Modi is the best India has had. UP by-poll results and Opposition be damned
In two months from now, the Modi government will complete four years in office. In the penultimate year of its first term, it is but logical to take stock of the performance of the BJP government which came to power riding on the aspirations of millions of Indians seeking riddance from the corrupt and divisive rule of the Congress.
Before one goes into a performance audit, it is important to take note of the manner in which the political situation is unfolding. After being repeatedly rejected by the voters in successive elections, the dejected Opposition camp had something to cheer about when the hurriedly stitched up "sinful" alliance of Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) managed to win Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats in by-elections.
I call it "sinful" because the only reason for the bitter partners to bury their animosity had a sinister design of escaping extinction.
Suddenly, there is a spring in the strides of the Opposition as they sense a chance to replicate its by-poll success in 2019. No one can be stopped from day-dreaming but every rational election analyst would agree that by-poll results are not the basis for predicting a national trend.
Discounting BJP's remarkable expansion to rule 20 states across the length and breadth of the country, barring the south, would be a fallacy reserved for the blindfolded adversary. The by-polls are highly localised, constituency-specific and bereft of any national perspective. What is being witnessed in the ongoing session of Parliament is naked exhibition of obstructionist politics.
The Opposition has joined ranks with parochial regional aspirants to ensure that the government is denied the opportunity to call their bluff. In all the previous discussions in Parliament, the government has been able to raze the mountains of lies. The walking out of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is more of politics and less of people's welfare.
Prime Minister Modi, who has espoused the cause of cooperative federalism, would have ensured that the newly created state of Andhra Pradesh is duly compensated to overcome birth pangs. An artificial dust storm is being kicked up by the Opposition and disgruntled allies such as Shiv Sena to spread false sense of pessimism. One can expect more political dirt-digging by them in the coming months to spread confusion and blur the minds of the voters. But there should not be any doubt that when Prime Minister Modi hits the campaign trail in 2019, the whole scenario will assume a different hue.
What his government has achieved in this short span is nothing short of a marvel.
Delivering corruption-free governance is perhaps the biggest achievement of the Modi government, particularly when every sector of economy was steeped in the curse of this malaise under the Congress rule. The country is now ready to reap the benefits of one of the boldest and decisive moves of demonetisation and Goods and Service Tax (GST) rollout. With the temporary setbacks because of the much-needed shock treatment behind us, and fundamental structural reforms like insolvency law and bank recapitalisation getting into place, one can clearly visualise India moving into an era of unhindered double-digit growth for at least 10 years.
By flooding banks with cash, the Prime Minister has insulated India from a 2008-like US crisis which led the failure of marquee companies like Citibank and JP Morgan. Just because he has saved us from that situation, no one realises the pain it could have caused. Along with repairing the economy, India's diplomacy has been completely rejuvenated. Today, India stands tall in the comity of nations as the prime minister has taken the country to the global high table with aplomb.
Our armed forces have been empowered to ensure that the internal and external security situation is handled with much more confidence and conviction. The speed of infrastructure development in the past five years has been unprecedented. Be it building of highways or illuminating the dark villages, the government has reached out to the have-nots. Wearing the crown of glittering achievements, Prime Minister Modi would stand tall against a ragtag Opposition which is nothing but a cabal of discredited, corrupt politicians.
If Modi signifies progress and development, those challenging him reflect the regressive darkness of doomsday. The caste-engineering, Muslim appeasement model of electioneering mastered by these parties was thrown out of the window by the voters in 2014. Prime Minister Modi's "new India" has only one buzzword - development, for 125 crore Indians.