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Why India needs MODI-fication

Posted by ABC Sunday, 14 July 2013 0 comments



In the last decade of its governance, the UPA government has been struggling with scams and scandals and has failed to provide sound governance and economic growth. It has been unabashedly defending its economic policies and the allegations of corruption and embezzlement against its key ministers. Rising inflation, falling rupee and the lack of accountability has beleaguered the citizens of India who have been mute spectators to this nightmare. No doubt the criminals are prowling the streets with impunity in this 'holistic' environment.

With the 2014 Lok Sabha elections approaching, there is a huge clamour in the media about Mr. Narendra Modi’s (henceforth referred to as NaMo) capabilities to turn the tables on the UPA government. Arguably, NaMo presents a sound and convincing candidature at a time when the entire nation is gurgling with scams and scandals. Let us consider the following arguments for NaMo being a ‘suitable’ prime ministerial candidate:

1. The citizens of India are deeply anguished and disgruntled at the inefficiency of the present dispensation. Not only has the present government failed in achieving its objectives for high economic growth and development, it has become complacent after winning elections in succession. Little has it realised, it seems, that its triumph was less because of its own propaganda and more because of infighting and differences among the opposition parties.

2.  There aren’t many alternatives for a suitable Prime Minister. The present party projects a reluctant dynast on one hand and an ageing economist on the other. One is still struggling with his philosophy of India being a beehive and power being poison while the other seems to have succumbed to his reticence. As far as other political parties are concerned, most of them are confined to their respective states and are devoid of any significant achievement or ideology at the national level.

3.  With their own hands dipped in blood, those in opposition to NaMo have been shamelessly playing the communal card. Some of them have themselves been involved in communal pogroms and many others have criminal cases pending against them, but they are bent upon vilifying NaMo and disproving his secular credentials. Neither the findings of SITs nor the judgements of the High Courts seem to satisfy them.

4.  The 2002 anti-Muslim Gujarat riots is an indelible blot on the history of perhaps the most progressive state of India. But NaMo must be appreciated for allowing an unprejudiced investigation and bringing the ‘culprits’ to book. A 17% share in the Muslim vote and a victory in the Assembly elections for three successive terms is indeed a slap in the face of those who boast of their secular credentials but are oblivious to the plight of the minorities in their own states and the ways in which they are discriminated and butchered.

5.  India has not witnessed any significant shift in its electoral dynamics largely because of dynastic politics. Be it Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar or Tamil Nadu, the leaders have meticulously ensured that the power is transferred into the hands of their children in successive terms. As a result, the political mechanism has been profoundly affected by the vested family interests of the concerned political parties. NaMo ‘fortunately’ does not have a family to promote.

6.  NaMo not only have a decisive personality, he is assertive as a leader and efficient as an administrator. No major scam broke out in the last decade of his governance. He has a vision for India and a clear roadmap to achieve his goals. He has brought the state of Gujarat to the altar of high economic growth and development. He has fought brilliantly against poverty, unemployment and malnutrition.


It is high time we elect a government to power that can rid India of poverty, unemployment and malnutrition. A leader who can embark the nation on the trajectory of high economic growth and development is the need of the hour. We need a leader who can exercise his power for public welfare and development, who has a clear vision for India and most importantly a leader who can rise and think above trivial political quagmires to restore our identity as Indians.

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What is to be done?

Posted by ABC Friday, 12 July 2013 0 comments
“The economy grows at night when the government is asleep.”

