohan Singh – “Read my lips”, famously said George Bush (Sr). Manmohan Singh, throughout his tenure, appeared he too was saying this. But either Madam did the talking or the kid was kicking up a storm & the ex-PM walked into the sunset as silently as he came in.

Rahul Gandhi – Isn’t it our Fundamental Duty under the constitution to develop a scientific temper? While other netas have not moved beyond Facebook & Twitter, only one to have displayed an understanding of fundamental science has been our RaGa. Recall how he applied the concept of “Escape Velocity” in the social domain (if you missed out this one, pls visit http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/politics/rahul-dalit-pitch-rahul-on-velocity-643775.html) & you will agree that he is Stephen Hawking of our political world.

Robert Vadra – Despite not being a Gandhian (well, he does have a Gandhi connection), he is the Vinoba Bhave of the 21^st century. And he did not even resort to any padyatra to make people give up their land, yet achieving a similar result.

Sheila Dixit – She revived the Commonwealth Games from ruins to one of the most successful sporting events hosted by India, just as Margaret Thatcher turned around the British economy. And she outlasted Thatcher by 4 years in office too (though never becoming a baroness).

Pictures sourced from:

Modi Tweet - https://www.sikh24.com/2015/10/12/capt-amrinder-singh-slams-modi-for-disrespecting-nelson-mandela-south-africa-files-defamation-case/

George Bush Sr. - http://www.stewwebb.com/2015/01/07/leonard-millman-and-george-hw-bush-narcotics-money-laundering/

Manmohan Singh - http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-harsh-on-narendra-modi-manmohan-singh-leaves-rest-to-history-1944782

Martin Luther King Jr. - http://crenshawcomm.com/communications-lessons-from-martin-luther-king-jr/

Asaduddin Owaisi - http://muslimmirror.com/eng/muslims-are-the-only-community-who-are-indians-not-only-by-birth-but-also-by-choice-asaduddin-owaisi/

Sardar Patel - http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/patel-found-bar-on-dressbased-discrimination-needless/article6222528.ece

Laloo Prasad Yadav - http://www.mid-day.com/articles/supreme-court-grants-bail-to-lalu-prasad-yadav-in-fodder-scam/244427

Vinoba Bhave - http://www.samaylive.com/article-analysis-in-hindi/special-days-in-hindi/104122/vinoba-bhave-mahatma-gandhi-philosophy-ideas-bhoodan-movement-.html

Robert Vadra - http://metrovaartha.com/en/2015/07/23/bjp-submits-notice-for-privilege-motion-against-robert-vadra-for-facebook-post/

Stephen Hawking - http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/stephen-hawking-very-ill-in-hospital-28476059.html

Rahul Gandhi - http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/for-success-dalits-need-to-break-free-from-jupiter-not-earth-rahul-gandhi/1180144/