YES | Sandeep Dikshit

Mr. Modi never had a people’s policy plot. As people see through his ‘magic’, the illusion will disappear

Sandeep Dikshit

There is no doubt that Narendra Modi, the politician, weaved magic. It’s important to see how he did this. There are two parts to this magic. The first is related to Mr. Modi’s persona and how he used opportunities and a trend in Indian politics to build an image. The second involves his complete identification with neo-liberal Indian economic interests that no other government could do to this extent. The first refers to his magical skill; the second turned this skill into an illusory drama on a national scale.

Seizing opportunities

Growing fundamentalism and the need to marginalise voices for justice and equity complement each other. Both help to sustain the hegemony of the privileged in terms of caste, religion and finance. Both arise from right-wing economics, and it was obvious from the 1991 liberalisation, privatisation, globalisation (LPG) period that this would happen. The Congress and other like-minded parties never prepared themselves to counter this, while the Bharatiya Janata Party and people like Mr. Modi seized this opportunity.

What happened in the last two decades is that the classes that tasted blood from the LPG period started wanting more. No one could give it to them the way Mr. Modi promised and even showed in Gujarat. These predators predictably went en masse to the one who promised more.

On the other hand, the discomfort and massive livelihood and support dislocation that follows all LPG programmes are countered either through a more equal and democratic economic system or by turning them into disgruntled mobs who turn against those who seek an equitable distribution of resources. In India, no government ensured the first solution, and so the latter became our reality, and in Mr. Modi the disgruntled sought succour.

Mr. Modi came in a beautifully constructed image of a commoner, a mass leader, a bold decision-maker, a harbinger of lost glory. In reality he is a fundamentalist who cloaks himself as a liberal, a pro-poor leader who flies in corporate jets, and a champion who unifies the majority through a divisive brand of politics. In the process, the real feudal vassals in the system — the bureaucracy, the police, the income tax officer, the priest — have become the only beneficiaries.

This call to Hindu pride has not translated into benefits and dignity for the poor. Crony capitalism has forced the state to ease its way into people’s pockets. Development has got restricted to mega civil construction projects, and a male passion for size and show. Calls for justice, equity and equality are being labelled as populism, compromise, and vote-bank politics.

Pro-rich policies

Every brave decision is aimed at strengthening the rich. Demonetisation ensured that cash was turned into “white”, while the poor sacrificed for their nation. The goods and services tax was rolled out to ease business for the big entrepreneurs, while small and medium enterprises agitate for bottlenecks to be eased, not realising that the system is designed to kill them. The soldier continues to be sacrificed on our borders while cronies get away with defence contracts.

In his rush to please forces that brought him to power, and lacking the understanding and capacity to work for real India, Mr. Modi is losing his grip. Repeating Gujarat and playing to the gallery does not work nationally. An economy that is hostage to the rich damages the poor. The rhetoric of religious nationalism does not weaken Pakistan or China, just as strengthening the arms of the state in financial and uniformed bureaucrats does not lead to good and just “governance”.

Mr. Modi always had a political plot, never a people’s policy plot. As the first gets tiresome, there is no fallback. Till the magic of the Hindu Hruday Samrat sustains, Mr. Modi’s magic will somehow stay afloat. But as people see through it, and go home after the show is over, the illusion will disappear.

Sandeep Dikshit is from the Congress party

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NO | Vinay Sahasrabuddhe

The popular support that PM Modi commands is not about magic but confidence and conviction

Vinay Sahasrabuddhe

It’s unfair to use the word magic to describe the hard-earned success of a leader — it clearly undermines the serious thought process behind the painstaking effort and the resoluteness with which tough decisions have been taken. “Magic” also negates something which can be logically explained and rationally understood. At the core of the unstinted popular support that Prime Minister Narendra Modi commands even in the face of an aggressive negativist propaganda is not magic but a well thought-out and neatly planned scheme of things. Since the plan is very much in place, relentless work on it is in progress and confidence in the leader who is implementing the plan intact. There is no question of any deficit being accrued in the bank of goodwill and trust.

What makes Mr. Modi tick

There are, among others, at least three clear factors that make Mr. Modi stand head and shoulders above all others, especially Manmohan Singh and his party functionaries. First, the purity of purpose; nobody doubts Mr. Modi’s intentions. Second, 18 hours of work a day to make India free of misgovernance. Third, a not-so-small section of people also appreciates that this is a government that draws its strength not from status quo-ism but from transformative governance.

