The Contours Of 2019: Bharat Ki Baat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Indian diaspora and the audience back in India, in a town hall discussion moderated by poet and Censor Board chairperson, Prasoon Joshi. The address was not just an exemplar in communicating with an audience, but an articulation of all that was done in the past four years and all that needs to be done in the year ahead. The hour-long discussion was both a report card and a road map for the future under the Modi style of governance.

Let us look at some highlights of the discussion.

One of the key points touched upon was Modi’s understanding of participatory democracy. It is not just the competitive cooperative federalism aspect of it but also about making vikas the great unifier in a fragmented polity. It is, perhaps, the one thing that Modi sees as his legacy, the ability to make development a social movement. His fascination for Gandhi emerges from this very facet because Gandhi succeeded in making the last man and woman feel like a part of the freedom movement. Gandhi was able to achieve this by motivating every Indian to undertake any work that she was capable of, in the best possible manner and by convincing her that this way she was contributing to freedom. Modi envisions the same trajectory with development and that reflects in both, the larger schemes and in the softer outreach-based initiatives of the government.

From the voluntarism of the Swachh Bharat Mission and giving up of senior citizen train concessions and LPG subsidies, to Mann ki Baat, Modi’s articulation of Team India with the states, the bureaucracy and importantly the people, remains constant. He sees development as a moral imperative which will unify the country. The Prime Minister said that the post-Independence mindset of extreme dependence on the government had actually alienated people from the government. In such a scenario, he looks upon development as the great unifier. In this, he may have even touched upon the vikas versus Hindutva debate and as we move closer to 2019, we will get a clearer idea of how the debate plays out.

The second major point which emerged from the discussion was the uncompromising position on national security. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) voters and fence sitters have always identified the party with a strong position on national security and the party has remained true to that faith in the past four years. Except the conflict torn Kashmir, there has been a drastic and dramatic reduction in terror incidents across the country. Even the Maoist menace in the red corridor has been contained substantially. But, more important than that is the resolve exhibited by the Prime Minister to answer back in equal measure countries threatening India. At the same time, he cited the example of the surgical strike to say that India retains its humanity even while dealing with its enemies. National security will continue to be one of the rallying points in the run up to 2019 and an uncompromising stand on national security will continue to be one of the pillars of governance.

The third point of the discussion was centred on the focus of the government on last mile connectivity in the delivery of schemes. From massive rural electrification and unprecedented construction of toilets across the country, to the widespread financial inclusion, this government has ensured that policies move beyond being just processes and reach the last intended beneficiary. That is why, once ‘all village electrification’ seemed achievable, the target moved to electrifying every rural household. He said that it is not slogans against poverty, but last mile delivery of services that will take development to the remotest corners of the country.

One of the most important points made by the Prime Minister was acknowledging the impatience seen in aspirational India and giving it due importance. He said that the time for incremental change is gone and the people expect more and are impatient to see it come true. He said that this impatience is good as it reflects the people’s belief that this government can deliver. This was a sign that the government has started the journey towards more long-term and reformative changes and that there is still a long distance to cover. But the government has the right intention and a clear policy road map to get there and hence, the results are inevitable. It puts into perspective the criticism that the government is facing, but also clearly highlights the resolve of the government to address this impatience.

While a lot was said in this discussion, it is easy to fixate on the criticism. The same old criticisms of scripted questions and a favourable audience persisted in this round of discussion also. But to be honest, even if the protesting Kashmiri and Khalistani separatists had been given an exclusive session with Modi, the criticism would persist. So, it is prudent to move beyond that and see the substance of what was discussed at the town hall. And if we see closely, we can see the contours of the 2019 campaign etched out in this address.