In 1966, the Syndicate had put Indira Gandhi on the throne, assuming she would be easy to control from behind the scenes. Within 3 years, Lohia's Gungi Gudiya had staged a coup of sorts by splitting the Grand Old party and claiming it for herself, effectively, ending the might of the Syndicate that had sought to rule behind the scenes. They say Modi is quite like Mrs. Gandhi in terms of determination and courage. They also say that he has her dictatorial instincts. Does it mean that history will repeat itself?
Advani seems to be facilitating just that. He brought back Modi from certain political annihilation in the 2002 Goa BJP national executive. 11 years later, he feels he has created a Frankenstein. His sudden and uncalled for resignation has thrown the party into chaos. Senior leaders are begging Advani to stay back. But the 'Lauh Purush' of yore is now a senile old man. He cannot read, or rather does not want to read the writing on the wall. The country wants change, and for once, it wants to do away old, aging leaders who have failed to move on with time. Advani needs to realize that he no longer has a constituency of his own, his rath days are now a part of a generation gone by. His exit may trigger an exodus of BJP leaders in the short run, but in the long run, it will encourage the likes of Modi to further entrench themselves into the organization and make themselves indispensable to the party. Already, there are reports of Modi-fied supporters asking Advani to be extended all courtesy but no compromise.
Modi has arrived on the centre-stage of Indian politics. You may love him or hate him, but he is the most popular leader in the country. Advani may pitch for Shivraj Singh Chouhan or even Raman Singh, but good as these leaders are as administrators, they do not enjoy even an ounce of popularity when compared to Modi. He has proven his capability repeatedly in winning Gujarat for the BJP and changing Gujarat's face through progress and development. He deserves to be rewarded. The voice of lakhs of BJP supporters must be respected and must overrule the antics of a petulant old man, who is driven solely by his lust for power.
India needs Modi solely because he has a proven track record of delivering on his promises. He has proven himself to be an able administrator and a strong decision maker. Detractors may choose to rave and rant about Godhra, but then sadly, that is the reality of Indian politics. Rajiv Gandhi stayed on as Prime Minister even when Sikhs were being butchered in the national capital! The country desperately needs to be freed from the UPA brand of politics and the BJP must present itself as a credible alternative under a capable leader- and NaMo most certainly is that leader!
