It is delightful to see the Narendra Modi government stress principles like ‘social justice, equality and respect for all’ in the presidential speech to the joint session of Parliament. Hope President Ram Nath Kovind’s words will have a sobering impact on the BJP’s star campaigners in Uttar Pradesh who are relying on subtle, as well as crude innuendos to instigate communal tension in the elections. The chief minister of the state, Yogi Adityanath, particularly needs to pay some heed to the government’s reiteration in Parliament and avoid toxic rhetoric suggesting Muslims enjoy lesser rights as citizens. The President also referred to the government’s inclusive agenda. Inclusive agenda can’t be restricted to disbursing goodies, sops and loans; the concepts of justice and equality are intrinsically woven into the purpose of inclusion and those holding constitutional positions cannot commit the crime of violating these sacred principles. The key players of the ruling establishment will only be making a mockery of the presidential sermon by continuing their incendiary barbs.
The President’s address bears testimony to the disconcerting fact that the Modi government is running out of ideas. The desperate attempts to impress and obfuscate doubtless failed to achieve its objectives. The rosy picture couldn’t blur the protruding thorns from behind the canvas. What drew the loudest cheers from the ruling party members was the proclamation about India regaining its stature as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Half-truths often portray a fascinating image. The government obviously won’t acknowledge the grim backdrop against which the economy is struggling to rise. It has been dreaming of green shoots for the past many months, even boasting of a V-shaped recovery. But the lack of vision, inadequate measures and structural issues appear to have delayed the inevitable turnaround. The government sought to claim significant successes on several fronts – investments, export, manufacturing and employment. But the ground reality is entirely different. The production of more mobile phones cannot be a yardstick to measure the success of ‘Make in India’. The President dwelt on the start-up ecosystem and cheap internet in the context of youth, which is scarcely a ray of hope against the menacing unemployment problem. The government patted itself for vaccination and free food distribution during corona but made no mention of the high number of deaths during the second wave and the compensation to be paid to the victims. The government also chose to list welfare measures aimed at helping the agriculture sector, without referring to its showpiece promise of doubling the farmers’ income by 2022, which has proven to be false. The government should also realise that there is more to gender justice than the ‘Beti Bachao’ slogan, increasing the age of marriage for girls and abolishing triple talaq.
It also sounded pathetic when passing references were made to the Afghanistan situation and India’s role in the United Nations in the context of foreign affairs, without any mention of Chinese aggression. There were feeble responses to the criticism about democratic erosion but the government had nothing concrete to boast of. International opinion about Modi is now threatening to turn hostile primarily because of his inability to sustain high economic growth and protect democratic freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. Mismanagement of the pandemic also dented his image on the global stage, no matter what the propaganda is to manipulate the domestic opinion. The presidential address could have been more realistic and offered substantive solutions to burning issues. The disconnect with the ground reality was written all over the speech even as the government deserved to take credit for schemes like Ayushman Bharat. Acknowledgement of problems is the first step towards solving them. This government has adopted a self-defeatist approach by denying the problems or trying to present a wrong picture for political convenience. The abrupt jump to 2047, selling the dreams of developing a strong India over the next 25 years, instead of presenting a detailed roadmap for economic recovery and social harmony demonstrated the government’s lack of confidence, or interest, in solving contemporary problems. Setting goals for 2047 when there are countless crises at hand is a clear diversionary ploy.
The President wound up his speech with the desire to take the “great Bharatvarsh” to the pinnacle of glory in the near future. This noble objective cannot be achieved through divisive politics and violation of constitutional spirit. Bluffing and obfuscating can be effective political tools to confuse the voters but can never substitute for sound governance principles. Modi needs to wake up and address the real problems.
