Two years since he took office, the Prime Minister’s track record is a mixed bag. He needs to improve delivery of good governance
There are many assessments, some flattering and some not so flattering, of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two years in office. While his supporters admire him, his critics and the Opposition bash him for not fulfilling poll promises. His voters are waiting for achche din, but the problem confronting the Prime Minister is how to deliver on the promises. Nobody knows better than Modi that election rhetoric cannot be delivered in five years.
Many feel that Modi must do some midway course-correction as the third year of his term is crucial. He has already missed the opportunity of pushing hard decisions when the honeymoon period lasted. The Prime Minister must not look back, but look to the future.
Modi is known for his energy and his drive. But he has to deal with the judiciary, Parliament, a belligerent Opposition, natural calamities, a stubborn bureaucracy and a vibrant media. It is not as if the Modi Government has not done anything. In the first two years, Modi came up with innovative schemes including, Make in India, Skill India, Swachch Bharat, Start-up India, Stand-up India, Ujwala scheme, Jandhan Yojna, crop insurance scheme etc. While many of these schemes have been successfully launched, some lack implementation.
This is where the bureaucracy, legislators and parliamentarians matter. Modi has asked his party members to spend at least seven nights in their constituencies to propagate his Government’s developmental agenda.
A part of the problem is also due to the emergence of aspirational class of voters who want the good life. With a 65 per cent youth population, this was Modi’s strength during the 2014 polls when he promised good governance and development. However, the mismatch is the impatience of the voters in relation to the pace of development. That is why this half-full, half-empty situation with supporters claiming half-full and the critics claiming half-empty. If things do not improve by next year, disenchantment will set in.
The daunting task before the Modi Government is to revive the economy alongwith building a rapport with the distressed farming community and the creation of jobs for the youths. The Wall Street Journal, on February 24, said, “For now, Modi appears to believe he can run India the same way he ran Gujarat. He has centralised authority in a powerful secretariat and prefers working directly with bureaucrats rather than delegating to his Cabinet colleagues. He often runs through checklists of stalled infrastructure and industrial projects himself.”
On the plus side, the economy seems to be looking up with a 7.5 per cent growth prediction for the next two years. Modi’s Gujarat experience, such as his willingness to woo investors and efforts to make doing business easier, have transferred well. Despite a global downturn, foreign direct investment rose 24 per cent to $42 billion in 2015. On the job front, much more needs to be done,
Second, despite knowing that it is not possible to change the system overnight, Modi has raised too much hopes within the country and outside. Third, Team Modi needs to be more pragmatic. While surveys about the Modi Government’s two years’ performance give more marks to the Prime Minister, Team Modi has not got a good rating.
Fourth, Modi is facing a problem with the non-BJP Governments. Upstart Chief Ministers like Arvind Kejriwal and old timers like Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar do not miss any opportunity to criticise the Prime Minister. While Modi had been talking of cooperative federalism, this confrontational attitude does not auger well for either side.
Fifth, real or imaginary, the BJP needs to correct the impression that the development agenda has been snatched. On the social side, minorities feel insecure. Politically, one consolation for Modi is that the country may be moving towards a ‘Congress-mukt Bharat’. On the other hand, Delhi to Bihar, the BJP has steadily lost momentum. Allies in Maharashtra, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh have become restless. The BJP needs to send out ther message that it is listening to its coalition partners.
In Parliament, Modi will continue to face hurdles to get crucial Bills passed. A conciliatory tone can perhaps yield results.