Rajdeep Sardesai is a well known jounalist who has particular hatred against PM Modi And Hindus. It has been quite evident that in his previous statements he has campaigned against PM Modi. While doing this he had been slapped by a Modi supporter in USA during PM Modi’s tour.
During Gujarat elections Rajdeep sardesai was also touring in the state and
India Today TV’s Consulting Editor and host of the popular prime time show News Today, Rajdeep Sardesai has been touring Gujarat trying to catch the political pulse.
Here are 10 takeaways from his extensive election reporting in Gujarat:
1. Modi Magic: Narendra Modi still rules the Gujarati heart. He has fought and won three consecutive elections in the state as its chief minister. Today, he is not fighting for the chief minister’s chair, yet the election is being fought on his personal charisma. He enjoys a local connect like no other leader does.
2. A New Raga: Rahul Gandhi, struggling and reluctant for over a decade, has found his mojo. He has surprised even his critics with the energy that he brought to the campaign in Gujarat. He is not as brash as his chief contender but his softer, kinder approach of claiming to be a good listener rather than a big talker has struck a chord. If he has managed to turn this resurgence into tangible votes, we have a contest in 2019.
3. X Rated: A new leader has emerged from the Patel heartland and has become the X factor in this election. Hardik Patel is playing the street fighter who has made it impossible for BJP to have another walkover. Congress owes a great deal of its revival to Hardik Patel. He has the indefatigable fighting spirit of a Mamata, the chutzpah of a Kejriwal and the sharp edged rhetoric of a Bal Thackeray. Call him whatever, he is a force to reckon with today and a leader of tomorrow.
4. Model watch: The Gujarat Model has a question mark. With the spotlight on Gujarat’s development like never before, the gaps are exposed. Yes, Gujarat has done well on building physical infrastructure, but has performed poorly on social indices and the service sector. By virtually outsourcing health and education to the private sector, Modi’s Gujarat model has become a subject of ridicule. Hence the Vikas Gando Thayo Chhe vs Huun Chhun Vikas battle of perception turned vicious.
5. Division bells: The rural-urban divide. While the cities have shiny new flyovers and high-rises, parts of rural Gujarat remain backward. The BJP will win most seats in cities in spite of the Patel factor but rural Gujarat will not be equally forgiving. The panchayat system has long broken. Farmers are in distress and unemployment among the rural youth including those educated has stirred them.
Rajdeep Sardesai reports on the Gujarat election in Surat (Photo: @sardesairajdeep/Twitter)
6. Money talks: The Gujarati can take GST or Demonetisation in his stride, but not ‘business interrupted’. For the Gujarati trader and those engaged in small and micro enterprises, notebandi and then GST were a double whammy. The anger is perhaps greater because a central government headed by a fellow business friendly Gujarati didn’t listen to their grievances. It’s an anger that gets easily transferred to a state government headed by a nondescript chief minister.
7. No election for Muslims: From Mian Musharraf to the Mughals to Mian Ahmed Patel and even some Salman Nizami, in no other state is the attempt to polarise communities so easily and coarsely legitimised as it is in Gujarat. Muslims, 10 per cent of Gujarat’s population, don’t matter. The Congress did not raise 2002 even once during this campaign and Rahul Gandhi went temple hopping instead.
8. Caste Plus: Gujarat is caste in a different stone. Caste matters but is not decisive. Patels are united behind Hardik Patel, yet a section of them will vote the BJP. The Kolis of Saurashtra may vote very differently to the Kolis of South Gujarat, Dalit and tribal votes too could get split and OBCs may not toe Alpesh Thakor’s line. Just like the BJP needs Hindutva plus politics now to expand, the Congress too now needs a caste plus voter base to grow.
9. Who’s winning Gujarat? It’s complicated. Gujarat has been a BJP fortress for over two decades. Amit Shah has built a formidable organisation right down to the last booth worker. Gujarat is Modi-Shah duo’s home turf. The Congress has just revived at the top level. BJP has mastered booth-level management, Congress has begun work on this. To the latter’s benefit, there is an undercurrent against the incumbent. So who will win? Impossible to know before December 18.
10. SatyamEVM Jayate: Despite the worrying complaints, in the absence of hard irrefutable evidence, the EVM tampering bogey is just that.Only losers complain of EVM manipulation, and in India’s multi-party democracy, today’s loser in one state could well be a winner in another.
In modern memories, can there be an election and there be no Rajdeep’s “Egg on face” moment? Well this time knowingly he put his hand in the real tigress’s mouth, Smriti Irani’s.
Earlier Rajdeep Sardesai was also trolled for making stupid comments:
