Economic
Highlights
New Delhi, 17 February
2020
Curbs On Asset Sales
INDIA AWAITS NEW ECONOMY
By Shivaji Sarkar
The Delhi Assembly election award goes to soft
inclusive skills against campaigning on hard on issues of identity. It is also
a vote for people’s struggle for survival against hardcore finances and a
non-relief Central budget for the common man.
Money is the core in this election. It signifies
the hardship or comfort people are facing. The welfare measures, often called
freebies, touch the average middle class and poor, those in the unorganized
working class, who cannot afford a ride on the Delhi metro. “It is expensive,
we cannot afford”, is the common refrain in the Union Capital’s jhuggi-jhopri slum clusters.
The Aam Aadmi Party Chief Arvind Kejriwal touched
that cord and presented a soft, people-friendly accessible face. The poor and
middle class voted for him, aver many BJP campaigners across the city notwithstanding
a late afternoon vote surge for the Hindutva Party, which largely cashed on the
core Congress votes which split between the AAP and BJP. Indeed, this raised
the BJP’s tally to 8 from 3 in 2015 whereas AAP suffered a loss of five down to
62 from 67.
Delhi BJP’s hope that a stronger Congress would
help split AAP votes was belied as the Party preferred an AAP victory even at
its own annihilation. Many see it as the Congress strategy for any likely
future Opposition alliance.
According to the BJP’s Delhi unit’s assessment a
small percentage of the Congress’s elite voters opted for the Saffron Sangh
while the larger chunk of the poor and minorities went to AAP.
Undoubtedly, it has hit the BJP poll managers for
West Bengal which is scheduled to go to polls early 2021. Its State Party Chief
Dilip Ghosh wants to go the hard identity way. The softer face Swapan Dasgupta,
MP, wants “ideological issues supplemented by a solid governance agenda as also
a Chief Ministerial face”.
Dasgupta being a former journalist might have
read the people’s mind as the aam aadmi still vote for core issues of “rozi-roti-talim
(education)”. Certainly, this has kissed Kejriwal with victory against his
nonchalant BJP opponent.
Besides, the Shaheen Bagh-type CAA protests needs
to be read also as expression against the Central Government’s discomforting
economic policies which have unnerved the people. Indeed, the Rs 145 rise in LPG
prices, steepest since January 2014 of Rs 220, the very next day after the elections, possibly confirms their fear.
In fact, many BJP workers echo this sentiment. Obversely,
a Chief Ministerial face possibly does not matter as proven by the UP elections
results where the BJP did not project a Chief
Ministerial face. And in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, where it had faces the Party lost.
Recall, the BJP was voted to power with great
expectations after the UPA’s failure of Manmohanomics. It was expected to shun that
and chart out new economics. However, somehow it fell into the Congress trap which
led it to compromise on its basic pro-people manifesto, experts assert.
Interestingly, despite this, Prime Minister Modi
still rules the heart and minds of people which was evident even during the Delhi
polls. People want him but as many of the Capital’s poor say he needs to care
more for them by easing taxes, rail fares, high bank charges, atrociously high
toll rates, losing interest rates on deposits and a budget that denies them
necessary reliefs.
The average middle class wonders why his
ten-year-old fine car should be junked to help car makers, as stated by the Finance
Minister. For Delhiites, Kejriwal signifies that relief.
Pertinently, these issues were not vocal poll
issues but if one moved around the city, be it posh Connaught Place, non-descript Madangiri
or vocal Shaheen Bagh people were not afraid of CAA but the rising cost of
living, food and shelter rents.
Yes, Delhiites discussed the consumer price index
inflation which has spiked to 7.59% in January against 7.35% in December.
The latest LPG price rise has led many within the
BJP to rue the subsidies they willingly gave up on a national call. In times of
a wobbling economy, even a few hundred rupees saved, like Kerjiwal’s subsidies
on electricity water and education, matter.
It has led to another discussion whether the Government
should have the right to raise commodity prices and rail fares or whether it should
have any control on the public sector.
Think Even in shadow BJP organizations besides the
shredded Left discuss whether like the
FRBM Act there should be a law binding on all Governments to keep off public
sector organisations including RBI, LIC and Bharat Petroleum etc companies.
There are also questions on why the private
sector Reliance refinery should sell its stakes to Saudi Arab’s Aramco as many
consider the private sector as a national asset.
Importantly, people are discussing economic nationalism. The Parties
need to have the heart to understand what shapes Indian politics. They praise
BJP for decimating Pakistan after the Pulwama terrorist attack but now they are
more concerned of their economic safety. TheParties need to articulate this.
Clearly, Kejriwal is tactfully smart. He skillfully avoided falling in the identity
trap and created a new Hanuman narrative. Whether this touched Hindu
voters or split them needs scrutiny. But he could rally round the poor jhuggi voters who have more Hanuman
temples around them than that of Ram. This might open up creating new Hindutva
icons in the days to come.
Undeniably, the Delhi elections have thrown up a new
test for future politicians of having identities on shirt-sleeves. Th Parties high
voltage campaign against Kejriwal succumbed to the skilled ex-income-tax
officer’s reading thepeople’s pulse. He
made the voter to choose for performance over animosity
True, the future of Indian politics does not make
BJP weaker. Its core ground remains intact and polarization is sharp. But it has
to deliberate whether to ride that horse alone or also have core people-friendly
economic decoratives too.
The Opposition, howsoever, united needs to worry
more. It has not given any ideological or economic narrative as the Indian
economy needs re-definition after 30 years of liberalized loot of over Rs 50
lakh crores by all those who could across the spectrum. It calls for replacing
an insulting policy of “if you want facility you have to pay for it”.
The future would belong to anyone who can chart
out welfare economics with lower taxes/fares, a strong balance sheet and
improved living standards. Succinctly, happiness for all. Politics needs to
understand India is waiting for that beautiful day! ---- INFA
(Copyright,
India News & Feature Alliance)
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