Govt needs to sharpen outreach: BJP, RSS members

NEW DELHI: Instances of arson and violence across the country against the new recruitment policy for personnel below the officer ranks in the armed forces underline the challenges that the government faces in being able to communicate the “merits of reforms”, said several functionaries of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological fount, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), on Friday.

Though both the party and the Sangh have supported the government’s Agnipath policy, functionaries who spoke to HT on condition of anonymity said that governhas been blindsided by the protests, just as it was by the agitation against the now-repealed farm laws and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

This, they said, indicated communication challenges that big reforms entail.

“In the last two years, the pandemic has affected jobs and livelihood, globally, the economy is in bad shape, and India was not insulated from these problems. At a time when there is a perception that the government has not been able to create jobs, the announcement of a timebound service has upset the youth. The government was not able to convey the finer details of the scheme or how it will not add to said a BJP functionary based in Uttar Pradesh.

The functionary said that in the run up to the state elections earlier this year, a common refrain was the shrinking number of government jobs and the increasing contractual appointments that are perceived as “temporary”.

“Free ration was a factor that blunted public anger against the government during the pandemic, but there is need to focus on job creation and meeting the aspirations of the youth,” he said, referring to one of the mainstays of the Centre’s Covid relief measures.

A second BJP leader in Delhi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent direction to all central government ministries and departments to identify vacancies and recruit one million in mission mode over the next 1.5 years is an indication that the government has its ears to the ground.

“Unemployment numbers have come down but it still remains a major challenge for the government. People still expect the govment ernment to offer jobs even though the PM talks about Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) and Udyamita (entrepreneurship). There is a communication gap between what the government is aspiring for and what the youth wants,” the second leader said.

To be sure, the government set out to counter perceptions about the Agnipath scheme within hours of the protests erupting, but party leaders said there is a need to build consensus. “It becomes harder to convince people when protests start and doubts are sowed about the intent of the scheme,” said a functionary of the RSS.

The Sangh, though in favour of the Agnipath scheme, wants the BJP to sharpen its outreach.

FUNCTIONARIES SAY THE GOVT HAS BEEN BLINDSIDED BY THE PROTESTS, INDICATING THE COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES SUCH REFORMS ENTAIL