By Krati Gupta
Edited by Liz Maria Kuriakose, Associate Editor, The Indian Economist
India did its job. Voting a sole party to power, it’s epochal. Since the 1984 general elections, no party has ever won such a huge majority, grabbing what has been termed as a ‘landslide’ victory. It’s crystal clear that India has pinned its hopes on Mr. Modi, whose articulate and shrewd mannerisms, right from the onset of the election campaign, magnetised various sections of voters. Now the ball is in his court, a lot is being said and written about every move the PM makes, people are expecting returns, waiting for the Pandora’s Box to open up, and its only fair after the huge mandate with which the BJP has won.
The Modi’s model was promised to be all about economic development and inclusiveness and it will not be too early to say that Mr. Modi has in fact taken a few steps within a fortnight of coming into power, which depicts his style of functioning. It might be the invitation of the representatives of SAARC nations to his ‘coronation’, with a special mention to the Pakistani Prime minister Nawaz Sharif; or might be spending the evening of his first day at office, with former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh or the acceptance of Mr. Obama’s invitation to visit US in September. It can be perceived that he believes in keeping his friends close and his enemies closer. Also, the “less government and more governance” agenda has been justified with the new cabinet and its lean strength, with women gaining adequate representation. Dissolving the GoM’s (Group of Ministers) and EGoM’s (Empowered Group of Ministers) and issuing orders to drop attestation of certificates and mark sheets by gazetted officers and all such intricate procedures, are a breather since they have been hampering the effective functioning of the government machinery as well as resulting in wastage of a substantial amount of common man’s time . A denial to the publication of his life story in school textbooks represents an aversion to adulation and gratuitous glorification, which is indeed praiseworthy.
Despite all these measures which serve as a welcome respite from Dr. Manmohan Singh’s UPA government, there are still arenas where our otherwise communicative PM, active on online micro blogging site Twitter and social networking sites such as Facebook has been quiet. When the shock waves engulfed the nation regarding the infamous Badaun rape and double murder case, or the recent instance where a Pune techie was bludgeoned to death by some right wing extremists, PM chose to stay silent. Even the pusillanimous stands taken by a few politicians on such sensitive issues including the comments of Madhya Pradesh former CM Babulal Gaur, a BJP politician itself, could not extract a reprimand from him. Questions like “is the PM secular or is he a Communist?” have constantly surfaced up in the media. Being projected as a Hindu nationalist, assuring equal status and opportunities to the minorities is one of the biggest challenges that our PM must vouch for. Also, with adversaries proclaiming him as a dictator, there have been apprehensions regarding too much centralization of power that result from the present size of cabinet. Reviving the economy, ensuring a steady GDP growth and containing inflation are some top priorities in the list too. The yet to be introduced budget will be embraced heartily and thankfully, if it doesn’t drill a hole in the janta’s pocket.
It will be interesting indeed to discover whether the Modi led government is any different, does it favour the interests of the common man and give them a precedence over those of elites, and does it stand up to the vow he took in the magnificent swearing in ceremony,
“I, Narendra Damodardas Modi, swear in the name of God, that I will work towards maintaining the integrity of India. I will work without fear, prejudice or anger and ensure justice to all as per the Constitution”.
‘Modi’fication has begun……..
Krati iscurrently a pre final year, Chemical engineering from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad. She loves watching movies and posing for pictures. Apart from juggling between the concepts of thermodynamics and heat transfer during college hours, she is a greenhorn at writing and is highly optimistic about exploring the vast horizon in this field . She believes penning down her thoughts will make at least a small difference to the world.