Diplomatist Magazine Diplomatist August 2018 | Page 45

COVER STORY
larger than life yet real, the demagogy that he envelops,
the currency, the brand that he is, the confi dence, positive
energy, readiness that characterises him is what is his USP
that catapults him into the likes of Indira Gandhi. On this
Independence Day too he came across as the man of the
moment with his oratorial luxuries.
As he said, we can take tough decisions because nation’s
interest is fi rst for us, not the party’s, he set the electoral
narrative. Knowing that he now does not have anything
concrete to offer in terms of economy, Modi harped upon
populist schemes. He pressed all the right buttons in his speech
- poor, farmers, youth, middle class, soldiers, tax payers,
corruption, middleman, power brokers. On women, who are
his key vote bank, he struck a chord when he patted his back
on women making it as Supreme Court Judges, women in the
cabinet, women winning medals in sports and on women’s
victory on triple talak. From scaling Mt Everest by tribal
children to expedition to South Pole by Indian women.
Modi presented himself as Santa Claus with announcements
of ‘Ayushman Bharat’- the National Health Mission also
popularly called as Modicare - the largest government funded
healthcare programme which will be rolled out on September
5, 2018; and removal of AFSPA from North East. He issued a
warning to spiraling atrocities on women and children saying
rapes should be widely reported and rapists should be sent to
gallows for their crimes to enforce the rule of law.
Modi did not spare the opposition for UPA’s red tapism
culture, power brokering, policy paralysis, no action on GST
and India’s low global image.
Modi’s Achilles’ Heel
An analysis of his 4 years has seen his priorities change.
This time around he was setting a tone for elections in MP,
Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan to convey that he is a PM who
believes in performance. Since 2014 this is the fi rst time
that the narrative is against him whether it is the economy or
social milieu of the country, be it lynching, sliding growth
or jobs. So this time he made sure that he pushed hard the
positive narrative.
In whatever way Modi emphasizes the benefi ts that GST
and Demonetization would bring for the country’s future and
interests, the fact remains that they were the biggest fi ascos
at the end of the common man. He did not talk of increasing
oil prices, falling rupee, upward infl ation, low exports, bank
crisis and lynching. There was no mention of Pakistan and
cross border terrorism, NRC and farmers suicides – all of
which are the underlying problems in the country presently.
He avoided contentious & controversial issues; it was all
about the ‘feel good’.
Modi came in 2014 with a promise of making India a
manufacturing hub which hasn’t shown tangible results. Niti
Ayog which was replaced by Planning Commission which
much of a hoopla hasn’t done much in terms of structural
reforms. The export scene is pretty unsatisfactory too.
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 6 • Issue 8 • August 2018, Noida • 45