For people to believe in the leadership, there has to be a track record. Let’s take the example of Mr. Modi’s war on black money. The Bharatiya Janata Party has been taunted, and derisive remarks have been made about its intention to eradicate black money and end corruption. But one must remember that Mr. Modi made three important revelations in his Independence Day address. First, he announced that within just three years, the government has recovered ₹1.25 lakh crore worth of black money. The second was his proclamation that the number of tax payers has increased from 22 lakhs to 56 lakhs. Similarly, his bold assertion that some three lakh shell companies that were unearthed after demonetisation, over half of which have now been deregistered, was important for multiple reasons. A few months ago, Mr. Modi had said that while his government can make some mistakes, its intentions cannot be challenged. But the most significant message to the nation was his emphasis that we all have to shed the ‘chalta hai’ attitude and cultivate a ‘badal sakta hai’ approach. And for that, he has been systematically promoting innovations in every sector of governance.

Challenging the status quo

While it is important to understand why people innovate, it is perhaps more instructive to understand why people do not. Simple solutions to chronic problems do not always elude human imagination. Many times, people wantonly shut their talent window and tend to turn their back to such solutions also because of their vested interests in allowing the status quo to continue.

After several years, India has seen a Prime Minister who embodies the principle of unattached involvement. Here is a leader without any personal agenda, with no selfish goals, and with absolutely no intention of perpetuating political power for personal benefits. Mr. Modi is challenging the status quo with an extremely rare ‘catch the bull by the horns’ approach. This approach coupled with resoluteness has promoted an out-of-the-box thinking under the Modi sarkar. This is why the sheer number of innovations in governance that have been conceived and implemented in the last three years makes it the most innovation-friendly government. When one innovates, others get motivated.

With all these efforts, people know that it’s not magic but about confidence and conviction to steer a nation forward.

Vinay Sahasrabuddhe is the national vice president of the Bharatiya Janata Party

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IT’S COMPLICATED | Rahul Narwekar

His government has not kept many of its promises but it must be applauded for enacting certain legislation

Rahul Narwekar

The mandate that the Bharatiya Janata Party and Mr. Modi received has to be evaluated in the context of the promises made in 2014 — namely, internal security, transparency, and reforms. Mere rhetorical announcements will not yield magic.

Not keeping promises

On internal security, we find that Kashmir is on the boil. We are not in a better position, but it could be worse. The government is not doing anything different from the assurances made by the previous United Progressive Alliance government. There were promises made to restore peace and normalcy in the Valley amicably and that the effects of terrorism would not have any fallout in other parts of the country. Looking at the way our soldiers are dying and our borders are being breached, the promise of internal security has not been lived up to. Yes, three years is a short time, but there is a lot that needs to be done.

With regard to reforms and development, the major reforms this government promised, legislative or otherwise, were demonetisation, goods and services tax, and Aadhaar linkages. In a parliamentary democracy, people expect crucial decisions to be taken in a collaborative manner, as a consultative process to be debated in Parliament. That was not done regarding demonetisation. While taking such a drastic decision, the government should be 100% sure of factoring in its effects. The intent may have been noble, but the execution was not as effective as it should have been. People lost their jobs and many their lives. Perhaps in the long run it may help the economy by reducing cash transactions and reducing black money.

There was a promise to create employment — two million telecom jobs with ‘Make in India’ being launched in a big, big way. It is early days yet, but we are nowhere close to what was promised though there are a lot of things in the pipeline. The Commerce and Industry Ministry is stretching itself to ensure that projects on the lines of Make in India are launched. GST and Aadhaar, both proposed in the time of the UPA, are problematic. Aadhaar was introduced as a Money Bill to avoid discussion in the Rajya Sabha. The government could have avoided this. This government had numbers in the Lower House and even in case of a joint sitting, it would have sailed through. The logic of introducing it as a Money Bill is not clear.

GST has been debated for a long time. It was supported by many parties in the Opposition. It had to be rolled out at some point. We should have ensured that the economy does not get out of gear. GST will benefit the country in the long run, but implementation remains a cause for concern.

Steps forward

The government has to be applauded for enacting certain legislation or at least going ahead with bills introduced by the previous government. The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, for instance, will bring in transparency and reduce corruption.

At the same time, if at the end of the day a senior party functionary has been charged with corruption, the government has to speak up. At lower levels, corruption is rampant. The Prime Minister is committed to the cause of secularism, but his partypersons speak in different languages. I have no doubt in mind that at the Prime Minister’s level, there hasn’t been any allegation of corruption. In the UPA time too, the first term did not see corruption charges being laid at the door of the government.

Rahul Narwekar is the spokesperson of the Nationalist Congress Party prior to which he was with the Shiv Sena

- as told to Anuradha Raman