Modi asks questions

He came, he saw and he left the city mercifully untouched by his visit. Yet the implications of Narendra Modi8217;s visit to Mumbai on Monday, in the aftermath of last week8217;s train blasts, are not short-term; Mumbai had far too much on its mind to pay heed to the chief minister of Gujarat. Instead, the import of what he said at the Shanmukhananda Hall 8212; though shorn of his usual invective 8212; and indeed his very presence in the city, is more likely to be felt along the twisting, winding road of Indian politics.

It will also serve as a reminder to both the Congress and the BJP that not only is he a master of political opportunism, he is also possessed of a determination and a thick skin that will help him pursue his agenda 8212; especially in the face of little opposition. The Congress8217;s soft 8212;suicidally so 8212; stand on terrorism in the wake of last Tuesday gave Modi the space from which to gain the opportunity to talk tough. He revived the 8216;Mian Musharraf8217; phrase and re-opened the debate on Pota with the typically taunting remark: if you can8217;t bring it back, let those who have the will do so.

His jibes may score points in the fight between the two biggest parties but they will surely also raise some concern within the BJP, for whom he is no less a potential embarrassment. Modi has long been used by his party on an ad hoc basis, trotted out for elections in areas where his brand of rhetoric is seen as useful. He is then sent back to his den and the party, caught between a hardline and a softer agenda, pretends as if he does not exist. Well, he does, and increasingly so, and is eyeing the political vacuum that exists just below the BJP8217;s topmost level. In that context, his demand for national space will only grow and soon the party will have to take a call 8212; or be bulldozed by the strong-willed Modi. For both the Congress and the BJP, Modi8217;s Mumbai visit is a wake-up call to act on some serious issues.