`One year ago there was a tsunami of promises and dreams by
the BJP before the elections. But once the BJP came to power it forgot everything. Since then there has been a complete reversal
of the promised policies and programmes,’’said Anand Sharma, former minister
and spokesperson for the Congress party.
On the other side of the political spectrum, Arun Jaitley,
the Finance Minister claimed that “Modi restored the dignity of the Prime
Minister which had disappeared during the previous regime and he has convinced
the countryman that authority of the Prime Minister is supreme in every
decision-makingâ€.
One year into the NDA rule led by BJP, a non-partisan group
also argued that that BJP rule was not a disaster as some had predicted or a
resounding success as their party faithful proclaims. The truth may lie
somewhere between.
During a recent interview, one of the esteemed anchors of an
Indian TV network operating in the U.S. asked me
whether I was impressed with the ‘Jan DhanYojana’ program the Prime Minister
has initiated, which has already created a whopping14 Crore new accounts. Of
course, it is impressive statistics; however, the trouble with that simple
assumption is that it is just half of the story. As many as 24 Crore people had
already had signed up for the ‘Zero frills bank account’ prior to the present
government which renamed the existing
program as ‘Jan DhanYojana’.
It is said that imitation is the best form of flattery and
for the Congress leaders, it must be redemption time as the Modi Government
continues with many of their initiated plans, only under a different
banner. Giving a little credit to the
UPA would have gone a long way towards creating unity and purpose across the
aisle.The larger question one needs to ponder here is whether the whole
campaign about “achche din aa gaya†is mere sloganeering or based on facts and
figures.
At the outset, the
BJP’s charges about Congress obstructing its legislative agenda is laughable,
as the BJP has opposed everything from Indo-US Civil Nuclear Treaty to
Insurance Bill and FDI in multi-brand retail to name a few..They have so
vehemently raised all the roadblocks in their power to derail the previous
administration’s efforts. Since they have succeeded now in passing 50 some
Bills in its first year, Congress cannot pose as large an obstruction as the
BJP touts.
If one examines the economic indicators, Modi’s economy was
sluggish to say the least in spite of having the good fortune of low crude oil
prices. Growth in 8 core industrial sectors was mere 3.5%, and exports
contracted by 11.19% to 23.88 billion compared to 26.89 billion in the same
month of 2014. Although Modi promised 10 crore jobs in 5 years, if the
April-June job growth of 1.17 lakhs is correct, that dream is quite
far-fetched. If the inflation is
contained as it is claimed, it is largely due to the decline in oil prices. Yet,
food items such as Milk and pulses show a steady increase in prices while no
savings from the oil have been passed on to the consumers.
While the economic conditions largely remain intact for
ordinary citizens, Modi’s government has slashed social spending by Rs.
1,75,122 crores in one year alone, undermining the very concept of inclusive
and equitable development. All sectors including Agriculture, Welfare of
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Panchayat Raj, Women and Child
development and Education suffered cuts including UPA’s flagship program for
the rural poor called MGNREGA.
After soaring through the political landscape by accusing
the Congress of corruption at high places, BJP has done very little to allay
the concerns of the ordinary citizens on this count. 30 per cent of the Council
of Ministers have criminal charges pending against them. These include
attempted murder, accusations of rape, inciting communal disharmony and
electoral violations.
What happened to the promise of transparency and clean
governance? “Whenever the PM sees an institution that is constitutional, that
people have faith in, he wants to end it as he wants all power with himself and
corporates†said Mrs. Gandhi, President of Congress party in a rare
intervention in a parliament session. She was indeed referring to the power
grab by the PMO and alleged undermining of popular institution such as RTI
(Right to Information Act)’ by keeping the leading position (CIC) vacant.
Former Defence Minister A. K. Antony, who is known for his
integrity, has accused the NDA government of “neglecting national security,
ignoring security lapses and ultimately compromised national securityâ€. He
questioned the wisdom of surrendering Rs. 29000 crores from the current budget
cycle while slashing the manpower by half of the “Mountain Strike Corps†which
was created to face increased Chinese buildup. He also faulted the Modi
government of dragging its feet on the One-Rank – One pension scheme that
should have been effective from April 2014.
Prime Minister Modi has been widely acclaimed for his
successful foreign travels. Previous Prime Ministers have done the same without
this much pomp and ceremony. At the end of the day, one would have to ask
‘where is the beef’? The purchase of Rafael jets from France is
surrounded by hypocrisy and double talk! The ‘Make in India’ slogan was given away to make in France,
eliminating the public sector HAL probably for the sake of a future tie-up with
preferred corporations!
On his visit to Korea, the Prime Minister declared
that Indians were ashamed of their nationality until he became prime minister!
I do not know about you; as for me, I was always proud of my motherland yet
willing to see its problems and shortcomings from a resolution perspective. The
efforts of Non-Resident Indians over last three decades have contributed so
much to the transformation of the world in the field of Technology, Science and
Medicine, earning the respect for mother India, particularly from the people
from the west. It is sad to see any politician taking away the fruits of their
hard labor!
Finally, is what we see with this government is perception
or reality? About five years ago, the campaign of the ‘Gujarat Model’ has
surfaced building up the image of Modi who is said to have transformed Gujarat into a modern miracle. Today, the Comptroller
& Auditor General (CAG) report, which was published recently, tore apart
the tall claims of the state government led by former the Chief Minister
Narendra Modi, particularly in terms of agricultural growth, social indicators,
as well as public spending on social infrastructure, fiscal discipline, right
to education, and law and order. Gujarat is
ranked 12 among states for its Human Development Index, and has a permanent
underclass mainly consisting of minorities. Unless the citizen on the street is
vigilant, he may be once again swallowed up by the ongoing hoopla of an
imaginary world! When it comes to ‘achche din’ let reality be real!
(The writer is a former Chief Technology Officer of the
United Nations and Chairman of the Indian National Overseas Congress, USA)
