OPINION: Degree taunts will only work in Modi’s favour

These days, both the Aam Admi Party (AAP) and the Congress are busy making 'degree' taunts at Narendra Modi. For Congress, it was a campaign pushed by its media department in response to the BJP's 'foreign intervention' attack on Rahul Gandhi. In a bid to counter-embarrass the BJP, Congress spokespersons tweeted that the BJP was jealous of Gandhi lecturing in foreign campuses because their leader wasn't qualified enough for such invites.

The other more sustained campaign is being carried out by Arvind Kejriwal who is trying to give it a moral angle by raising the question about how qualified the Prime Minister of the country needs to be.

Just as the Congress raised the issue of the PM's degrees only after Gandhi was attacked for his comments in Cambridge and London, the AAP leadership started worrying about the PM's qualifications only after Manish Sisodia was taken into custody and the courts recognised the latter's involvement (prima facie) by denying bail. The AAP has based its argument on the fact that Sisodia was the Education Minister of Delhi, totally ignoring the basic fact that Sisodia's arrest was related to his status as Excise Minister for the liquor scam and had nothing to do with his being the education minister.

Which means the issues being raised by both the Congress and AAP are more of a counter-attack than a genuine concern for the quality of governance. Considering the context in which the debate has been triggered, the issue can be analysed from two perspectives.

One, whether there needs to be a specific qualification to become Prime Minister or minister? There really is no need to waste digital space on this question because every single aspect of this was dealt with in detail by our Constitution makers. After adequate deliberation it was concluded that keeping India's situation and the goal of maximum representation in mind, putting in qualification limits would not be in the country's favour.

That is not to say that Narendra Modi lacks the degrees. It is whether the debate on degrees triggered by AAP has any constitutional and historical context.

The other perspective from which the whole narrative needs to be analysed is of real politik. Ultimately, a political issue is only as good as its resonance among the voters. Go back to the time (2013-14) when Modi was touring State after State, campaigning to oust the Congress-led UPA at the Centre. His attacks were measured and focused. He pitted himself against the Gandhi family and drew attention to the stark contrast between a family that had been ruling the country directly or indirectly for the greater part of independent India and a political worker of humble background who understood the pain of the poor and the deprived.

Even after winning a thumping majority in May 2014, Modi continued the attacks, the "Namdar vs Kamdar" campaign being just of the many. Modi may not be campaigning to oust the UPA anymore but if one goes out into the hinterland, the discussion about an honest man working to cleanse the system and ensure empowerment of the un-empowered is still going strong. Even those who are less than satisfied with their local representatives do not buy the argument that Modi is not committed to their welfare.

So, much like the Chaiwala moment which brought the Congress to its lowest score ever, the degree debate is only going to benefit Modi and no one else. It would help the opposition parties to do some hard work and dig out issues which relate directly to governance. That way, common people would not only relate faster but it might even force the govt to pull up its socks.

By trying to push the degree debate into the headlines, the Opposition is only giving PM Modi and his supporters another opportunity to argue how those who are born with a silver spoon are unable to digest the rise of the real "aam admi". One would have expected better foresight from Kejriwal's party, if not the Congress!

(Smita Mishra writes on politics and current affairs)

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