The drama of democracy has been intense and it is a moment when report and analysis merges with wishlist and fantasy. This essay is in the form of a plea and an argument. The message is simple. Narendra Modi must go. He is bad for BJP, bad for democracy, bad for Gujarat.

Modi is both a person and a persona. As an individual he has character traits we must recognise. As persona, he is the face of the party. In an ironic way, the popularity of the Modi mask emphasises that, but the question we must ask is: is the BJP only a mask or does it need to be a party with a human face like the one Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave it?

As a person Modi seems hostile to the people, intolerant of dissent within his own kind, and ruthless to rivals. The way he treated Keshubhai Patel is abnormal because Keshubhai, whatever his faults, was a grounded partyman, a party leader who commanded and still commands great loyalty. Modi has created rudeness into a brand and his responses to Sonia dip below the level of courtesy that top politicians always maintain.

There is recognition among them that politics is conflict but it was democratic conflict that demanded respect and courtesy. L.K. Advani and Vajpayee and an array of Congress politicians always acknowledged this. Rahul Gandhi introducing himself to Advani at the VIP lounge of an airport is a continuation of that courtesy. Sitaram Yechury and Arun Jaitley also reflect that polish. But Modi’s rudeness, his contempt for people, reminds one of Richard Nixon. It borders on contempt for democracy.

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