[Reader-list] Modi's image builders have dictators on client list

[sadan at sarai.net]

Dear All, 

Long back, writing on Hitler, Adorno made a remark that Hitler was
perceived as a combination of King Kong and the neighbourhood barber. This
remark is quite popular and I do not need to go into the details of either
this statment, or Adorno's work on authoritarian personality. Adorno's
abovequoted remark still provides us clues and ways to engage with
questions i.e. why a personality (so hated otherwise by a good number of
critics who believe in humanity) not merely charms a large section but also
appears popular among a very good number of people.
The catch words here may be 'charm', quantity of 'people' (this is the most
crucial in democracy and have clear implications in other forms of
politics:totalitarianism for example) and the 'popular'. These are key
words not because they open up the subject of discussion but they perform
the task of closing and bracketing the discussion. This also does not mean
that these concepts do not possess the potential to open the subject but
quite often we do not find the case. Now, coming back to Suddha's post.
For sometimes, we have been obsessively discussing Gujarat, Modi, Nandigram
and the left(sorry a particular section of the lest establishment). I
celebrate this obession to critique and dissaminate information in whatever
way we can do).
My concern is slightly less clear to me.
We constantly talk about Modi we hardly talk about BJP. I can anticipate
few ready-made answers but i do not buy them.
I read only two newspapers here: Times of India and DNA( which has started
its Gujarat edition only from this month and currently I get a
complementary copy). In both these papers everyday (without any fail) we
find at least one news focussed only on Modi (his life, his hair, his
photograph) and believe me these are not opinionated pieces in any overt
sense of the term. The representational logic of national media(both
mainstream as wella s alternative spaces) is hardly different. The logic
continues.. Modi...communalism...development...sometimes Keshu Bhai, Ahmad
Patel and the figure of rebel BJP also adds to it.
Is this the only circulatory logic available before us?
I go back to the last two Bihar elections. The frame was more or less
similar, players and key words were changed. But one cant compare Gujarat
with Bihar. Neither Gujaratis will like that nor Biharis will prefer that.
Gujjus for being compared with a backward state ( in terms of developmental
index) and Biharis for being treated on the platform of humanity.
We can also not compare Gujarat pogrom with Nandigram. Neither people from
these states will like, nor we can go too far with these comparisions.
Though media loves such bytes. Why are we comparing them, what for?
Despite the fact that people often use the term genocide for any state
sponsored systemtically organised mass violence, despite the fact that my
very learned teacher Prof. Sumit Sarkar has quite painfully equated the
two, despite the fact that Sudhha in his brilliant postings have informed
us instances of mass violence unleased by leftist regimes and despite the
fact that encyclopedias often give exaples of both Hitler's rule and
leftist regimes while defining totalitarianism.
My reservation has nothing to do with privilaging one regime over the other
in their response over a particular section of people. It is also not about
the ideology, nor about social structure where these brutal acts have taken
place under specific circumstances. It is not about history either. It is
about the memory of violence, the pain of victims and the futures of
democracy. And we need to look at there and not in the eyes of the
perpetrator. These Eyes are always charming.
sadan.

On 3:40 am 11/19/07 Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net> wrote:
> Dear All,
>
> Narendra Modi certainly could do with some image makeovers, and
> Buddhadeva Bhattachary could do with some too. In this case, Modi-ji
> is one up on Buddha Babu. He has hired a lobbying firm to make him
> look good.
>
> I thought that I would post the news item that details this piece of
> information (which appeared on Times of India and was forwarded to me
> by a friend, so that those who have a line to Muzaffar Ahmed Bhavan
> in Kolkata on this list may take the information where it is needed
> most).   Perhaps those on this list who are partisans of Modi-ji
> could act as consultants to those who root for Buddha-Babu, and they
> can compare notes on how each leader is faring under the loving
> attention of the right kind of PR.
>
> And together, they can perfect the fine art of decorating and
> improving the public image of politicians whose hands are stained
> with blood.
>
> regards
>
> Shuddha
>
> ------------------------------
>
> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Modis_image_builders_have_dic
> tators_on_client_list/articleshow/2549293.cms
>
> Modi's image builders have dictators on client list
> 18 Nov 2007, 0136 hrs IST,TNN
>
> AHMEDABAD: Adolf Hitler was a brilliant propagandist. Narendra Modi
> too believes in the power of image.
>
> Which is probably why the chief minister hired a US lobbying firm
> which has serviced clients like former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha
> and President-for-life of Kazakhstan Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev.
>
> This Washington-based firm, Apco Worldwide, was hired by Modi
> sometime in August this year, in the run-up to an important Assembly
> election, to improve his image before the world community. Among its
> recent clients are Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former Communist youth
> leader-turned-Russian billionaire with mafia links.
>
> The firm has a distinction of taking contracts of boosting images of
> leaders who fell out of favour of their followers.
>
> On the face of it Apco Worldwide's brief is to build and sell Brand
> Gujarat to the international community. But according to sources
> Modi, who was denied visa by the US earlier because of the taint he
> earned in the 2002 riots, wants his image to be improved so that he
> gets to visit the US in future.
>
> The Modi regime feels lobbying is required to attract much-sought
> after foreign direct investment (FDI) which has been a cause for
> concern even though Gujarat is topping the charts among Indian states
> in terms of overall investments, according to latest statistics
> brought out by the Reserve Bank of India.
>
> Modi, of course, still nurtures the wish to get an US visa and some
> of his NRI friends have advised him to use the services of lobbyists
> for the same. Sources in the government told TOI that if it works and
> Modi comes back to power, Apco's contract will be renewed in January
> for Vibrant Gujarat 2009, the event that Modi prides himself in, for
> bringing investments to the state.
>
> The Gujarat government will pay Apco 25,000 USD per month for the
> Modi image building exercise.
>
> Sources in the government said Modi thought of this image-building
> exercise during his visit to Switzerland earlier this year. His
> government shortlisted some seven national and international firms,
> without floating tenders of which two were shortlisted. Even though
> it quoted a sum that was three times more than others, Apco was
> picked for the job.
>
> The reason given was that Apco has a better team. Apco has former
> senators from Republican and Democratic parties working with it.
>
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