Modi's 100 days:

September 02/2014 :  The Narendra Damodardas Modi government completes 100 days in office today, September 2. There’s little to cheer, some jeer. That is, if all of us expected a different government this time, after the 2014 General Elections, we sure do feel let down. There are those who call the performance of the NDA government, run by the BJP with a clear majority, a lacklustre one. It is true that a clear judgment needs more time. On the other hand, if we go by the morning, the day seems not too bright.

Prime Minister Modi himself seems to be treading the path with caution. At the same time, it is clear he is having his way; whether it is with the government or with the party that has become kind of his personal fiefdom. The RSS reservations did not prevent Damodardas from successfully pushing his favoured man, Amit Shah, for party president's post. Nor has Modi dithered in his agenda to put veterans like LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi in the ‘old age home’. Not many, however, are bothered with these veterans’ plight, which goes to show how people’s mood and loyalties change with times. Plus, like they say, what goes around, comes around. This is definitely true for the BJP.

On the governance front, the Prime Minister is getting his way with the Congress-appointed Governors, who, one by one, are being eased out by a mix of persuasion and muscle-flexing. Modi is paying the Congress back in its own coin, but at the same time he is also proving that political considerations weigh in his mind over and above administrative niceties. Although none of the ousted Governors had faced criticism of acting beyond their brief or beyond their call of duty, they all have proven their desire to stick to power shamelessly.

Narendra Modi came up with a cabinet that was short on experience – something that could be because the BJP did not have very many former Union ministers other than the ‘old and tired’ ones. We believe experience is always gained through hard work and so fresh faces were not considered bad. However, the other issue that has been  brewing within the party circles, that of too many favourites having been picked from the Rajya Sabha and thereby ignoring candidates who slogged and won seats in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections does seem correct. Especially those cases seem strange where the RS members inducted in the ministry had fought and got defeated in the recent elections. Many of those who have been drafted for the specialised jobs of handling various ministries are yet to catch up with the rudiments of governance. Added to their problems is that, quite unusually, here is a Prime Minister who seems to be breathing down their necks, day in and day out. In the appointment of personal assistants, in taking policy decisions, signing of a deal or even having dinner, the new PM lords over everything. In fact, it seems that the message is not to perform, but to let go and leave everything to the PMO. This is a scene that befits a state Chief Minister with a limited liability. Modi, with a bunch of retired but reinstated officers, is bent upon concentrating all powers of the executive in his little world. It does not require much intelligence to figure out whether the Modi style will work to the advantage or disadvantage of the governance process at the apex of the administrative apparatus in this country.

Modi’s government talked about introduction of Bullet trains in the Railway budget, but there is no clear perspective as to how to put the Railways and its services into proper shape at the ground level. Modi talked about plans to turn India into a hub for manufacturing of defence equipment. A large part of the exchequer’s money has for long years been funnelled to foreign entities by way of costs and commissions in armament purchases. If India could get set and stem this flow, that should be good. But this is a field where India has not yet experimented, leave alone excelled, and the chances of its success can at best be doubtful. And that's a huge risk.

Unlike the Germans in heavy equipment or the Japanese in consumer electronic goods, India is yet to achieve any kind of technological excellence other than in the crafting and launching of rockets or missiles. Even at low levels, the only vehicle that India sold to the outside world is Mahindra Tractors, which the Chinese had lapped up in the middle of their agrarian revolution. The cars that run on Indian roads, including Maruti, have their technology crafted and perfected abroad. Assembling is where Indian hands do well. It is no wonder that the only automobile pride of India, the Birla built Ambassador, had become a fossil long many decades ago.

One needs to look at Modi’s outreach programmes with the neighbourhood and the Far East, to be followed by a visit to the US later. While the SAARC invitation for his inauguration was well-appreciated, indications are that it cut no ice with most of the nations including the Pakistanis, who keep shelling Indian targets with increased ferocity every day. Pakistan’s engagement with the militants and separatist elements in India also showed no let-up past the Modi-Sharif meet. India, by breaking up the Secretary level dialogue, has set a pre condition for resumption of talks which seems very undiplomatic. In today's situation, no one in the Damodardas set up probably knows how talks with Pakistan could be resumed. In fact, the situation has only gotten worse. The nation is not clear on Modi's US agenda yet. His recent Japan visit was dominated by Adani, Ruia presence while the absence of Mukesh Ambani and Sushma Swaraj raised eyebrows. Is our PM doing his foreign jaunts only to facilitate the business growth of his selected industrialist cronies alone? That will be under scrutiny too, in the coming months.

With so many issues crying for attention, the present government’s priorities look awkward. Coming months would tell how it proves its mettle. One can only hope, for the benefit of the nation, that the Modi government will sincerely work for the people and not just focus on big business interests.