2 yrs of Modi 2.0: Little to celebrate
The conspicuous absence of celebrations around the completion of two years of the NDA-2 regime betrays how tumultuous they have proved to be. There are many reasons why this period was far from memorable from among the seven years of Narendra Modi rule since 2014. Waves of a rampant pandemic, which have tested the capacity to govern in over 200 nations, have had less to do with why the last two years have been particularly filled with turmoil in India.
The biggest mandate in democratic India’s history in 35 years since 1984 was squandered by the regime giving primacy to a Hindutva agenda, beginning with the abrogation of Article 370 in the “taming” of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The pursuit of an amended citizenship bill promising to give citizenship to all refugees except Muslims tore the fabric of a pluralistic democracy asunder leading to communal riots in New Delhi. The seeming foreign policy gains from the showmanship of the “Howdy Trump” and “Howdy Modi”, besides the positive vibes generated by the banning of the triple talaq had all but evaporated.
While the verdict in the sticky dispute over the Ayodhya shrines, courtesy of an obliging judiciary, was welcomed with the enthusiasm reserved for the resolution of any historical disagreement, there was a ruthless persistence in a divisive agenda, which seemed to be driven by the itch to settle scores more than repaying the people who voted again for the BJP over the combined opposition. In prioritising a blatantly political agenda, from Kashmir to Lakshwadeep and Puducherry, even the new farm laws became suspect, triggering a long running agitation.
In promoting electoral aims above governance, which was largely left to bureaucrats even during the pandemic, the ruling party lost the perception battle, too. Image management and a retributory stance against the public media run by Big Tech are seen now like a pushback by a federal regime fast losing its popularity, also reflected by poll verdicts in many prominent states. The second Covid-19 wave has simply added to the image of a faltering Centre and the ruling party, which now has less than three years to undo the post-2019 damage.