Two years of Narendra Modi

In 2014, when Narendra Modi took oath as India’s fifteenth Prime Minister, he had perhaps factored in that he would step into South Block, the Indian Prime Minister’s office, on the day the country would be observing the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s death anniversary. On May 27 the entire country pays homage to the country’s first Prime Minister.  There is a possibility that Modi had the significance of this date in his mind when he chose the date of his swearing in: May 26. That day, he knew, would be jampacked and he would only set foot in South Block the following day: May 27.
 Nehru, it is well known, enjoys a special place not only in India’s history but also in the minds and hearts of the majority of Indians. Whether Modi has set out to create a similar history is uncertain but his extoling Nehru and Atal Behari Vajpayee in several of the speeches he delivers, points in that direction.
 Modi, it is ironic, has hit out at Nehru’s children and successors but he has, one more occasions than one,been complimentary about Nehru and his rule.
 The BJP, it is well known, is obsessed with the Nehruvian conspiracy of putting down other freedom fighters at the cost of those they wished to showcase. It has also targetted the dynasty and spared no effort to put down Nehru. Therefore when Modi praises Nehru he is not in sync with either the BJP or RSS.  
Equally, it is difficult to say whether Modi is hooked to the idea of Nehru being India’s longest serving Prime Minister.  
Between Nehru and Modi lie several decades. Therefore comparisons are not in order. Politics and policies have undergone a sea change as also needs and perceptions. Therefore to remain in a time-warp is neither necessary nor productive.  
As the nation looks back at Nehru’s rule that was a little less than two decades, a comparison with Modi’s two years is neither proportionate nor fair. Therefore, as the BJP goes to town over Modi’s achievements, critics also sharpened knives on its pitfalls. Discussions in the past week have centered around successes and failures: what the government has done and what it has not to put it simply.  BJP’s good showing the recently concluded state elections have raised its decibel levels. It can now trumpet Modi government’s achievements with greater aplomb. That the party was planning celebrations in a big way was well known but the election results, particularly if they were adverse, would have dampened spirits. But since things worked out, a “double celebration” was in order.
 Mera Desh badal raha hai, My country is changing being the recurring theme, full page ads in newspapers stared readers in the face. Ministers fanned across the country and addressed meetings highlighting government schemes and the benefits that people had accrued. The public broadcaster Doordarshan rolled out programme after programme to showcase the achievements of the Modi led government.
Prominent ministers of the Modi government studio hopped to flag their report card to the people of India. One has to give it to the BJP that it can milk initiatives to its advantage and sell fourfold to the people what may be at a take-off stage.  Therefore, Modi government’s bid to seize the opportunity to make the most of its second birthday.  
Hullabaloo apart, it is important to take stock if Modi government has actually delivered or is it much ado about nothing. Is there any substance in the claims it is making? If posters are anything to go by, the capital city and many other cities are painted in the Modi hue: Do saal, two years being the theme.  
While it is difficult to quantify hits and misses as it is to rate the government’s performance  on a scale of one to ten, as it were, it is not difficult to see visible achievements. Therefore, to go by Modi bashers theme of nothing has happened and India being worse off is a bit of a stretch.
 While individuals have their report cards, many quite credible, at the macro level two things have undoubtedly happened: corruption is at a low and transparency on a high.
Corruption may not have disappeared or affected the daily lives of people but the fact is that Modi government is far cleaner than UPA where scams were happening by the minute. Worse still there was graft at the highest level and the Prime Minister was being remote controlled by the power behind the throne. Read Sonia Gandhi. Whether this is true or not remains debatable.  
 Modi’s personal integrity is unquestioned. Therefore, his intolerance for corruption is very high. Add to that the fact that another of his kind, Arun Jaitley, is the second most powerful man in Modi’s government. He, too, is incorruptible. With the top leadership’s mantra being clean governance, it is not easy for those below to make a fast buck. This is not to say that there is zero corruption but it is no longer the norm. There is a fear of being found out and held accountable. A distinct change is that touts and middlemen do not hold sway in power corridors.  
Two things are well known about Modi: one that he is a doer and other that he is a man with ideas. With every speech he spins a new idea: some do-able, some rhetoric. Consequently, his government report card reflects this. His drive for toilets in every village, power and water to every home and his Make in India and Clean India campaigns have enthused people. But at the level of implementation, there are gaps. The speed that the country would wish to see, is yet to happen.
 The government’s reform agenda is directed towards opening the economy to attract foreign investments and even if the money has yet to flow in, Modi has a bagful of commitments. Modi has managed to turn the spotlight on India being an investment destination.
 The economy is yet to achieve the promised growth rate but if  Finance Minister Jaitley’s statements are anything to go by, a beginning has been made. The passage of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Bill are milestones that will help in improving creditor rights. India, as Modi fans believe is on the right track
  On this there is a yes and no, as it were. The positive being that the perception is pro-India.  The negative is that a  lot of ground remains to be covered.  Consequently, at the micro level there is a nothing has happened feeling. Simply put the common man’s life has yet to change. At that level, Modi, in two years, has made little difference. Ofcourse one cannot undermine the effect of social welfare schemes that his government has launched but in a country of India’s size, it is a drop in the ocean.
 On foreign policy Modi’s government is bang on. It has major strides to its credit though Pakistan remains a sore point. Despite Modi’s forays to build that relationship including his somewhat unscheduled stop over to meet his counterpart Nawaz Sharif, there is a question on the future of Indo Pak relations.
On other counts Modi has delivered more and faster than expected. The Chabahar pact, for instance, is very crucial to improving trade relations with Iran and many other European nations. Not only does it reduce Pakistan's nuisance value but also circumvents China's attempt to tactically browbeat New Delhi.  
But in two years, the Modi government has tripped on several  issues. The Government has come across as communal; there is insecurity among minorities.  There is an attempt to muzzle free speech and the government’s  intolerance towards dissent are issues worrying the common man. There is a lurking fear that Modi may turn India into another Gujarat where Muslims run for cover.  Under his rule, fringe Hindu elements are playing havoc. Worse still Modi has done little to curb this, sometimes turning a blind eye to communal statements made by his ministers. His brand  of nationalism, it is felt, is another name for  pushing brand Hindutva.  
On the employment front not much has happened and the youth are feeling short changed given that Modi’s poll promise was contrary to what the ground reality now is. Rising prices are a worrying factor and farmers suicides are a grim reality. Therefore the slogan that has gained currency in the opposition camps is Do saal, bura haal, two years, terrible situation.

