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Now that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to resume his second term as Prime Minister after his astounding win in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, it is pertinent to point out as to what are the challenges ahead of Modi in his second coming.
Well, Modi has a big task ahead to meet the huge expectations of the people who have given him such a gigantic mandate to deliver. So, what are the issues that will need Modi’s attention :
a) The Supreme Court had given time till August 15 the Ayodhya mediation panel to find an amicable solution to the contentious issue . Ram Temple has been on the BJP agenda for long. Remains to be seen how the government treads on this sensitive issue.
b) Jammu and Kashmir has been under President’s Rule ever since the collapse of the PD- BJP alliance government in the state after three years. . The onus is now on Centre to decide when to go in for assembly polls in the state
c) BJP had promised during the Lok Sabha polls 2019 campaigns that would remove Article 370 and 35 A once voted back to power . Now they have the mandate will they go ahead with the poll promise ? remains to be seen
d) The Supreme Court has given the NRC till July 31 to finalise the list . So what happens to those who are illegal ? Will they be deported?
e) The aviation sector is in a mess with the grounding of the Jet Airways. Will they government help in reviving it ?
f) There are assembly elections due in Maharashtra ( October) and Haryana in November 2019.
g) He has to outline the government’s developmental agenda for the years ahead in various sectors and ensure continuity in economic reforms
h) Its foreign policy will be closely watched especially with the US with Presidential Elections due next year in 2020.
i) Relationship with Pakistan will be a top on the agenda . It has been a flip – flop in recent times. The Pulwama and Balakot incidents meant that the ties remain cold and frosty . Will this stalemate continue ?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had harped on developmental agenda in his various rallies during polls . But failed to inform the success of his much hyped initiatives – Digital India ( 2015) , Make In India (2014) , Start Up India ( 2016) , Clean India or Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (2014) , Stand Up – India ( 2016) .
He did though mention the health scheme – Ayushman Bharat Yojana ( 2018) and the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana ( 2016) .
These initiatives literally took the back- seat as Modi in order to woo the electorate stuck to to his pet rhetoric to swing the narrative in his favour – Slamming the Dynasty, lashing out at The Gandhi’s, the flaws under Jawaharlal Nehru’s Prime Ministership , 1984 anti- sikh riots role of Rajiv Gandhi ( including INS Viraat controversy) , the failure Dr Manmohan Singh government to strike back after 26/ 11 Mumbai attacks.and comparing his own two surgical strikes at Uri and Balakot. In the process Modi successfully drove home the message that India did not develop for 70 years were lapped up by 24 X 7 news channels with glee to hammer the opposition out of contention and it worked handsomely .
The NDA blunders were pushed under the carpet – releasing Masood Azhar in 1999 in exchange for passengers of Indian Airlines flight 814 , Parliament attack on 13, December 2001 ( Atal Bihari Vajpayee Prime Minister then) and the Godhra riots of 2002 ( Narendra Modi was then Chief Minister of Gujarat) .
If Rajiv Gandhi is often slammed for his ‘when big tree falls the earth shakes’ remark after then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984,. It must be noted that Modi too was pulled up by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his handling of the Godhra riots and reportedly asked Modi to observe ‘Raj Dharma’ . These are anecdotes in Indian politics that cannot be overlooked or ignored according to convenience.
Now that Modi has got second term it is time to take India forward with his agenda of governance with his slogan – Saaf Niyat, Sahi Vikas’. He will cannot blame the Nehru-Gandhi and the Congress misrule everytime.
The 2019 Lok Sabha Polls were a bitter slug fest and political discourse hit all time low. Such bitter acrimony does not augur well for democracy.
Opposition too needs to understand that it is not fair to oppose just for the sake of opposing even when it comes to issues of national interest, where the situation demands a united stand.
Lastly , Prime Minister Narendra Modi has after his win promised that the bitterness exhibited during the campaign would be pushed behind as he stated : . “Whatever happened during the election is behind me. We have to move forward, we have to take everyone along for the good of the country. We must remember the Constitution is supreme”. Well the words are fine , but will he walk the talk ? is the big question .
