Modi’s Performance & Renewal Of Mandate
S. Sivathasan
“Like the iron image of an inevitable fate, going ahead to its predestined goal”. This was how Jawaharlal Nehru described the determined march of a western leader some eight decades ago. With more formidable constraints and restraints endemic to a democratic system, Modi has acquitted himself with remarkable resoluteness. In his governance, India saw unprecedented forward movement deriving from his leadership and commitment. The PM and the cabinet labored together for this remarkable achievement within a span of five years.
Reform and Expectation
What is the worst moment for a government? “When it begins to reform”. So said Lord Acton the eminent historian, very perceptively. Worse still we would say when growth moves in tandem with reform and a clean-up. To this challenge, another strenuous five years, Modi and his lieutenants have already braced up. A century ago, Ten Days in Russia Shook the World. Modi and his team have 100 days more for the Lok Sabha elections, to shake India and to astonish the world. This space is a very long time. Democratic means is the path of choice. No less than 620 million will cast their votes to decide on the winner, in this Indian sub-continental war.
In strategy and tactic the impending Lok Sabha election is no different from a war. It is fought to win, not for a display of peacetime ethics. The battle is already joined. At an advantage in any election in any part of the world, is the ruling party perched in the seat of governance. Bemoaning this unalterable fact of life is pointless. Equally irrational is to suggest that a ruling government should remain motionless in the last segment of its term. To this behest of the opposition, the governing party’s telling rebuttal was, it never got elected for 4 years and 8 months but was given a 5-year term. Its mandate is to govern till the last day. More challenging is a repeat of the mandate it is seeking.
Ceaseless Toil
The last segment has already begun to see an avalanche of political and electoral developments, very disquieting if not devastating to Congress and the Opposition. Little wonder they are still in a daze. Most stunning to the country, particularly to the generality of its citizens is the Interim Budget 2019/20, presented in parliament on February 1, 2019. A sea change is already seen. It came after 55 months of unremitting work. Modi’s commitment was that he labored selflessly for 18 hours a day, all 365 days of the year, without a day’s leave. In all foreign trips he travelled by night sleeping in the plane. Health and stamina that disciplined life and yoga regimen gave him, he placed at the service of the nation.
Ever Enlarging Budget
The budget is to the tune of Rs 27.842 trillion. It shows an increase of Rs 3.420 trillion over the previous year. More impressively, a massive Rs 10.210 trillion increase compared to the first Modi budget of 2014/15. An annual increase of around 17% said Arun Jaitley the Finance Minister. A whole corpus of reforms initiated and pursued with verve, consistency and continuity, account for the best part of the increase. In the perception of the world’s largest electorate, this exponential performance is the work of Modi, the Cabinet and the BJP. The Congress and the opposition are at their wits end to understand how the funds were mobilized.
This expansive flow into the coffers of the state over a near five-year term is to be attributed to several reform measures adopted by the Modi government. Many of them initiated by Modi and very capable Ministers, were pursued till their logical end. The entire term of 55 months so far, displayed policy vigour, in sharp contrast to the previous 60 months of paralytic somnolence that afflicted the Congress and its allies. Bane of corruption was getting banished together with mere talkin the previous dispensation. Finding no lapse in governance, the leader of the Congress, Rahul Gandhi whimsically invoked the Raphael fighter plane affair. He and his canards were sturdily demolished by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman in Lok Sabha itself. When Rahul raised his head in February ’19, it was smashed again by Nirmala, invoking a rebuttal from the former Defence Secretary.
