Dawn of hope begins
When Narendra Damodardas Modi took oath as Prime Minister at the bustling forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday, it was a historic occasion for the man of the moment, the BJP, and most importantly, for India. As millions of people glued to TV sets to witness the grand ceremony, the new Prime Minister carried hope, aspiration and dreams of an entire nation desperate to dump the dubious legacy of the UPA Government.
With Modi at the helm of affairs, a new era has started for the BJP that for decades struggled to unite the nation under the banner of cultural nationalism and fought against the policy of “appeasement.” The passion with which the BJP cadre celebrated Modi’s swearing-in across the nation clearly shows that the party is geared up to be a perfect bridge between the people and the Government.
The frenzy around Modi’s coronation travelled beyond the boundary of India as well. The presence of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Sri lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as also the leaders of other SAARC nations, is nothing short of a diplomatic coup carried out by a leader who has little experience in dealing with the nuances of international diplomacy.
Now, the major world powers and the international investment community are bound to turn their focus back on India, which invited worldwide ridicule for its policy inaction and corruption during the better part of the UPA II. Besides wooing much-needed foreign investment, Modi’s major test will involve forcing Pakistan dismantle the terror network on its soil and putting pressure on China to stop repeated incursion into Indian territory. Both the issues go beyond semantics and have deep-rooted emotional components.
It is the burden of hope that could be the biggest challenge for Modi, who has promised to transform the lives of everyone, whether farmers or the corporate, poor labourers or even humble tea vendors. After months of high-pitched campaign, Modi has formally got in the driver’s seat. The race may have just begun for him, but he does not have much time in hand. His critics will not waste a day in pouncing upon him if he falters even a bit.
Modi clearly realises this onerous task. In his first message to the nation after taking oath, he said, “On 16th May, 2014, the people of India gave their verdict. They delivered a mandate for development, good governance and stability.”
He went on to add, “As we devote ourselves to take India’s development journey to newer heights, we seek your support, blessings and active participation. Together we will script a glorious future for India. let us together dream of a strong, developed and inclusive India that actively engages with the global community to strengthen the cause of world peace and development.”
With the dawn of Modi era, the sun has set on old guards like lK Advani and MM Joshi, the two former BJP presidents, who watched from the sidelines the coronation of a man who started as foot soldier when they led the party as its powerful generals. Advani and Joshi have reasons to be nostalgic about decades of hard work and sacrifices that they, along with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, made to resurrect the BJP from a two-seat party in 1984 to a vibrant force that captured the imagination of the masses. While Modi could still accommodate them in the party and the NDA, their story underlines the watershed transition within the party and the emergence of Modi as a leader more powerful than even Vajpayee. The former PM had to live with a series of compromises during his six-year stint as Prime Minister of a coalition that survived on the crutches of cantankerous allies.
Secured with absolute majority and aware that the party owed its success to his tireless campaign and charismatic persona, Modi has ignored the age-old criteria of caste and regional balance to decide on his team. While Team Modi is not radically different from Team Vajpayee, but the choice of the Cabinet bears stamp of Modi’s absolute authority. If Modi can pick up even an inexperienced Smriti Irani in his Cabinet ahead of seniors, it shows that few within the party can resist or stand against him. This decisiveness sharply contrast with the timidity of outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who could not keep out even tainted ministers from his Cabinet due to pressure from the allies.
It is this decisiveness that has raised hope that India will break the shackles of inaction and move into a fast lane of economic recovery. Modi has raised such wild hopes that mere trickle-down effect of economic revival may not satisfy the appetite of the middle class and those at the lowest step of economic ladder. Now, a vast majority of these people would want more than the leftover of economic revival and hope to celebrate the arrival of “good days” beyond symbolism. This was the reason Modi’s swearing-in generated such frenzy and hysteria even among those who looked at political class with gross contempt and cynicism.
For the BJP, the Modi era has begun with its expansion as pan-India force from a party that was confined mainly to eight or nine States. The BJP will hope that Modi will now be able to turn it into a powerful force in State like West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Seemandhra, Telengana, and North-Eastern States. In addition to expansion and consolidation, the BJP has to also ensure that while focusing on priorities like containing inflation and plugging in internal security challenges, the Modi Government does not ignore several issues that emotionally resonate for the core constituents and support base of the larger “parivar.” Between desi and videshi, Modi will have to walk a tightrope, as, despite such astounding majority, he could ill afford to antagonise the cadre, which, among other issues, has also backed the party for its promise to build Ram Temple at Aydhoya and usher in Uniform Civil Code.
For the nation, Modi symbolises hope and challenge. Battling sub-five per cent growth, ever growing government borrowing, rising inflation and falling industrial production, India today needs a decisive government and powerful leadership. A surge of optimism flows though the nation, and the international investment community and corporate India are watching with hope that Modi will revive the sagging economy and rewrite India’s growth story.
Cross border terrorism, border issues with China, internal security, unemployment, kick-starting highways and infrastructure projects, and refueling power sector will remain some key challenges for Modi. But going beyond them, he will have to also ensure that India marches ahead as a “unified’ nation, resplendent in its diversity and plurality, and ready to bury its caste and communal divide to transform the lives of its aam aadmi.