Ironically, in India’s case, the government’s state of somnolence in the last decade has not facilitated significant economic growth and development. It has instead led to an economic slowdown and exacerbated the state of inflation and unemployment. The government has not only failed to provide a sound and progressive governance, it has bettered its own record of lawlessness and poor governance. The exposure of scams and scandals one after the other has only led to massive economic loss and brought great disrepute to the nation. Unimaginative amounts of taxpayer’s money has been siphoned off and embezzled down the drain that finds its way to the coffers of unscrupulous politicians and the government has been unabashedly trying to defend its ministers off the alleged charges of money laundering. The menace of corruption has reached alarming proportions, the Indian rupee is depreciating against the foreign currency and the unaccountable government shamelessly takes pride in calling this as “Bharat nirmaan”. All this has resulted in widespread resentment among the masses and a miasma of fear and suffocation has gripped the entire nation – the fear of failing in our commitments to make India a developed nation, the fear of failing in alleviating poverty and hunger, the fear of failing in curbing the menace of corruption and the consequently the fear of failing to secure a brighter future for tomorrow. It seems we have become oblivious to the tryst we made with destiny on the eve of independence. It seems we have become complacent post the emphatic success of 1991 economic reforms. It seems we have not succeeded in bridging the divide between demand and supply, the dive between the haves and the have-nots, the divide between surplus and deficit. What was once perceived as the engine of growth in the 21st century has already started showing signs of breakdown.


In such a grim scenario, we need to rethink our ideologies and revamp our policies to subdue the lurking negative sentiments and tread a path for better economic growth and development. There is an urgent need to reform the ley institutions of governance – the bureaucracy, the judiciary and the executive. This calls for an equitable distribution and decentralisation of power among all the states and to incentivize them to direct the same down the hierarchy for more vigorous local self-government. We need an emboldened and an assertive government that can energetically push the agenda for the second generation of economic reforms. It is high time the corrupt and the inefficient were brought to book who have been betraying the trust bestowed on them by the citizens of India and who have been shamelessly maligning the political arena with their unethical, illegal and corrupt practices. The need of the hour is to bring an end to the dynastic politics that has meticulously ensured perpetuation of power from the hands of one generation of corrupt leader to other. The Indian youth must think prudently before exercising their right to vote so that we do not end up electing a government that is busy in establishing its idea of India being a beehive and power being poison, a government that is bent upon disproving the secular credentials of its rivals, a government that only aims at appeasing minorities to secure its vote bank, a government that succumbs to the demands of its allies every now and then to continue to remain in power. It is high time our identity as Indians sis restored.
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Baiting Voters

Posted by ABC Wednesday, 10 July 2013 0 comments


Exemplary display of money and muscle power is the chief characteristic of elections in India, however free and fair they may be. While some electorate stoop to undignified levels to exploit the cult of ethnicity and incite communal passions, many others tend to woo the voters by offering them freebies prior to the elections. It is a common perception among some politicians that voters can be encouraged to vote in their favour on the basis of material gratification rather than larger political and ideological issues. The Election Commission has often issued guidelines asking the political parties to limit the expenditure on their election propaganda; it has often failed to crack the whip on the offenders. As a result, distribution of largesse in the form of colour TVs, laptops, mixer-grinders, gold, liquor and even cash to the ‘eligible’ and ‘deserving’ voters has become a rampant practice in India. It is a scathing attack on the true spirit of democracy because these offerings induce the voters to vote in favour of the candidate of a particular political party, thereby affecting the level-playing field between the candidates, which in turn disrupts a free and fair election. It is an attack on the dignity of voters who are seen merely as votes and who can be tamed to dance to the tune of a particular electorate by offering such baits. A sharp change in the electoral dynamics of several states bear a testimony to the effect strategic distribution of money has had on election results.


It is imperative for the citizens to realise that such strategic distribution of freebies is a sheer wastage of the taxpayer’s money. Large sums of public money is spent on purchasing these freebies that are ‘gifted’ to individuals belonging to certain castes or sections of society and have their names on the electoral roll. It is indeed a corrupt practice that is leading to widespread resentment among the educated middle class. On the other hand, the beneficiaries feel too overwhelmed at the generosity of these politicians that they hail them as the true well-wishers, their supreme saviours and even incarnation of God! They, however, fail to see through the nefarious designs behind such unscrupulous practice. They fail to realise the fact that wastage of public money to provide short term monetary benefits will adversely affect the economic growth in the long run. They fail to understand that why their elected representatives often complain of dearth of funds for public welfare and development in the aftermath of elections even when a huge budget is sanctioned to their governments from the Centre. Perhaps they are hardly left with any money when a chunk of it is spent to appease the disgruntled voters and even a greater chunk of it is siphoned off!


