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WHEN Narendra Modi took charge as Prime Minister of India on 26 May 2014, the question in most minds was whether he would win just two 5-year terms or three? That he would steer the BJP to victory in the 2019 parliamentary polls was taken as a given.
Perhaps as a consequence, Modi adopted a policy very different from that indicated in his campaign speeches. He brought back Arun Jaitley into the Upper House after the politician from Delhi had lost the polls in Amritsar despite being supported by the ruling Akali Dal in Punjab.
In effect, Jaitley became Modi’s Human Resources Director, ensuring that several of the appointments made by the “new” government were those whom he favoured and promoted, including several ministers who turned to him for guidance on a daily basis.
Those who were not part of the favoured circle of the individuals close to Jaitley were excluded from the new government, which became a mixture of Manmohan Singh-era officials and Vajpayee-era politicians.
Those who expected strong action to get taken against the VVIPs known to have amassed billions of dollars during the Manmohan Singh period were left speechless when no such action was forthcoming.
Even the few VVIPs jailed by Manmohan Singh (such as fmr Telecom Minister A Raja) were released after Modi took office. Clearly, it was expected that such a show of goodwill would result in backing by a weakened opposition to Modi’s policies,but this hope proved to be unrealistic
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley championed two measures that have had a heavy political impact on Modi. The first was the demonetization of 86% of the country’s currency in 2016, which severely affected the economy. The other was the manner in which the GST was implemented.
While FinMin Chidambaram was known to supervise a tax regime that was harsh and extortionate, nothing changed even in the new government. Indeed,the powers of income tax officers became even more widespread, and those what were less than honest made fortunes out of bribes.
It is economic policy that may prove his (PM's) Waterloooo, that plus the lack of progress in the building of a Ram Temple and the absence of action against VVIP scamsters.
However, in the final weeks of its term, the Modi government seems to be coming to a realisation of its vulnerability. There has been a flurry of activity designed to show that the opposition is corrupt and therefore that Modi should be given a second chance.
PM Modi has only two weeks more to reverse the lack of action of his period in office thus far against VVIP scamsters. And unless he does so, it will be difficult to convince voters that he is serious about fighting corruption,when no VVIP (scamsters) has so far gone to jail... .
*Waterloo
