"I like him. He is the only person who can give us leadership."
Since the buck stops with Modi, let us assume that Shourie is lying about his likeness for Modi because Modi is responsible for all the failures of his government. Shourie said that because he just does not want to burn every bridge with the party he used to belong.
But Shourie’s accusations should not be taken lightly. After all he is one of the most respected journalists who is known for fairness (at least so far). Let us examine his accusations (Parts of Shourie interview are in red followed by our response in black).
He said the one-year rule of Modi was "good in parts", his transformation as prime minister was good in foreign policy, but the promised turnaround in economy has not happened.
Jan Dhan Yojna: PM Narendra Modi came up with a brilliant idea to link all the Indian families with the banking system because most of the people in rural areas do not even have a bank account which they fall victims to local money lenders.So far in this program about 12.5 crore bank accounts have been opened in just 5 months which way more than it was anticipated target of 7.5 crores till Jan 25, 2015.
Direct Benefit Transfer scheme (PAHAL): The finance ministry advised that a direct benefit transfer scheme for all the LPG gas cylinder subscribers will be able to stop the ongoing corruption in providing subsidy to the beneficiaries! It was proposed that subsidies on cooking gas and kerosene will be transferred directly to the bank account of beneficiaries. The Indian govt. will save around Rs. 14,000 crore by implementing this scheme.
Inflation and GDP:Because of steps taken by Modi Sarkar, Inflation has hit a low of about 5% in the month of December. Onion and potato have been included in essential elements list so that its black marketing stops. Moreover, he gave clear guidelines to state governments to take serious actions against the hoarders!! The rising cost of food during UPA rule was a severe burden on us. GDP of India has increased from 5.02% in 2013 to 5.64% in 2014 and it is expected to grow even more in the coming years!
Figures released by Coal Secretary Anil Swarup show that the proceeds from the sale of 32 mines in the coal block e-auctions have crossed Rs2 lakh crore. The amount surpasses the CAG's estimate of Rs1.86-lakh-crore loss on account of the allocation of blocks without auction during the UPA regime.
Shourie, who is not active in BJP these days, said despite promises the fears of foreign investors on retrospective taxes and incentives for manufacturing have not materialised on the ground. Asked if the Modi government had done enough to put India on growth path, Shourie said that it was "all hyperbole". "Such claims are meant to grab headlines but lack substance,"
Narendra Modi’s decision to scrap the Soviet-era government scheme has definitely empowered states and other stakeholders to make their own decisions which is clearly a bold move unthinkable so far even by the Atalji government of which Shourie was an integral part. Also disbanded were the nine empowered groups of ministers (EGoMs) and 21 groups of ministers (GoMs) that were in operation because of coalition politics which is another bold move which when coupled with the cleaning and tightening of the Indian bureaucracy will remove the red tape and improve investments and other economic activities.
The smaller size of the ministry, restrictions on the travel of ministers including junkets and five star travel has greatly reduced the financial burden on the exchequer. As far as headlines are concerned, with 24 hour news channels and activist journalists it is hard to stay out of headlines especially for Modi who has a huge bull’s eye on his back.
Shourie has very graciously accepted the good performance of Modi in foreign policy matters but has conveniently ignored the immediate and potential financial impact of Modi’s foreign policy initiatives. I really do agree that ground reality does not portray the potential impact but I would like to remind that even for the US, it took more than three years to come out of the economic downturn of the last decade and then have the most robust system in the world in place. I am quite sure that the impact of Modi’s decisions will start yielding dividends soon.
On the social front, Shourie said there was "great anxiety" among the minorities in the wake of the incidents of attack on Christian institutions and the "Ghar Wapsi" and "Love Jihad" campaigns. He was critical of Modi's "silence" on issues relating to social tensions on account of activities of right wing organisations and statements by some party MPs and leaders.
After the BJP victory, all of the fringe Hindu groups who were left out began to feel their oats and started to speak their mind. While these groups are guys were ignored for saying and doing the same things during the UPA regime (Ghar wapsi and other campaigns did not start after Modi became PM; they became newsworthy), they are now being looked upon as Modi spokespersons when the truth is that during his tenure as Gujarat CM, Modi antagonized the RSS and VHP. In fact before he became the candidate for PM, a lot of fence mending was done with the RSS. I am surprised that Shourie has forgotten all that. We are not even going to talk about the social programs the nation has embarked upon under Modi’s leadership otherwise this already large article will become even larger.
"You tweet when Sania Mirza wins championship or greet someone on birthdays but you don't do such things when moral questions are involved. "We have to wake up," he said, adding that people like Ribeiro and former Punjab top cop KPS Gill had saved Punjab for India.
It is kind of churlish of Shourie to use well liked personalities to score points in a debate and settle scores.
Talking about alienation of Muslim youth in the context of "Love Jihad" and Moradabad violence, Shourie said, "if 100 muslim youth come together and conclude that we are not getting justice here and that ISIS is right then we have a problem at hand".
Has Shourie become an apologist for terrorists and their recruitment efforts?
Shourie also invoked the controversial monogrammed pin-striped suit that Modi wore during his interaction with US President Barack Obama earlier this year.
"It was inexplicable, incomprehensible and a big critical mistake," Shourie said. "I fail to understand why he accepted and then wore that suit. You cannot take Gandhiji's name and wear such a thing," he said.
Wow! To bring the goddamned suit in a discussion while discussing national problems is tabloid journalism suited for the likes of Barkha Dutt and Arnab Goswami. Is Shourie okay with politicians with huge bank accounts but wear khadi?
But, he said there were "contradictory signals" on Pakistan. "There should be steadier thinking, steadier guage." "It is not a good idea that in the fascination for out of box ideas to ignore the institutional memory embedded in the Ministry of External Affairs and outside," he added.
For the first time the national security is being looked after by men like Modi (a decision maker) and Doval (a man who really understands Pakistan unlike people who carry small torches for Pakistan and India’s united past). Shourie should know that institutional memory is the problem not the solution which is why the Indian voter has brought in outsiders like Modi.
As wrong as Shourie is, his criticism should not be brushed aside. He is a good journalist at the core and even in anger (we all know why he is angry) he makes some good points. Modi’s ascendance has done wonders for the economy and other aspects of the society. But the path forward needs action and hard decisions. The nation is waiting with bated breaths for the PM to take those decisions. If he has to reshuffle his cabinet and fire the lackluster Finance Minister or the fumbling HRD minister then by all means he should. He still has a lot of political cache. He also needs to do what he did in Gujarat i.e. clamp down on the likes of Sakshi Maharaj. But most of all, he needs to initiate programs with visible results positively affecting the middle and the poorer classes affecting the so as to calm his anxious supporters and shut up his detractors.
The article referred above can be found at:
http://www.quora.com/What-has-been-accomplished-by-the-Modi-government-in-the-8-5-months-of-its-tenure
www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/Modi-Outlines-Work-for-Top-Bureaucrats/2014/06/05/article2264016.ece
www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/Modi-Outlines-Work-for-Top-Bureaucrats/2014/06/05/article2264016.ece
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