Excellent post kuri!
Fully agree with your concern about personality cult. Modi is already too powerful within BJP. I'm not happy with that. The reason I've come to view Gandhis as shameless and come to detest them is because of the absolute power they enjoy. Thats not good for the system.
The point of him becoming powerful was to negate the wrong accusations that have been thrown at him. He took absolute power within Gujarat too; but through work.. My sister has settled in the state for the last 16 years and tells me the transformation he has brought. Before her telling me, I didn't have the wildest idea about that state, which is on the opposite direction of my hometown.
A strong leader is important for India at this juncture because right now the biggest fear we all have is
indecisiveness and broad-daylight robbery that was caused due to fractional power that UPA has experienced.
The Nehru dynasty even if it ever wanted something good for India once in a while, was unable to implement it because of the severe problem in their coalition of 'stuff everyone, live with everyone'. So even if we are willing to give Sonia a benefit of doubt that she could have one in ten chances have done a good thing for India, she couldn't.
Currently, we need someone who is strong decision-maker, business-minded, job-creationist, development oriented, and at the same time is equally accountable enough. And honestly, we don't have too many people fitting in that category. So Modi is BADLY needed.
I say this neither as a BJP worker or a member (I am not affiliated to any political party and BJP is TINY in my state; google BJP in sikkim and see), but only say this as a person whose
brothers are daily risking their lives at the border for a simple government's salary, hoping that a strong government will take care of the country while they are fighting at the border or against terrorists.
Muslims have remained backward because they worry about these irrational things rather than development.
They are backward, because they vote as Muslims and not as individual Indians.
And those who vote as educated, sensible, rational Indians regardless of religion, know the dangers of this.
Also, with these secoolar parties giving education status to madrassa-pass outs, their standard of knowledge and education is much poorer than those who study in public or private schools and come up in state or national boards. These students, of all communities, are weaker, narrow-minded and have no tools or ability left in them to compete against the board-exams toughened minds of students in NCERT or other syllabuses in the country.
As a result, a madrassa educated muslim student remains eligible only for low-paying, low-grade specific government jobs which is usually reserved for such candidates. Subsequently, they lead dissatisfied lives when they see students of other boards excel and become businessmen, scientists, engineers, doctors etc leading a fine life compared to them, and looking at the problem of them following religious laws with multiple spouses and multiple kids, their limited income gets further broken.
This sadly, makes them look for solutions in the very things that put them in the mess; secoolarism in politics.
Sadly this becomes a never ending cycle.
