Opposition can’t match Modi’s dynamism: Indian American philanthropist

PTI, May 16, 2024, 8:57 AM IST

Washington: Observing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the only leader talking about the future of India in his election speeches, a prominent Indian American philanthropist said none in the opposition camp can match his dynamism.

In an interview with PTI, Suresh V Shenoy said with India’s economy making great strides, the country is all about opportunities.

“What I find in Indian elections is that Modi is the only guy who’s talking about the future. He’s talking about how to implement technology,” said Shenoy, an IITian and a successful businessman.

“I’m not necessarily a Hindutva guy per se. I think that’s a narrative that sort of makes political talk. But look at what India has accomplished from an economic standpoint in the last 10 years. It’s incredible. They’re now the fourth largest economy in the world,” he said in response to a question.

Yet there are 800 million underserved people in India who too have aspirations, he said. “So, India will continue to be a cauldron of opportunity for a very large population, whereas the rest of the world is a shrinking population.”

“India is all about opportunities and the future and how do you capitalise on that? America is all about, okay, we’ve had this prosperity, we’ve had world leadership, how do we maintain that?” he said.

Shenoy asked how many political speeches have people heard in the recent past in America, that talk about life in 2020, 2028, or 2032. “Very few. They’re talking about what’s happening today,” he said.

“But if you’re a leader, you should be able to paint a picture of what it’s going to be like 10 years from now. Whereas in Indian politics, … the others (opposition) are trying, but I think they’re sort of stumbling over themselves because they’re not able to match Modi’s dynamism,” Shenoy said.

“I mean, he talks about what life is going to be four years from now or eight years from now. He’s talking about leadership, not just Indian leadership, but national leadership. Even his message of one family, one world during the G20 and all that is very appealing to people. Now the rest of the world has to catch up,” he said.