The need of the hour is to shun obnoxious notions that voters have a legitimate share in the booty that has been garnered by burning a hole in their own pockets. As observed by the Supreme Court, freebies shake the root of free and fair elections; therefore, it is incumbent on the Election Commission to play a proactive role in strengthening the provisions of Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act. It should formulate guidelines for manifesto to be included in the Moral Code of Conduct in order to ensure sound and effective future governance. The media should assist in discouraging this corrupt practice and enlighten the citizens of the benefits they stand to lose in the long run by accepting largesse at the time of elections. Voters ought to think prudently and rely on their own wisdom and be aware of their fundamental rights before succumbing to these baits.
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National Food Security Bill : A Critical Analysis

Posted by ABC Tuesday, 9 July 2013 1 comments



The National Food Security Bill envisages food security for nearly 67% of India’s population by providing 5kg of rice, wheat or coarse grains at highly subsidised prices under the Public Distribution System. However, it remains to be seen that such populist measures being undertaken more with the intention to garner the votes of rural poor, would act as a panacea and rid India of malnutrition and hunger. With the Lok Sabha elections approaching and the Supreme Court’s direction to the Election Commission of India to frame guidelines to monitor the expenditure incurred on election propaganda and distribution of freebies by various political parties prior to elections, the government’s sudden decision to promulgate an ordinance for food security, violating the Parliamentary procedures seem to have dampened the spirits of the “well –intentioned” programme. No doubt the Parliament sessions succumbed to the pandemonium created by the Opposition, their objections should not have been perceived as threat to the government’s intentions.


There are many contentious issues that need to be considered in this regard:

  1. By supplying rice at Rs. 3 per kg, wheat at Rs. 2 per kg and coarse cereals at Rs. 1 per kg to the target groups, the government is set to raise its subsidy bill by Rs. 1,24,000 crores which is supposed to burn a huge hole in the government’s pocket and widen the already huge fiscal deficit. With the major economies of the world facing a slowdown, lack of preparedness and adequate resources to finance its deficit might have a detrimental effect on the growth of the Indian economy.

  2. There is an urgent need to reform the Public Distribution System and revitalise the agricultural sector. Before rolling out a new programme, the government should ensure plugging of leakages and pilferage and at the same time create adequate storage facilities to safeguard its food supplies.

  3. Identification of the targeted beneficiaries continues to a subject of debate and contention. A slight change in the identification criteria of the poverty line can have a huge implication on a large number of families. In many states, the cases of fraudulent BPL ration cards are rampant and the benefits of the government’s schemes seldom reach the poor. We are yet to devise a suitable method to bring all the eligible individuals on record which has led to the diversion of food grains to open market by unscrupulous agents.

  4. As the government aims to procure large quantities of food grains to meet the targets of the proposed bill, the household budgets of the non-beneficiaries may be adversely affected as there might be an unprecedented rise in the prices of food grains in the open market.

It is therefore incumbent on the government to analyse the long term consequences of such measures and not merely adopt them with a myopic view of securing its vote bank. The whole chain of food distribution needs to be strengthened structurally so that the new schemes do not meet the same fate as the old ones or are rendered ineffective with time. Any framing of food security must take into account the implication it may have on society. The government should look beyond its political and economic considerations if it actually wants to rid India of hunger and malnutrition.
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My blog is an innovative amalgamation of my thoughts, how i perceive and react to different events in the ordinary business of life and at the same time entertain the readers and sensitize them.
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