The writer is a senior Indian journalist, political commentator and columnist of The Independent. She can be reached at: ([email protected])

 

 

Two years of Narendra Modi

In 2014, when Narendra Modi took oath as Indias fifteenth Prime Minister, he had perhaps factored in that he would step into South Block, the Indian Prime Ministers office, on the day the country would be observing the countrys first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehrus death anniversary. On May 27 the entire country pays homage to the countrys first Prime Minister. There is a possibility that Modi had the significance of this date in his mind when he chose the date of his swearing in: May 26. That day, he knew, would be jampacked and he would only set foot in South Block the following day: May 27. Nehru, it is well known, enjoys a special place not only in Indias history but also in the minds and hearts of the majority of Indians. Whether Modi has set out to create a similar history is uncertain but his extoling Nehru and Atal Behari Vajpayee in several of the speeches he delivers, points in that direction. Modi, it is ironic, has hit out at Nehrus children and successors but he has, one more occasions than one,been complimentary about Nehru and his rule. The BJP, it is well known, is obsessed with the Nehruvian conspiracy of putting down other freedom fighters at the cost of those they wished to showcase. It has also targetted the dynasty and spared no effort to put down Nehru. Therefore when Modi praises Nehru he is not in sync with either the BJP or RSS. Equally, it is difficult to say whether Modi is hooked to the idea of Nehru being Indias longest serving Prime Minister. Between Nehru and Modi lie several decades. Therefore comparisons are not in order. Politics and policies have undergone a sea change as also needs and perceptions. Therefore to remain in a time-warp is neither necessary nor productive. As the nation looks back at Nehrus rule that was a little less than two decades, a comparison with Modis two years is neither proportionate nor fair. Therefore, as the BJP goes to town over Modis achievements, critics also sharpened knives on its pitfalls. Discussions in the past week have centered around successes and failures: what the government has done and what it has not to put it simply. BJPs good showing the recently concluded state elections have raised its decibel levels. It can now trumpet Modi governments achievements with greater aplomb. That the party was planning celebrations in a big way was well known but the election results, particularly if they were adverse, would have dampened spirits. But since things worked out, a double celebration was in order. Mera Desh badal raha hai, My country is changing being the recurring theme, full page ads in newspapers stared readers in the face. Ministers fanned across the country and addressed meetings highlighting government schemes and the benefits that people had accrued. The public broadcaster Doordarshan rolled out programme after programme to showcase the achievements of the Modi led government. Prominent ministers of the Modi government studio hopped to flag their report card to the people of India. One has to give it to the BJP that it can milk initiatives to its advantage and sell fourfold to the people what may be at a take-off stage. Therefore, Modi governments bid to seize the opportunity to make the most of its second birthday. Hullabaloo apart, it is important to take stock if Modi government has actually delivered or is it much ado about nothing. Is there any substance in the claims it is making? If posters are anything to go by, the capital city and many other cities are painted in the Modi hue: Do saal, two years being the theme. While it is difficult to quantify hits and misses as it is to rate the governments performance on a scale of one to ten, as it were, it is not difficult to see visible achievements. Therefore, to go by Modi bashers theme of nothing has happened and India being worse off is a bit of a stretch. While individuals have their report cards, many quite credible, at the macro level two things have undoubtedly happened: corruption is at a low and transparency on a high. Corruption may not