Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the India-China agreement signing ceremony at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Thursday. Photo: PTI What exactly is the mandate of the Lok Sabha elections that threw out the UPA and gave absolute majority to Narendra Modi led BJP. The vote was seen as a definite change against the policy paralysis of Manmohan Singh government as well as against inflation and slowdown of the economy. Modi himself campaigned extensively promising good days of growth in jobs and incomes. But after 100 days of the new government, it appears that the prime minister and different sections of his party interpret the mandate in very different ways.
But Modi has repeatedly told the nation that his sole agenda is development and he asked the country to keep aside the contentious agendas. Modi's advisors say he will follow the example of Atal Behari Vajpayee who refused to visit the makeshift Ram Mandir in Ayodhya during his tenure as prime minister. He is selling the same story to foreign leaders and audiences that he wants to kick start the economy and create more opportunities. Modi has picked a largely young team to handle major economic and developmental portfolios, to prove he has set of Chief Executive Officers like Nirmala Seetharaman, Devendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal and Smriti Irani. Modi told MPs, whom he met in groups during Parliament session that he wants them to concentrate on developing their constituencies.
Interestingly, his advice to ministers and leaders to keep away from public controversies has not been followed fully. There are saffron clad MPs like Adityanath and Sakshi Maharaj who want to use the newly won power to establish their version of dominant Hindutva. They are asking more restrictions not only on the minority community but also on all citizens in the form of dress codes, use of mobile phones and visits to malls. Some BJP MPs in western Uttar Pradesh are also encouraging caste panchayats openly questioning the legal institutions.
Veterans in the government feel Modi and senior ministers need to engage the MPs by getting them involved in developmental agenda. Interestingly, old timers say they had better access to Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, who were liberal in giving audience to individual MPs than Modi has done so far. But Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu, who is in charge of party MPs argues that new systems are being put in place so that MPs get proper fora within the government and party. However, ultimately it is Modi who has to exercise his charm and authority to ensure that the party sticks to his declared agenda and get the best results out of the changed mood in the country.
Tailpiece: The Modi government has now given the green signal to former Air Force chief N.A.K. Browne to take charge as India's Ambassador to Norway. As Browne was appointed by the UPA government at the fag end, there was reluctance. Once President Pranab Mukherjee said he would not visit Norway unless there was an Ambassador was there. Mukherjee is visiting Finland and Norway next month.
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