Why Modi's second speech in Bihar was special
A massive crowd in Gaya on Sunday seemed to be under a spectacular spell that made them repeatedly break into applause — one of which went on for almost a minute. As the crowd cheered, waved and veered while listening to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with rapt attention, the one thought that inevitably sprung to mind was: Is he not the best public speaker in Indian politics today?
When Narendra Modi was on the dais, he simply swept the audience, using his voice and extraordinary connect to add another trophy audience to his conquests. Information at his fingertips, phrases on his tongue, voice modulating according to the topic and with a constant eye contact with the audience — Modi conveyed an impression of deep engagement. Modi was not there just to speak. He also listened from the stage, asking the crowd for a response; springing counter questions. It was as if he was talking to a group of people, not delivering a speech.
As Modi paused between his sentences — for impact and also to keep the audience hooked — the listeners remained interested about where and on whom the next punch will land.
Though a gushing gathering cutting across various sections of society cannot be a yardstick to predict BJP's fate ahead of the election, which is only two months away, August 9's verdict at Gaya's Gandhi Maidan was overwhelmingly in favour of the prime minister.
Even before he started his speech, at least twice the prime minister cautioned the youth to climb down from a wooden pole. It was micro-bonding at its best. The impact was visible throughout his speech - the responses growing in strength with every new question that Modi asked, reaching a crescendo when he said, "Jungle raj ko rokna hai ki nahi rokna hai."
In the run up to the crucial Bihar polls, the prime minister was expected to target Lalu and Nitish - the two formidable chieftains of the ruling Janata Pariwar. But, Modi still injected an element unheard of. Without naming Lalu Prasad, he reminded people that those who claim that they will swallow poison will only spit it out into your lives after the election. It was in response to Lalu’s comment that he was ready to gulp poison to declare Nitish the chief-ministerial candidate. Another nailing one-liner was, "those who go to jail only learn evil ways." It was another dig at Lalu Prasad, who is convicted in the fodder scam.
So Jungle Raj 2 — as Modi described Lalu-Nitish alliance — can be even more atrocious than the first one, with the added weight of a jail sentence (of Lalu Prasad). The prime minister has returned after the Gaya meting, but these two catchphrases — "Jail se log buri baate hi seekh kar baahar aate hain" and "Jinhone jaher piya hai ve chunav ke baad jahar hi uglenge" — have been etched in Bihar's conscience forever.
What Modi said in Gaya was not entirely unknown — except his description of JD-U as "janata ka daman-utpidan (suppression and oppression of the people)" — it was the way he spoke that made his speech effective.
Like elsewhere, Modi used his voice to maximum impact in Gaya. And even when he was not verbal, he threw his hands open - the gesture showing his confidence, reflecting the clarity of his thinking, inspiring the audience to repose faith in his leadership.
The speech had many in Gaya trusting Modi's words when he said he was ready to walk shoulder to shoulder with the state. With concrete and tangible language, Modi apparently succeeded in painting a portrait that the audience could envision. He left the packed Gandhi Maidan in Gaya pondering - wouldn’t it be better to have a government in Bihar in sync with the one in Delhi?
Modi also showed that he had precise details about the intake of engineering students in Bihar and how poorly the state was placed in terms of electricity consumption - it reflected his preparedness.
Bihar too has leaders with excellent public speaking skills. Lalu Prasad’s impromptu brilliance and Nitish Kumar’s measured assuredness are second to none. But, of late, Lalu seems to be experiencing a law of diminishing returns. People have stopped laughing at his jokes. His impromptu witticism is wearing thin over time. Nitish Kumar is clinically methodical, always to the point and never off the mark. Yet, he seems to miss the connect and bonding that the PM develops with those he addresses.
Even when Modi threw some big numbers in Gaya, he didn’t clutter the minds of the audience with data. Instead, he used the numbers to hammer home how Bihar has remained deprived. “Why only 25,000 engineering seats are in Bihar, whereas Odisha has 1.13 lakh. Even a smaller state like Punjab has 1.04 lakh while a tiny Uttarakhand has 40,000 seats. “Students in Bihar stand deprived because the governments don’t care.”
With his words, Modi instilled a sense of faith. But whatever he said was not just glib talk. It seemed inspiring. Though Modi has been criticised for not been able to fulfill all his promises, the Gaya audience seemed to believe that he would back his words with action.
Modi was at his best in Gaya. And like all gifted speakers, his words and their delivery had something to teach to all leaders, regardless of their political posturing.