Modi declared, from the ramparts of Red Fort in New Delhi delivering his Independence Day speech, “I have suggested the changes that I intend to bring out when I came to power in 2014. I have affected the changes when I came to power in 2019. I will submit my progress card upon being voted to power in 2024.” His speech sent shivers down the spine of the Opposition parties.
He reasoned why people have faith in his regime and the Opposition has no-confidence in it on the floor of the Lok Sabha. He explained with examples on the floor of Lok Sabha and in his address from Red Fort how the country lagged behind during the Congress regime and how the party was dependent on a single family and the politics of corruption and appeasement practised by it.
The people have no confidence in the party as they have seen various atrocities taking place under the regime during the past six decades, Modi observed, explaining why people have reposed confidence in his regime.
After addressing the nation from Red Fort, the next day the Central Cabinet took decisions to implement railway projects worth $ 3.91 billion in states, release Rs 13,200 crore for the benefit of lakhs of artisans to stand on their legs sustaining their handicrafts, to allocate Rs 14,903 crore to impart skill training to lakhs of IT experts. Modi submitted to people rather humbly that he had released at least Rs 100 lakh crore during the past five years as against the successive governments that ruled the country prior to Modi released only Rs three lakh crore.
Allotment of houses to the homeless poor, subsidy on urea for farmers, Mudra loans, assistance extended to small and medium-scale units were some of his contributions, said Modi. The fifth largest economy in world is likely to improve its position and will become the third largest economy in the next five years and will top the chart by 2047, he declared.
Global investment firm Jefferies Chairman Chris Wood said that the people’s expectations from Modi have increased ever since he came to power in 2014 and the confidence of India as a nation has increased. The direct funds transfer scheme ensured that the funds reached the people directly without any leakage and hence the urban and rural people have been supporting him, analyses Chris Wood.
He predicted in May this year that people would return Modi to power even in 2024 as there is subtle difference in the polls held to the legislative assemblies and Lok Sabha. Public opinion gathering agency Pollsters India, in its latest sample survey, quoting the people, said that Modi would address the nation delivering his Independence Day speech even on August 15, 2024.
Prominent journalist Tavleen Sigh, who has been analysing the contemporary politics through her column to a popular daily, on the topic “Why Modi won and why will he win again?” listed out a series of awful incidents that had taken place in the country.
Tavleen remarked that the days of “for the family, to the family and by the family” have gone and said that the ruling family served its purpose with the help of the Delhi-based leaders who always play the second fiddle to the family and of the leaders who are always present in the court of the ruling elite family.
The journalist quoted the example of how one of the staunch devotees of former PM Rajiv Gandhi and bureaucrat-turned-politician Mani Sankar Iyer predicted in 2014 that Modi, who was a chaiwala, would never come to power. However, there would be no objection for him if he ever comes to the Delhi to supply tea to the Congress leaders in the party central office.
Tavleen quoted the example of the book authored by Mani Shankar Iyer with the title “Memoirs of a Maverick”. She highlighted furnishing wrong information in the book about lynching of the Sikhs and SC verdict in Shabano Case rewriting the history. As the anti-Sikh riots had broken out in the first week of Rajiv Gandhi assuming the office of the PM, Mani Sankar Iyer exonerated him from holding any responsibility. Mani Sankar felt that Rajiv quoted “When a big tree falls, the Earth shakes” after many days of the riots breaking out and hence placed Rajiv above board. He also gave clean chit to Rajiv Gandhi in Bofors scandal as he was in no way related to it, but expressed doubt that those who were around Rajiv might have received kickbacks.
Quattrocchi was a fertiliser dealer, but not an arms dealer, Iyer said. He did not mention in the books that Bofors kickbacks were credited in to Swiss Bank accounts of Quattrocchi and his wife Maria Quattrocchi. Mani Shankar Iyer knew very well if at all he were to refer to it he would have to explain in it why the close friends of Rajiv and Sonia had to pay kickbacks.
Tavleen expressed shock over the book ignoring Rajiv Gandhi and his close aide Mani Shankar Iyer, during a visit to Kalahandi in Odisha, ignoring the tour of villages where hunger deaths had taken place and the villages where parents were selling their children.
Many decisions arrived during the Modi regime and the development that is perceptible to the eye stands as an example to his style of working. There is no doubt that she only expressed the views of the majority of the people.
