Political Diary

New Delhi, 23 May 2015

Serenading Success Or Ruing Failure

THE BUCK STOPS AT MODI’s DOOR

By Poonam I Kaushish

Circa 26 May 2014: It was a billion bucks dream come true. A young chaiwallah becoming India’s Prime Minister of a billion plus people. Riding the wings of glory and fame with a mandate not only against corruption and the culture of entitlement but also for a nouvelle new order of aache din.

Circa 26 May 2015:  Modi’s breathtaking victory of a new power paradigm of providing baggage-free good governance has come to bite him, and how! Forget all the stops pulled out for mammoth celebrations of a year gone by: 250 razzmatazz rallies and 500 power-point press conferences by his Ministerial brood, the path-breaking Maan ki Baat, babudom pulling out all the stops to produce tangible results of minimum Government, maximum governance for the people. Sic

To his credit Modi has removed State monopoly over coal by auctioning coal mines along-with telecom spectrum, he has traversed 18 countries and garnered billions dollars commitments of investment, new technology and turning India into a manufacturing hub in 25 sectors through Make in India to propel the economy on the fast track.

There are some good policies, such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (bank accounts), the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (life insurance for Rs 12), the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (accident insurance for Rs 330), and the Atal Pension Yojana (pension for the unorganised sector),

Alas, Modi seems to have bitten more than he can chew and has fallen between two stools. While the rich make him out to be all bluff and bluster, all-talk-no-action, the aam janata identifies as a person who serenades big corporatewallahs.

Whither, the Pradhan Sevak who knelt and touched his forehead at Parliament House as respect to India’s high temple of democracy. And teary-eyed choked that he would always give his best to Bharat Mata? Was it just a charade with a short-use-by date? Seems so.

So what went wrong? Everything. Sadly, NaMo forgot that power is 99% perception and rightly or wrongly, he is perceived as arrogant and brash running a one-man rock band albeit concentrating power in the PMO. A one-way street full of staccato monologue, no dialogue and questions are a strict no-no.

Wherein even his Ministers are scared of him, MPs do his bidding and partymen chose to remain mum, lest they invite wrath. Akin to Hans Christian Anderson’s fabled The Emperor with New Clothes. A heady mixture of absolute power corrupting absolutely.

Perhaps, Modi feels that he can Xerox his Gujarat model in New Delhi and Parliament. Remember, NaMo’s 12-years rule where he had made his opponents within and Opposition redundant wherein there was none to challenge his numero uno status. He hardly attended the Assembly and convened it once every six months just to meet the Constitutional requirement.

Where is the man who rose from humble beginning? Today, Rahul Gandhi’s dig of Modi epitomizing a “suit-boot ki sarkar” has stuck. Aggravated by his yen for expensive clothes, extravagant shawls, flamboyant personal monogrammed suits, imported designer sunglasses and watches et al.  

Add to it the accusation of being a “visiting Prime Minister” who has addressed more Parliaments abroad than at home. During the last Budget session Modi was barely seen or heard in Parliament. His disdain for upholding parliamentary procedures, etiquette and tradition was evident. “Are motto is speed”, was the lame excuse given by a Cabinet Minister for giving Standing Committees a go-by or smuggling laws into the Finance Bill to bypass the Rajya Sabha, where the NDA is in a minority.

The most notable failure of the Government is its failure to bring down prices. Every visit I make to the market for vegetables, oil, sugar, wheat and dal-chawal, the prices have risen by a minimum of Rs 2-Rs 10. That it is the annual summer season does not cut ice; the Congress parroted the same dialogue.

Worse, the NDA has increased taxes. Service tax has gone up from 12.3% to 14%. Why? It makes accounting simpler, assert finance mandarins. Not for them the fact it has a cascading affect on family budgets. Think. A simple visit to buy soap, toothpaste, food-stuff will set you back by at least a couple of hundred bucks a month, resulting in a housewife’s budget going for a toss. Add to this rising water and electricity bills which continue to give a tough time to the common man. Will ending the financial year with GDP growth of 5.2% alleviate the misery of the people? 

Add to it the Finance Minister has imposed luxury tax of 2% on even daily necessities like getting a haircut. Realtors are crying foul. A buyer of an Rs 25 lakhs flat will have to shell out Rs 10,500 more. This is bound to lead to a slowdown instead of propelling growth. Any wonder, Mr Modi you are perceived as pro-rich.

The less said the better of the poor kisans. Shamefully, in the last year alone, over 16,500 farmers have committed suicide. With over 65% of the population working in agriculture, instead of beefing up their lives the Government’s Land Acquisition Bill is viewed as anti-farmer. Compounding matters, instead of dialogue to correct misgivings the NDA has taken recourse to promulgating ordinances.

Another black mark against the Government is slashing the public health care and social spending. Mid-Day meal cooks, anganwadi workers and Mahila Samakhya workers have hit the streets and State Governments are feeling the heat.  There is increasing disquiet over the Saffronisation of education.

A double-whammy for Modi is that even as the aam aadmi perceives his NDA Government as playing in to the hands of fat corporate cats, industrialist complain of ‘directionless’ economic policy steeped in hyperbole, lack of big bang reforms, tardy progress to propel the economy on fast track. Asserted a corporate chief, “there seems to be a policy paralysis. Nothing is changed on the ground. Modi’s magic is losing its sheen”

Moreover, there is political disquiet over Modi’s failure to curb his rabid Hindutva brigands who espouse communal polarization via the ‘ghar-wapsi’ programmes of reconversion of poor Muslims and ‘love jihad’ against Muslim boys enticing Hindu girls professing marriage. A political discourse which has corroded inter-community relations, to an extent where discrimination against the minority community seems to be par for the course.

Startlingly, for reasons best known to him, Modi has still to address key developmental issues that continue to exercise people: employment and housing before toilets!

Can Modi change India? Take India to superpower status? Towards that end Prime Minister Modi needs to relive what he ad nauseum chants, “The real meaning of politics is not power but service.” He needs to invigorate the system and fortify democratic institutions.

With great power comes greater responsibility. He needs to rejig his persona and come down to earth. Rise from being an absolute ruler to a grassroots  neta. It remains to be seen if Modi can and will reconstruct the language of democracy. Remember, leaders don’t build democracies; people do. Will he lead?  Or will his naqaab of aache din encompassing roti, kapada, makaan and naukri be unmasked? Time will tell. ----- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)