Mehsana: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name largely evokes effusive praise or subdued criticism from the ordinary people despite demonstrable anger against the BJP in large parts of Gujarat.
But the brewing anger rips through the veil of restraint in Visnagar, a small town in Mehsana district which was one of the hotspots of the Patidar agitation that erupted in 2015. The seething rage against the state government has killed the "Modi mania" too.
Mehsana votes in the last phase of the Gujarat elections on Thursday.
Neel Patel, a young man, reluctantly opens up to discuss electoral issues, muttering there could be a tough battle ahead for the BJP. He ignores questions about candidates, development and communal rhetoric. But he bursts out as soon as the Patidar agitation is mentioned, declaring: "The BJP will get an unbearable shock."
He adds: "People are fed up with Modi's deception and lies. He will not tell us what he did for the people and try to drag us to Nehru and Sardar Patel. He will refer to Ram temple and other divisive issues. It is absurd. The BJP is using so much resources in the election and Modi wants us to believe the Congress alone is corrupt. There is a limit to falsehood. Are we all fools?"
One suspects this anger may be restricted to Patidar youths influenced by quota agitation leader Hardik Patel. But that's not true. Many more young men join the conversation.
Ravi Trivedi, a Brahmin, echoes Neel: "Modi only misleads people. He will tell us Rahul is out on bail without saying what are the attributes of the BJP president. He goes to Pakistan, does shawl-sari diplomacy and attends birthday celebrations. And he always attacks the Congress over Pakistan. Why did he invite (former Pakistan Prime Minister) Nawaz Sharif to his oath-taking ceremony? Why was the ISI allowed into the Pathankot airbase?"
Kewal Shah, a Jain, weighs in with a counter-narrative. "We are not against Modi. He has developed Gujarat. You can see roads, big industries, universities. The government is doing so much work that everybody gets a source of livelihood although there are no jobs. It is, however, true that the state government didn't handle the Patidar agitation with maturity. People are angry because of local factors, not because of Modi."
A younger Nishant Patel fiercely disagrees. "Did the state government try to crush the Patidar agitation without the permission of Modi and (BJP chief) Amit Shah? These two are anti-democratic and they planned the crackdown. Gujarat came up because the people are industrious here, not because of Modi. He exploited Gujarat for his personal rise. We need to break the BJP's arrogance. They think they are invincible."
More youths assemble. Complaints pour in about jobs, inadequate prices for cotton and groundnut, high costs of education and health care.... Told that these issues are being raised by Congress president-elect Rahul, who is called "Pappu", they disagree, dismissing it as "false BJP propaganda".
While some say he is called Pappu because he is a " chhota ladka (small boy)" and "not a fool", others insist he is raising all the right issues.
Neel explains: "Rahul talks like a sincere, intelligent person. Our perception of him has changed."
Kewal agrees. "He is a gentleman. He addresses the Prime Minister as Modiji and never speaks vulgar language. He asks questions, does not abuse anybody."
Outside a housing society in Visnagar, some elderly men speak in the same tone about the BJP, Modi and Rahul.
The most vocal of them, Prahladbhai Patel, says: "Modi talks too much and often forgets the Prime Minister represents the nation. He should also stop making irrelevant and misleading statements. Vada Pradhan ka dignity ka khayal rakhna hota hai (He has to maintain the dignity of the Prime Minister's Office). Rahul, surprisingly, has improved. People take him seriously now."
