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{/googleAds} Even earlier, he has been accused of involvement in cases of corruption including the 2G scam. A slew of his cabinet colleagues are already arraigned before various courts. One can not count how many scams involving mind-boggling amounts of money actually dog the UPA government.

Indian economy is down in the dumps. Pauperisation of the masses continues, hitting the middle-class the most. An increasing number of people today find themselves forced below the poverty line in the urban areas. Official figures confirm there are 300 million people who are living in sub-human conditions. India rivals the sub-Saharan countries in poverty, misery, ill -health and malnutrition. All development parameters seem to have gone hay-wire. Public welfare measures have been cold-storaged. In the name of development, good governance based on the twin principles of transparency and accountability has been sidelined. Economists fear the country may not be able to post an impressive growth rate percentage which is most likely to remain a tad less than 5 percent this fiscal.

Hobbled  by charges of large-scale corruption at the highest levels and gross mismanagement, the Indian political class is in a bind and the system virtually paralysed. Right now it appears that the present dispensation is only geared to leveraging the vested interests and promoting anti-people policies dictated by the corporates or the the global mafiosi.

Questions continue to be asked why the UPA can not read the writing on the wall. Why the pale of doom and gloom that casts a murky shadow on the country is not visible to the rulers who are dreaming of returning to power post 2014 Lok Sabha polls?

Obviously the Congress political strategists are banking on the TINA factor and have become complacent or pathetically apathetic to the urge for fundamental shift in political equations, so eloquently expressed through mass protests and the emergence of new power centres. For the healthy growth of democratic institutions and values, a change of guard is always a welcome development, but the manner and method that the Congress leaders have adopted to cling to the power apparatus at any cost, only contradicts their democratic credentials.

To the great chagrin of the Congress and the forces supporting it, however, a recent development of inestimable political  value has been the emergence of Narendra Modi as a national political figure. He has already thrown down the gauntlet to  the Congress party whose leaders have so far failed to present a suitable and credible response to counter the Modi–wave which is only picking up momentum like Phailin before the land-fall.

People in all parts of the country seem to have taken a fancy for Narendra Modi and have already begun rallying around him to usher in a new era in politics. Modi's last few mass meetings across the country have been phenomenal success going by numbers. His appeal to the youth could spring up surprises, say analysts. Modi’s poltical message is direct. His focus is on development with good governance, and people appear to accept it.

The impressive show of strength at Modi rallies has sent shivers down the Congress' spine. Modi is being persuasive against the present rulers because he claims to have a credible track record of achievements in Gujarat, which independent observers say has been transformed into a vibrant socioeconomic entity. Modi’s supporters claim that Gujarat is an exceptional case where the lubricant of corruption does not influence government functioning. Modi’s penchant for prompt and firm decisions has made him a model administrator.   

Narendra Modi's charismatic rise to the centre-stage, has dented the TINA theory flaunted by Congress propagandists. Already political commentators have started talking of the emergence of a credible alternative and recent surveys suggest there is gradual change in perception and popularity of the Modi-led NDA.

While the charge against Modi of polarizing votes has yet to be investigated, there is some truth in the suggestion that the Modi-factor could effectively contain regional power- brokers and satraps who are dreaming of getting more than their pound of flesh should a hung parliament be a reality as forecast by some political pundits.