Heartiest Congratulations to
Mr. Modi and BJP for this stupendous victory. Most of us did not expect such an
overwhelming response by India! In a way it is good because, reforms can now be
pushed through at a much faster pace.
Leadership is one of the key
drivers for success of an organization – be it an enterprise, or a cricket team
or a political party. It is the leader who communicates his vision to his
constituents. This message as well as the messenger is of utmost importance. I
had written about Mr. Modi’s leadership in my blog http://nsgmusings.blogspot.com/2019/04/is-mr-modi-truly-great-leader.html on 12th April. I had also ended that blog with the lines that till a
worthy challenger emerges, Mr. Modi is THE Man. He is a great orator and very
cleverly he made this election as Modi vs the rest – a sort of presidential
referendum. So, the candidates became irrelevant. He kept repeating “your vote
to Lotus is a vote for me!” Marketing Gurus can learn a lesson or two from Mr.
Modi. It is great to have a vision and strategy. You will come a cropper if
that strategy is not executed properly. Just imagine Dhoni as captain tells his
bowler to bowl a line and the bowler does not heed his advice! Here again BJP
scored big time. If Mr. Modi was BJP’s face, Mr. Amit Shah and his band of
karyakarthas were the arms and legs working behind the scenes to make this
happen on the ground – not only during elections but much before that. Unfortunately,
none of the opposition came anywhere close to BJP in these two aspects. All
they had to say was “remove Modi” – which seemed to add to Mr. Modi’s
popularity. Of course, there were many other factors that were at play for such
a huge victory.
Having said that, in a
democracy, a strong opposition is a must. Whether one likes it or not, Congress
is the only pan India party. In all fairness, it started off after independence
as a left of the centre, liberal, secular party. But over the years right from Nehru
days it had changed slowly initially but accelerated during Mrs. Gandhi’s
period. The Congress today is not the Congress that was formed initially. India
NEEDS a party like that. Congress would do well to reinvent itself, build grass
root level workers, promote regional leaders, ELECT a LEADER through democratic
means and START FROM TODAY. We can then hope to see a challenger for Mr. Modi
in 2024. If they still harp on old methods, I am afraid this trend cannot be
reversed soon. As for all the other regional parties with 5-10 MP’s and
aspiring to become prime Ministers, what can I say? I think we should slowly move
towards a 2-party system like in the US.
As Mr. Modi rightly pointed
out in his acceptance speech, the election rhetoric is over. The reality is
staring at us. It is fine to be euphoric for a few more days. After that, the
new Government has its task cut out. The economy is not in great shape. While
the inflation is low, the growth at 7% may not be good enough. There is huge
Government spending and oil prices have been favourable. Some industry sectors
are not in good shape. Banking needs a fillip. Consumption has slowed down. Jobs
need to be created as unemployment is one of the biggest problems. Agrarian
crisis is for real. Something needs to be done about it. Water management also
needs immediate attention. Interlinking of rivers is a project worth pursuing.
The MSME sector needs to be given an impetus which would also contribute to job
creation. We can go on and on – but I guess one gets the drift. It is another
matter that these were not issues in this election. Further Mr. Modi cannot
blame his predecessors now for he was at the helm for 5 years! The budget in
July will be very interesting and will give us an insight into shape of things
to come.
It is here that I feel that
Modi’s supporters must play a constructive role and hold the Government
accountable. People should remove their supporter cap and wear the critique
cap. Whenever the Government makes a dubious decision or a poor implementation,
I think all supporters should raise the issue. For heaven’s sake, please do not
make Mr. Modi larger than life equating him to GOD. He is also not infallible
like any of us. He is bound to miss a trick or two and let us be vigilant.
After all, we the people, have given him this opportunity.
And finally, I am glad that
Mr. Modi spoke about inclusive growth. This is a must. For some reasons, the
social fabric of this country is under pressure like never before. He must be the
soothing balm and carry the entire nation with him – true to his word “Sab ka
Saath, Sab Ka Vikas”. The fringe elements in all sections of society that are wreaking
havoc on the social cohesion of this great nation must be reined in with an
iron hand. This land has a glorious culture of accommodating everyone and is by
nature Dharmic. That tradition must be maintained. Mr. Modi can be the catalyst
to accelerate this process.
I am sure he will be the
leader of every Indian – whether he is in India or abroad – and work tirelessly
for the glory of this nation as he has been doing hitherto. It is our duty to
contribute our bit in this great endevaour. I fervently hope that Mr. Modi
would work with the integrity and intent that he is known for with malice
towards none and charity for all. May GOD be with him. Jai Hind!
