2015 - Make or break year for Modi

Hope smiles from the threshold of the year gone by, whispering, it will be happier, succinctly said poet Tennyson. Will it? Questions abound. Will 2015 be Prime Minister Modi’s make or break year?

With everything beginning and ending with our polity, India continues to search for her soul under the increasing onslaught of rising prices, intolerance, cultural terrorism, growing majority appeasement read Saffron Parivar’s ghar vapsi programmes and casteism. Topped by a mundane performance, more talk than action.

Yet, Modi remains the tallest leader with the people rooting for him as decisive, one who is determined to build a prosperous future for them. The Opposition disparagingly dismissed Modi as ‘Mr U Turn.

By taking the ordinance route, Modi has not only cocked a snook at Parliament supremacy and norms on key legislative issues that affect people’s lives but also indirectly underscored that he will brook no nonsense even if called dictatorial. True, the blame rests on the Opposition too.

The Congress was gung-ho on the Insurance Bill raising foreign investment from 27 to 49 per cent, but hindered the House functioning by adopting a dog in the manger attitude just to score petty points. But the hurry in promulgating the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 ordinance (questioned by the President) stands testimony to brazen ‘democracy by concessions and politics of direct sale’: amassing political power among a handful of business interests through the “politics of direct sale”. The dilution of the Social Impact Assessment clauses would impact farmers. It fails to address rising farmers suicides and issues dear to them prior to that.

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

Already the Planning Commission has been rechristened the NITI Ayog ((National Institution for Transforming India) tasked with the role of formulating policies and direction for the government by adopting a ‘Bharatiya’ approach to development, including strategic and technical advice on policy and economic matters. It will develop mechanisms for village-level plans and aggregate these progressively at higher levels of Government. Old wine in new bottle?

Alas, he has failed to rein in the rabid Hindutva brigade. Last month his government was busy dousing inflammatory remarks made by a junior Union Minister on Ramazada vs haramzada alongside other Saffronites espousing objectionable discourses.

Besides, see the way the CBI continues to be the Government’s “parrot”. While Party President has been given a clean chit in the Sohrabdin murder matter or going easy on AIDMK supremo Jayalalithaa, funny isn’t it the way the investigative agency is going hammer and tongs against the Prime Minister’s detractors, like nailing West Bengal’s Trinimool government headed by stormy petrel Mamata Bannerjee in the Sardha scam.

Politically, as the BJP’s electoral victory in Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and J&K showcases Modi continues to be the toast of India.

It is Modi's development agenda, read more economic reforms which has revitalised flagging interest of foreign investors in India. Will his hard-sell of India’s 1.3 billion plus consumers help achieve India's economic goals? But the unreformed political and financial institutions might make this a daunting task.

Notably, the Prime Minister’s Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan, Make in India tag and Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna have still to take off.

The aam aadmi plank of the Government appears to be coming unstuck, bringing tears to the leadership, as prices of food, oil, sugar, wheat and rice, along with water and electricity, rise, continuing 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?

It is very well to shout from rooftops that India is a thriving democracy replete with total freedom. Alongside replacing German with Sanskrit in schools and rewriting Indian history is akin to turning the past on its head!

So far so good. It remains to be seen if 2015 will be defined by Modi’s accomplishments post his promise of ushering in ache din for the aam aadmi and youth. Encompassing roti, kapada, makaan and naukri. Where is the much promised minimum Government and maximum governance?

By: Poonam I Kaushish