The BJP won 31% of the national vote, so its "mandate" should be understood against the backdrop that 69% of the country did not vote for the party. It won with the rules in place, but a "landslide" should at least be a simple majority (over 50%).
A sizable part of the vote for the BJP seems to be a vote against the Congress, not necessarily for the BJP. Congress deserved to lose considering its poor governance and rampant corruption. The Congress party will probably not learn from its failure and continue to saddle itself with dynastic politics. India does not need Prime Minister Priyanka Gandhi and the family must go so democracy can flourish in India (same problem with the Bushes and Clintons in the USA). Corruption will not go away. The BJP can at best offer some token chemo and radiation, but the cancer is Stage 4. It is a myth that the BJP is less corrupt than the Congress and more communal. They are two sides of the same shared coin, both have corrupt and communal elements. In the last Assembly elections in Goa in March 2012, the BJP candidates had MORE criminal issues than the Congress candidates (per their disclosure statements). Modi will not shake off his communal agenda easily, assuming he even wants to. The Supreme Court gave him a clean legal chit for the riots but as Chief Minister he should have resigned. There is moral responsibility while being in charge, something politicians (and CEO's) do not always care about. The vast majority of his RSS rank and file is pro-Hindu and nationalist (as narrowly defined by them). There is nothing wrong with being pro-Hindu, there is something wrong with being anti-Muslim and anti-Christian at the same time. Fortunately, elections in five years will temper this part of his party's agenda as he looks to be re-elected. Freedoms in the constitution are meant for all. We will see what transpires. Governments come and go. Modi should seize his opportunity now to lead the country, not just his party. He lost an opportunity at statesmanship after the election when his remarks focused on himself and his party's success. The issue is India. India must win in the end, not the BJP or Congress or AIDMK. The poor must win too. All this talk of development is code for corporate benefits. Like the USA, recent economic gains have gone to the rich at the expense of the middle class and poor. So a legitimate question is "development" for whom? If only for corporates, then "NO" to this kind of development. Unless the poor win, we all lose. This is a huge worldwide issue and Modi is not the only world leader who should be judged in this manner. Around the globe, economic inequality is growing, not shrinking. And then, unfortunately, violent revolutions follow. Only a few in history are afforded the privilege to lead a billon plus people in a democracy (China by its political structure is a failure - communists are in charge). It is a tall order to rise above class, caste, corruption, and communalism. But there is no bigger stage in the world (perhaps except for the White House) and Modi must remember his nation's anthem - play it every day as he awakes lest he forgets what it stands for. One can only wish him well now. India must be granted its euphoria at the latest electoral change. A great country with an incredible cultural and social mix has only two tests to judge success: 1. Will democracy work for its 700+ million poor people? 2. Will democracy work for its 600 million girls/women? The rest is minor details. Time will tell if India won or lost. George
