The men who would rule India

India is on the verge of a new general election in 2014 and two men have emerged as their party's standard bearer and likely prime ministers. These two vignettes of the contenders gives us a deeper look on what makes them tick and where they are likely to take the country in the future.

In a penetrating profile of Narendar Mody, Ramchandra Guha, one of our preeminent historians, he describes Mody as an ambitious person who has sought in the past five years to remake himself as a man who gets things done, a man who gets the economy moving, who will place " India  smoothly on the 8 per cent to 10 per cent growth trajectory, bureaucrats will clear files overnight, there will be no administrative and political corruption, poverty levels will sink rapidly towards zero and — lest we forget — trains and aeroplanes shall run on time."

The truth is that of all Indian politicians past and present, the person Gujarat Chief Minister most resembles is Indira Gandhi of the period 1971-77. Like Mrs. Gandhi once did, Mr. Modi seeks to make his party, his government, his administration and his country an extension of his personality. The political practice of both demonstrates the psychological truth that inside every political authoritarian lies a desperately paranoid human being.There is something of Indira Gandhi in Narendra Modi, and perhaps just a touch of Sanjay Gandhi too — as in the brash, bullying, hyper-masculine style, the suspicion (and occasional targeting) of Muslims. 

Either way, Mr. Modi is conspicuously unfitted to be the reconciling, accommodating, plural, democratic Prime Minister that India needs and deserves. He loves power far too much. On the other hand, his presumed rival, Rahul Gandhi, shirks responsibility entirely (as in his reluctance, even now, to assume a ministerial position). Indian democracy must, and shall in time, see off both.

Rahul Gandhi has officially been promoted to the number two position in India's ruling Congress party, making it clear that he remains the heir apparent of the powerful Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty. Mr Gandhi, who was appointed as the party's vice-president at a conclave on 20 January, said he would work to transform the country by "decentralizing" power.

Despite his "dark horse" image, he is said by some analysts to have a detailed political knowledge and to be a practiced backroom operator. Critics have often described him as the "reluctant prince" who has been the de facto number two in the party for long, wielding the power, but shying away from responsibility. What kind of prime minister Rahul will be is unclear. Since winning his father's old seat, Amethi, in Uttar Pradesh, and entering the Lok Sabha, he has promoted a cautious, managerial image, making few public comments, while touring India's states to energise the Congress Party's youth and student wings. In private he appears guarded and distant. He doesn't like Bollywood films, does not appear to be romantically attached and reads economics books to relax, he once said. There's something of the spreadsheet and the powerpoint about him, with a little of Gordon Brown's austerity thrown in for good measure.He says his priorities are to improve education and living standards among India's poor, and to challenge the country's caste system which he believes restricts India from achieving its full potential. He wants to make India a meritocratic country where people are given jobs because of what they can do rather than who they are. 

His challenge is to shake off his image as the son of privilege and a 'yuvraj' (prince) of India's 'first family'. But it won't be easy in a country where 'fate' and 'destiny' are taken so seriously.

So Indians will face their choice- the authoritarian Mody or the reclusive Rahul. No Obama either one.