(NiceCentral)
Pankaj Vaidya
Jawaharlal Nehru was born in a very wealthy family and grew up in an atmosphere of privilege. He was educated at home by private governesses and tutors. He went to Cambridge for his higher education. Narendra Modi was born in a poor family and went to an ordinary school like most Indians. He completed his higher education, a master’s degree in political science through correspondence.
Jawahar Lal Nehru grew up in a privileged environment and did not have first-hand experience of the hardships of the common man. Modi knows about the hardships of a common man, having sold tea at railway stations and on trains since he was a child. Jawaharlal Nehru did not have first-hand experience of how to run a business. Rather, he had more experience on making it difficult for others to run a business. He once told JRD Tata, “Never talk to me about the word profit; it is a dirty word.” The Bajaj Chetak scooter had a waiting period of about 10 years because Bajaj could not increase production as the Government simply refused to increase his production quota. The licence Raj ensured that there was no competition.
Lessons for Rahul Gandhi on personality cults in politics
Modi has experience running a tea business and also a canteen for Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation. Hence, he is intuitively able to understand the challenges facing a business. To quote Warren Buffett, “Can you really explain to a fish what it’s like to walk on land? One day on land is worth a thousand years of talking about it, and one day running a business has exactly the same kind of value”. Modi is much more business-friendly and he facilitated shifting the Tata Nano plant from West Bengal to Gujarat in just a few days.
Ruling a banana republic does not require special qualifications
Nehru’s model was that of maximum government and minimum governance. Modi’s model is one of minimum government and maximum governance. Nehru was the Prime Minister of India for about 17 years. His sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was a MLA of the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) and became the first Indian woman to hold a Cabinet portfolio. She was also elected president of the UN General Assembly. She served as India’s ambassador to many countries. She also served as the Governor of Maharashtra. Indira Gandhi became the president of the Congress during Nehru’s tenure as Prime Minister and some years later, she became the Prime Minister. Nehru’s family has ruled India for most of the post-independence period.
Pankaj Vaidya
Jawaharlal Nehru was born in a very wealthy family and grew up in an atmosphere of privilege. He was educated at home by private governesses and tutors. He went to Cambridge for his higher education. Narendra Modi was born in a poor family and went to an ordinary school like most Indians. He completed his higher education, a master’s degree in political science through correspondence.
Jawahar Lal Nehru grew up in a privileged environment and did not have first-hand experience of the hardships of the common man. Modi knows about the hardships of a common man, having sold tea at railway stations and on trains since he was a child. Jawaharlal Nehru did not have first-hand experience of how to run a business. Rather, he had more experience on making it difficult for others to run a business. He once told JRD Tata, “Never talk to me about the word profit; it is a dirty word.” The Bajaj Chetak scooter had a waiting period of about 10 years because Bajaj could not increase production as the Government simply refused to increase his production quota. The licence Raj ensured that there was no competition.
Lessons for Rahul Gandhi on personality cults in politics
Modi has experience running a tea business and also a canteen for Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation. Hence, he is intuitively able to understand the challenges facing a business. To quote Warren Buffett, “Can you really explain to a fish what it’s like to walk on land? One day on land is worth a thousand years of talking about it, and one day running a business has exactly the same kind of value”. Modi is much more business-friendly and he facilitated shifting the Tata Nano plant from West Bengal to Gujarat in just a few days.
Ruling a banana republic does not require special qualifications
Nehru’s model was that of maximum government and minimum governance. Modi’s model is one of minimum government and maximum governance. Nehru was the Prime Minister of India for about 17 years. His sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was a MLA of the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) and became the first Indian woman to hold a Cabinet portfolio. She was also elected president of the UN General Assembly. She served as India’s ambassador to many countries. She also served as the Governor of Maharashtra. Indira Gandhi became the president of the Congress during Nehru’s tenure as Prime Minister and some years later, she became the Prime Minister. Nehru’s family has ruled India for most of the post-independence period.