have disappeared or affected the daily lives of people but the fact is that Modi government is far cleaner than UPA where scams were happening by the minute. Worse still there was graft at the highest level and the Prime Minister was being remote controlled by the power behind the throne. Read Sonia Gandhi. Whether this is true or not remains debatable. Modis personal integrity is unquestioned. Therefore, his intolerance for corruption is very high. Add to that the fact that another of his kind, Arun Jaitley, is the second most powerful man in Modis government. He, too, is incorruptible. With the top leaderships mantra being clean governance, it is not easy for those below to make a fast buck. This is not to say that there is zero corruption but it is no longer the norm. There is a fear of being found out and held accountable. A distinct change is that touts and middlemen do not hold sway in power corridors. Two things are well known about Modi: one that he is a doer and other that he is a man with ideas. With every speech he spins a new idea: some do-able, some rhetoric. Consequently, his government report card reflects this. His drive for toilets in every village, power and water to every home and his Make in India and Clean India campaigns have enthused people. But at the level of implementation, there are gaps. The speed that the country would wish to see, is yet to happen. The governments reform agenda is directed towards opening the economy to attract foreign investments and even if the money has yet to flow in, Modi has a bagful of commitments. Modi has managed to turn the spotlight on India being an investment destination. The economy is yet to achieve the promised growth rate but if Finance Minister Jaitleys statements are anything to go by, a beginning has been made. The passage of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Bill are milestones that will help in improving creditor rights. India, as Modi fans believe is on the right track On this there is a yes and no, as it were. The positive being that the perception is pro-India. The negative is that a lot of ground remains to be covered. Consequently, at the micro level there is a nothing has happened feeling. Simply put the common mans life has yet to change. At that level, Modi, in two years, has made little difference. Ofcourse one cannot undermine the effect of social welfare schemes that his government has launched but in a country of Indias size, it is a drop in the ocean. On foreign policy Modis government is bang on. It has major strides to its credit though Pakistan remains a sore point. Despite Modis forays to build that relationship including his somewhat unscheduled stop over to meet his counterpart Nawaz Sharif, there is a question on the future of Indo Pak relations. On other counts Modi has delivered more and faster than expected. The Chabahar pact, for instance, is very crucial to improving trade relations with Iran and many other European nations. Not only does it reduce Pakistans nuisance value but also circumvents Chinas attempt to tactically browbeat New Delhi. But in two years, the Modi government has tripped on several issues. The Government has come across as communal; there is insecurity among minorities. There is an attempt to muzzle free speech and the governments intolerance towards dissent are issues worrying the common man. There is a lurking fear that Modi may turn India into another Gujarat where Muslims run for cover. Under his rule, fringe Hindu elements are playing havoc. Worse still Modi has done little to curb this, sometimes turning a blind eye to communal statements made by his ministers. His brand of nationalism, it is felt, is another name for pushing brand Hindutva. On the employment front not much has happened and the youth are feeling short changed given that Modis poll promise was contrary to what the ground reality now is. Rising prices are a worrying factor and farmers suicides are a grim reality. Therefore the slogan that has gained currency in the opposition camps is Do saal, bura haal, two years, terrible situation. The writer is a senior Indian journalist, political commentator and columnist of The Independent. She can be reached at: ([email protected])