The maximum government

Modi 2.0 is set on fulfilling its poll promises despite the sputtering economy

1135842243 Leading from the front: The lack of opposition unity has come as a boon for Modi and Shah | Getty Images

Investigating agencies made three high-profile arrests even before the Narendra Modi government had completed 100 days in power. They took into custody Congress leader and former home minister P. Chidambaram, his Karnataka party colleague D.K. Shivakumar and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s nephew Ratul Puri.

Modi thus fulfilled a poll promise. “I had worked to bring the corrupt to the doors of jail in the past five years,” he had said in a rally in Gujarat in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls. “If I am given another chance, they would be inside.”

The opposition had been taunting Modi about his anti-corruption drive, asking him why no one had been arrested yet. Modi, who rarely forgets a taunt and has a knack for converting it into political gain, has now responded. The political message to his constituency: Modi has acted decisively, whatever the legal outcome of the corruption cases be.

“This is vendetta politics,” said Congress leader Kapil Sibal. “The law is applied selectively to opposition leaders. Why no action was taken against Kuldeep Sengar [the BJP legislator in Uttar Pradesh accused of rape and murder]? Why was Mukul Roy saved in the Saradha scam case, or other BJP leaders who were accused in various cases allowed to go free? No action is taken against them.”

Making peace: A policeman talking to protesters in Kashmir | AP Making peace: A policeman talking to protesters in Kashmir | AP

Central to Modi 2.0 is its image of being decisive. The massive mandate it received in May only prompts the government to go the full distance in fulfilling its promises. Abrogating Article 370, implementing the National Register of Citizens in Assam, bringing stricter anti-terror laws, criminalising triple talaq, merging public-sector banks and promising to spend Rs100 lakh crore in infrastructure have been the showcase decisions in the first 100 days.

But economic slowdown and loss of jobs have denied the government of the celebratory cheers. The biggest challenge before the government is the GDP growth rate, which has slowed to 5 per cent.

The first 100 days also mark a shift in the course of the 39-year-old BJP, which is heading its third government. The death of former Union ministers Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley in August left a vacuum within the party. Both the leaders had managed to keep the BJP in the centre stage even when it was out of power for 10 long years. In their absence, the BJP has lost two bridges that connected it to the diverse political islands in the national capital. The fading away of the Delhi quartet—a group of L.K. Advani proteges that included Swaraj, Jaitley, Ananth Kumar (who died last year) and vice president Venkaiah Naidu—coincided with the rise of Modi and Amit Shah.

As home minister, Shah has established himself as the undisputed number two in the cabinet. His transformation from being a strategist who won elections for the party to being the most powerful minister signals that he is in for a long innings, and that he aims to bridge the gap left by the Delhi four, particularly Jaitley.

Shah charted the Modi government’s boldest action so far. He steered the voiding of Articles 370 and 35A, integrating Jammu and Kashmir into India and bifurcating the state into two Union territories. The month-long clampdown in the valley invited sharp reactions from the opposition and charges of high-handedness in dealing with the Kashmiris.

Though most opposition leaders in Kashmir are under detention, governments abroad have largely supported India in running its “internal affairs”. There have been incidents of stone pelting, with the government saying the protests were being tackled.

“After abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, all Central laws will apply to the state,” said Union minister Prakash Javadekar. “The people will get development. In the past 35 days, there has not been any firing or killing, barring a small terror incident. Soon, things will be normal.”

The voiding of Article 370 has been the government’s biggest political decision. The BJP has been demanding it since its inception. Shah, along with BJP working president J.P. Nadda and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, met former Jammu and Kashmir governor Jagmohan to kickstart its massive outreach programme to explain to the public the relevance of the decision. The BJP is hopeful that the public support for the decision will see it through in the assembly elections in Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra later this year.

As home minister, Shah’s style of functioning has been different from that of his predecessor, Rajnath Singh. Shah does not shy away from confrontation and hard decisions, and his public statements over the National Register of Citizens in Assam have found resonance in other BJP-ruled states. He has made national security a key issue in the national discourse.

Shah has also managed parliamentary affairs well. He ensured that all BJP members took part in the first session of the 17th Lok Sabha, and that the government had the support of the majority in the opposition-led Rajya Sabha. The government managed to pass over 30 bills in the session, and several MPs from the Telugu Desam Party, the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party switched sides to the BJP.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is tackling her share of challenges. Economic slowdown is threatening to take the sheen away from the Modi government’s performance. On September 9, a day after the government completed 100 days, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers said vehicle sales across all categories had fallen by 23.55 per cent—the worst drop in 20 years. The slowing GDP growth rate and job losses have become the Modi government’s main worry.

Sitharaman met industry leaders, stakeholders and taxmen before she rolled out a slew of measures like merger of banks, sops for the automobile sector, relief from enhanced surcharge on capital gains, withdrawal of angel tax on startup investors and approval of new FDI norms.

The opposition, however, remains unsparing in its criticism. “It is not an economic slowdown; it is an economic shutdown,” said CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury. “The economy has been brought to a halt by this government. Poor policies, in an environment of social disharmony, are a recipe for disaster in a country like ours that is wasting our young population. How many more jobs need to be lost and lives affected before the Modi government at least acknowledges the mess they have made of the economy?”

Among the top ministers, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has evoked a favourable sentiment in the armed forces. The defence establishment feels that there is likely to be stability in the ministry given Singh’s stable outlook and stature. During the previous Modi government, the defence portfolio was held by Jaitley, Manohar Parrikar and Sitharaman.

Modi has announced a major defence reform that had been in limbo for decades. In his Independence Day speech, he said the government will establish the post of chief of defence staff for better coordination among the armed forces.

As external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar has settled in his role. The bureaucrat-turned-politician plays a crucial role in India’s diplomatic engagement with the world. Despite Pakistan trying to internationalise the Kashmir issue, world leaders have supported India’s stance. Modi’s engagement with foreign leaders was seen during the first 100 days as he visited Bhutan, Bahrain, Russia, France, Sri Lanka and the UAE.

A key decision that attracted attention across India was the amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act, which brought in steep penalties for traffic violations. The proposed changes, which had been hanging fire since the Congress-led government’s days, were passed by the Modi government in the budget session. Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari defended the changes, saying they would instil discipline.

Harsh decisions that cause trouble to the people often enhance the stature of politicians enforcing them. In the case of demonetisation, despite all the pain and chaos, the BJP managed to reap the political dividend. “People will get used to it,” said Javadekar. “These penalties are aimed at instilling discipline. [Indiscipline] kills lakhs every year. In the next three to four months, the situation will be normal.”

Gadkari has a crucial task before him as the government seeks to spend 0100 lakh crore on infrastructure. He had faced questions from the Prime Minister’s Office over the economic viability of highway projects. The National Highways Authority of India has been struggling to service its debt, but Gadkari maintains that there is adequate funding. “Look at my track record. I have always raised funds,” he said.

Despite the difficulties, the lack of opposition unity has come as a boon for the Modi government. The first 100 days of the government coincided with the continued fracturing of the opposition camp. The Congress’s ham-handed efforts to choose its new president, the breakdown of the BSP-SP alliance in Uttar Pradesh and the fall of the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress government in Karnataka have all worked in favour of the saffron party.

The next big decision keenly awaited by BJP supporters involves the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. With the Supreme Court holding back-to-back hearings in the case related to it, there is hope that the final verdict may come before the end of this year—possibly in another 100 days.

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