It is difficult to understand what Prime Minister Narendra Modi means when he says that reforms have to be people-driven and insulated from the political process.
For, when has one ever heard of reforms driven by the people except in flowery rhetoricIJ Reforms are Government initiatives, and if our well-meaning Prime Minister has intentions of inviting public participation to highlight the changes called for on various fronts, it would be a fantastic idea. No doubt, there is an urgent need to accelerate economic reforms that Mr Modi has been speaking of so often. But will people-driven reforms have any bearing on his agendaIJ
Moreover, his contention that reform has to be insulated from the political process lacks conviction and appears to be the fervent wish of a leader who has time and again had the misfortune of witnessing well-intended proposals scuttled due to political opposition. The lack of political will has always been an impediment.