The return of the personality cult

With crisis brewing in the Aam Aadmi Party and complaints of 'dictatorial traits' on the one hand, and the ascendance of the Modi-phenomenon on the other, one could ask if India has taken a turn towards a personality-centred politics? While we continue to take pride in democracy, we seem to be gradually slipping into a morass that collectively pushes us towards the myth that strong personalities can perform magic in overcoming the hurdles that we routinely face. There are various reasons that have led to this fructifying of our overt admiration and utter dependence on hero-worship as the last resort and last ray of hope.

India has always claimed strong leaders from Jawaharlal Nehru to Sardar Vallabahai Patel to Indira Gandhi. However, over a period of time strong personalities have emerged primarily by undermining institutions. They appear as an alternative to the despondency and desperation created by institutional decay. Individual leaders seem to express strong leadership qualities only when institutions and accompanying procedures are weakened. This was evident in the 1970s with Mrs Gandhi's undermining of internal democracy within the Congress. Chief Ministers were handpicked by the 'high command' while she made an open proclamation for a more committed judiciary and bureaucracy as a manner of demonstrating her control over the 'system'. She was lauded as 'Durga' for her role in liberating Bangladesh. Congress won elections based exclusively on her campaigns and she made it a point to demonstrate that she could win elections even from the South when she contested from Medak in Andhra Pradesh (although this was considered to be a 'safe seat'). The parallel in the strategy with Modi contesting from Varanasi cannot be missed. The slogan then was 'India is Indira, Indira is India'. Today, it has been scaled up, moving beyond the nation into a conflation with the 'all mighty' himself – 'Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi'. The contest now is over the Central Bureau of Investigation – you either control it or claim to be a victim of its vindictive campaign. We refuse to believe that there can be anything like a transparent investigation, or a fair trial. In expanding the personality cult, more institutions will have to succumb to this phenomenon, including the Election Commission of India, the hints of which we already have seen in the recently concluded general elections.