Personally, I am not attached to any political party or politician. I judge them on the basis of their work and this is where my feelings for them end. So when Modi came back to power less than a week ago, I was not thrilled for him but I am anticipating his work.
I have a mixed bunch of feelings and a lot of expectations.
Continuity
I am happy because a bunch of projects that were started during Modi’s 1st term will not meet a dead end.
You see, every time a new political party comes to power at the Centre or even at the State level, it tends to dump all the work/projects initiated by the previous government.
This is an absolute waste of time and resources as formulating a new policy, allocating funds for it and implementing it at ground level needs a lot of time and resources.
Imagine the magnitude of wastage if all the work done in 5 years (or less) gets discarded.
2nd term of a political party, albeit any, ensures a continuation of its work and projects.
The Modi government launched several schemes, projects and policies with much pomp and show. Though some of them might have misfired (demonetization) or was not implemented properly (GST), the government must have learned from their mistakes by now.
I believe it is better for the same party to amend its existing work (for good) than to wait for a different party uproot it altogether.
Also Read: Assessing Modi Government’s Performance On The Job Front: Has It Been A Success?
Majority Government
The fact that the government at the Centre will be a majority government gives me ambiguous feelings.
In a coalition government, political decisions get tethered to multiple players and this hampers the decision making capability of the government. Coalition government shies away from taking bold decisions.
On one hand, a majority government has the spine to take bold decisions. Its significance is felt on international platforms and in domestic issues.
But on the other hand, being a majority government gives the ruling regime immense powers. This is because it can pass (money) bills easily in the Lok Sabha to make it an Act.
We cannot ignore the fact that BJP is not in majority in the Rajya Sabha, this will act as a power check in case the ruling regime acts arbitrarily. So as long as bills are not deliberately passed as Money Bills (where MPs of Rajya Sabha don’t have much say) – as was done in Aadhaar Bill- democracy and federalism will be safe.
Minorities
In the last 5 years, minorities seem to have become more vulnerable, mostly due to the ‘us vs. them’ rhetoric adopted by several members of the ruling regime. There were also many instances of them being assaulted, harassed and mob-lynched.
So when the same government came back to power, I was wondering if attitude towards the minorities would continue. You see, 2nd term ensures not just the continuation of work but also the continuation of ideology.
The fact that Modi addressed 353 NDA members recently and asked them to ensure that they do not discriminate against the minorities and win their trust is a relief. He also said that the minorities have been made to live in an ‘imaginary fear’ – a deception created by the Opposition.
But just addressing a group of alliance members is not enough to ensure that the same plan is implemented. The ruling regime will have to take serious steps to bring a paradigm change. Else it will be reminiscent of 2016 when our PM condemned ‘fake’ vigilantes, but his intervention did not stop cow vigilantism.
I was barely 16 when Modi became ‘PM Modi’. I was an ignorant teenager for whom politics, society or economy didn’t matter. I don’t really think I am the right person to assess if NDA did better than UPA. But I am a concerned citizen now.
Unemployment, agricultural and rural distress, state of the economy, NPAs, climate change, are just a few of the several issues that I am concerned about and I want the government to work on it.
“India is an old country but a young nation: and like the young everywhere we are impatient. I am impatient and I too have a dream. I dream of an India – strong, independent, self-reliant and in the front rank of the nations of the world in the service of mankind.”
– Former PM Rajiv Gandhi speech at the joint session of the Congress and at the Washington Press Club, USA.
Image Credits: Google Images
Source: India Today, Hindustan Times, I am Young and I too have a Dream – Rajiv Gandhi
Find the blogger @parihar_tweets
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