It seems the goal of achieving a ‘New India’ will elude us if the BJP-led NDA Government at this crucial juncture fails to rethink strategies, offer an invigorated vision and take bold decisions

Following Narendra Modi’s massive win in India’s general election this year and securing a larger mandate for a second-consecutive term (the Bharatiya Janata Party increased its seat tally to 303 in 2019 against the 282 it got in the 2014 election) the Prime Minister promised to build a “new India.”

Marking the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma a few weeks ago on the banks of the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad, the Prime Minister appealed to the audience to participate in building a New India on the lines of Gandhiji’s dream of an India, “which is clean and environment-friendly; where every individual is fit and healthy; where every mother and child is nourished and where every citizen feels safe. An India which is free from discrimination and has harmony. An India which will follow the ideals of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas (Together with all, development for all, trust of all). These principles of Bapu will be our guiding light to achieve our goal of a New India.”

Politics of convenience, opportunism, tokenism and appeasement, protests against the withdrawal of the Special Protection Group (SPG) cover for the Gandhi family, elevation of Pragya Thakur, the BJP MP and charge-sheeted Malegaon blasts accused to Parliament’s Consultative Committee on Defence (though she has been kicked off it now), audacious political coup and lack of transparency in political funding are the worrying features of the Indian political discourse.

The big question is whether Modi’s “New India” can be any different? The Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government has so far got a mixed scorecard.

The flagship successes of the Modi Government’s first term on the welfare front are the health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat Yojana, rural electrification, free LPG cylinders under the Ujjwala Yojana scheme, Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and the digital transfer of subsidies.

On the infrastructure front, there has been a steep rise in the building of roads, highways and metro networks. The progress of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) under Housing For All 2022 initiative has been satisfactory.

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and Goods and Services Tax (GST) to foster one nation, one tax, have also been fairly successful. Plus, the abrogation of Article 370 is said to be the biggest achievement of the NDA 2.0 Government so far.

Now, what are the debacles?

The failures are broadly listed as the poor state of economic management, acute joblessness, the agrarian crisis, weakening of institutions and subjugation of critics. Besides, corruption in Modi’s India is evidenced by the Transparency International report ranking India at 78 out of 180 countries. According to a Forbes piece, “Modi’s Government has been fighting corruption in the wrong places, among the country’s poor. And it has left corruption thriving in the high places, among the country’s rich.”

What conclusions should we draw after scrutinising successes and failures?

It seems the goal of achieving a “New India” will elude us if the BJP-led NDA Government at this crucial juncture fails to rethink strategies, offer an invigorated vision and take bold decisions.

World Bank Group President David Malpass recently asked for more reforms and innovation to improve India’s growth rate.

Put differently, the narrative of “New India” is taking a beating which can only be built on the foundations of reform measures pertaining to national core interests.

According to a special report on India by Max Rodenbeck in The Economist, “despite strides in raising living standards, Indians are not growing more cheerful. In 2018 they ranked alarmingly low in a Gallup survey of global well-being: Just three per cent said they were ‘thriving’, compared with 21 per cent of the Chinese. Moreover, India had sunk faster on the ‘happiness index’ than Egypt, Greece or Yemen, which endured a collapsed revolution, national bankruptcy and a fierce civil war respectively. Strikingly, too, for a society so defined by caste, language and creed, India scored low on measures of social support.”

Moreover, a report based on the latest consumer expenditure survey — Key Indicators: Household Consumer Expenditure in India — conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Indian consumer spending fell for the first time in four decades. It means in 2011-12, the average amount spent by an Indian was `1,501 but by 2017-18, this amount fell to `1,446.

However, the Government has reportedly decided not to release the leaked survey citing data quality issues. According to an official statement, the Ministry is separately examining the feasibility of conducting the next consumer expenditure survey in 2020-21 and 2021-22 after incorporating all data quality refinements in the survey process.

What does it mean? It means that the country is unlikely to have an estimate of poverty for a period of 10 years. This, in any case, does not alter the fact that the overall state of affairs is gloomy. The question now is whether achieving the goal of a “New India” would get lost in a political quagmire or Modi would work through the proactive policy framework while chasing his dream. Because Modi must know that only by offering a more compelling economic and social vision can he get closer to his dreams.

It’s a transformative Government that holds the key to a “new India.” And for the Modi Government to be considered truly transformative, it must deal with the issues which continue to pose hurdles in the progress of our nation. This is no easy task given that the conventions are deeply ingrained, even seductive. India’s political class has so far exploited enough of the gap between rhetoric and reality, between haves and have-nots and between the elite and the ordinary people.

Therefore the agenda for New India lies in ushering in fundamental political reform. For instance, changing the political system to make it more transparent and accountable, removing the nexus between politicians, police, and criminal, strengthening the social fabric as also ensuring greater cooperation across the political spectrum on issues of national importance.

The list though does not claim to cover all aspects of India’s governance challenges but, high intention, earnest efforts and sincere execution can pave the way for healthier, happier and harmonious India.

And why not? In the words of French scholar Sylvia Levi, “She (India) has left indelible imprints on one-fourth of the human race in the course of a long succession of centuries. She has the right to reclaim ... her place amongst the great nations summarising and symbolising the spirit of humanity. From Persia to the Chinese sea, from the icy regions of Siberia to the Islands of Java and Borneo, India has propagated her beliefs, her tales and her civilisation!”

The BJP-led NDA Government with an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha, is expected to play a more forceful role in projecting India as a powerful regional and new global power.  Prime Minister Modi has to demonstrate more leadership qualities on national issues. The dream of a “New India” will be realised once we ensure improved life for one and all, with the opportunity for everyone according to his/her ability or achievement. And, I will be pleased to write another piece explaining that the “New India” dream is alive and happening for an overwhelming majority of Indians.

(The writer is former DGM, IIC, New Delhi and General Manager, International Centre Goa)