Thread by @TheAtulMishra

Modi haters are sharing this video with glee, calling Rahul Bajaj the only man with a spine.

I have an alternate take. Bajaj was everything that was wrong with India. Bajaj made substandard scooters that Indians rode with pride. Reason: There was no competition.

Cont…

Bajaj is a Private company with a sarkari attitude. It benefited greatly from closed Indian economy.

Bajaj alluded to the Bombay Club, a lobby of industrialists against removing trade barriers. Bajaj knew that once Indians get hooked to quality, it will be curtains for him.

It was Nehru who named Jamnalal Bajaj’s grandson, Rahul. He had reserved the name for Indira’s son who was then named Rajeev. When Rahul became a father, he named his son Rajeev.

Cute.

So Bajaj’s love for Indira’s license-permit raj was natural.

Nostalgia has a powerful effect on Indians.

Bajaj cashed in on this stupidity of Indians for long. If-your-scooter-doesn’t-start-tilt-it-a-little was a bug, a failure which became the most Indian thing ever, courtesy Bajaj. Can any company pull it off now?

The moment Vespa came in and by early 2000s other foreign players, Bajaj was all over the place.

It’s 2022 and Bajaj is just another player in the market. Gen Z laughs at Bajaj. They like their Hondas and KTMs.

As the whole world discusses EVs, Bajaj still has no strategy.

As for his criticism of PM Modi. PM Modi, a non-english speaking outsider had no love for license era industrialists. Bajaj didn’t have an unrestricted access to drawing room of the prime minister for the first time.

He had no say in the union budget and other policies.

So his anger spilled out in outrage rant with zero substance like these.

In this video, he is using the unquantifiable-yet-bankable “Dar ka Mahaul” template. He is being mocked, he admits too but goes ahead regardless of that.

That’s not spine. That’s malfunction of cerebrum.