A few days back, PM Narendra Modi used the term “Naraz Phupha”, the term suits perfectly for people like ex-RBI governor Raghuram Rajan and Congress leader P. Chidambaram. PM Modi used this term for people who get upset and try to find a problem with every progress India makes. Now, as if to justify PM Modi’s remarks, P. Chidambaram is angry again.
This time, he believes India will gain nothing from the upcoming BRICS summit.
The Modi government must actually be quite happy to hear this, because if history is anything to go by, whenever Chidambaram has expressed his displeasure over an event, a policy or a law, it has somehow gone on to succeed. That is quite a record.
There may be plenty of political “Phuphas”, the perpetually disgruntled uncles who find something to complain about in every government decision, but Chidambaram is the OG of this sector.
Remember when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government conducted India’s nuclear tests? Chidambaram stood up in Parliament and opposed the tests. Thankfully, the Vajpayee government ignored his opposition, and now India is a Nuclear Power.
Many of today’s permanently angry political uncles were still teenagers when Chidambaram had already mastered the art of playing the disgruntled Phupha. Gen-Z activists may be totally unaware of these developments, which took place even before their birth.
Remember what happened after demonetisation, when the Modi government began aggressively pushing the idea of digital payments and UPI? Chidambaram had his own predictions about where all of this was headed. The Congress leader questioned how small vendors and those in villages would use this, a few years later, UPI is ubiquitous. There again, the Congress leader was wrong.
Chidambaram has criticised plenty of other Modi government policies as well. From demonetisation to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, there hardly seems to be an issue on which Chidambaram hasn’t found something to oppose. A perfect example of the ‘Naraz Phupha’ PM Modi talked about.
At this point, he has been playing the role of the permanently naraz phupha for so long that perhaps he should have had his own Kop Bhavan built years ago, and maybe we should build one for him.
In Indian mythology, after Kaikeyi, if there were to be someone permanently sitting in a Kop Bhavan, surely Chidambaram would qualify.
If Chidambaram’s historical record is anything to go by, the government may actually welcome his latest criticism. Because whatever he has criticised has gone on to become a success. BRICS is growing rapidly, US President Trump is even wary of this alliance, but as per Chidambaram, this alliance doesn’t achieve anything, and this meeting in Delhi is pointless, yeah ok Sir.
In fact, after hearing that the upcoming BRICS summit will supposedly bring India no benefits, perhaps the government should simply sit back, smile and wait.
If the Chidambaram indicator works the way it has in the past, his criticism may turn out to be the best possible endorsement.
