Hot winds or ‘loo’ start blowing in India starting May. Predictably, these extremely hot winds impact everyday life. Yet, two years back, the ‘loo’ starting blowing much before May. These were the winds of one of the most influential world leaders, Narendra Modi. After ten years of Congress rule, Modi came as a new ray of hope for the populace. Under his leadership, the BJP gained absolute majority. This clear majority was also reflective of Modi’s status as people’s last ray of hope. On the 26 May, it will be two years since Modi took oath as the Prime Minister of the country.
After beginning his tenure with a campaign for a corruption free India, Modi definitely did put a cap on corruption. Despite not being able to bring back ‘black money’ the government has definitely been able to take some strides in the same direction. By raising slogans like “ न खाऊँगा न खाने दूंगा ”(Won’t take a bribe myself, neither will I let anyone else to) PM Modi managed to strike a chord with the common man.
The Modi government managed to showcase a good image right from the beginning of their tenure by implementing schemes such as Pradhanmantri Jan Dhan Yojna, Make in India, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Beti Bachao-Beti Padao. Through Mann ki Baat, Modi managed to convey messages directly to the public.
Modi also countered all charges against him very correctly. Be it his foreign tours, the entire intolerance debate, dealing with various party leaders or the recent controversy revolving around his degrees. The Prime Minister managed to keep himself aloof from this. Not only did this improve Modi’s image, it also uplifted his image for all and sundry.
Initially, Congress had a very aggressive stance in Parliament. Even though BJP did not perform well in Bihar and Delhi, the opposition did not manage to form a strong opposition to the BJP. Neither is Rahul Gandhi proving to be a satisfactory leader of opposition nor is anybody in the opposition proving a match good enough for Modi.
The recent results of the Assembly elections held in four states in India are also reflective of the two years of Modi government. After a clear verdict in Assam and opening their account in Kerala, this has opened up new avenues of growth for the BJP government. This can prove to be medicinal for the defeats faced by BJP in Bihar and Delhi. Also, this would be a morale booster for the upcoming Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarrakhand elections. Repeated defeats would in turn demolarise the Congress and this would also change the composition of the Rajya Sabha.
Despite failing at some fronts, Modi government is still managing to put up a fight. Modi’s tenure has proved him to be different and influential. Delay in dissolving the Black Money problem, defeat in Delhi and Bihar( which were fought on Modi’s name) were some fronts where Modi faced problems. Despite everything, effective schemes and good governance keep hope alive for this government. The government still has three years left for it to complete its various promises. The remaining Assembly elections in the country would also prove be a litmus test for the government.
(Akash Kashyap is a student of Benares Hindu University.)
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