In the run-up to this year’s Lok Sabha elections, it was almost impossible to avoid advertisements for the Bharatiya Janata Party. Both the Ab ki baar, Modi sarkar slogan (this time, it’s Modi’s turn) and the Acche Din promise (the good days are coming) became firmly entrenched in the public consciousness. The ads, plastered across front pages and running every other minute on television, played a huge role in powering the BJP to an unprecedented electoral victory.
The campaign raised such high expectations, the BJP government began to face troublesome questions about its election promises almost as soon as it came to power. The noise got so loud, Prime Minister Narendra Modi complained that he had not been given the customary "honeymoon period" afforded to most governments to settle in.
Here are some of the promises made by the party.
Neighbourhood Watch
Promise: “Na desh ke seemaon ko nazar lagegi, na dushmanon ki nazar hum par uthegi” (Our borders will not be in danger, and neither will our enemies dare to gaze towards us.)
Delivery: Modi made it clear that the neighbourhood would be crucial to his foreign-policy approach, to the extent of inviting Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to his swearing-in ceremony, along with all the other SAARC heads of states.
But relations with Pakistan have since soured. Ceasefire violations on the Line of Control have been a regular feature, with very little said about it in New Delhi. The government did, however, come through on its promise to act tough by calling off foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan after Islamabad decided to meet with Kashmiri separatists at its High Commission in New Delhi. With Pakistan currently in one of its regular bouts of turmoil, it’s hard to say whether the tough approach is paying any dividends.
Verdict: Inconclusive.
The Price is Right?
Promise: “Is bar gaon sheher mein sabke din firne wale hain” (This time, everyone’s lives are about to get better, from village to the cities).
Delivery: For a party that made inflation a key portion of its campaign, it didn’t help that it came with turmoil in West Asia, staring at the potential of a bad monsoon. Although there were some attempts at structural change, the government has primarily fallen back on age-old tactics of curbing imports and attempting to stop hoarding.
The numbers, however, have not fallen into place: inflation remains stubbornly high, with food prices in particular hurting the image of the party that had made such a big noise about mehengai. There has been little activity on either supply-side problems or distribution issues, both of which contribute the most to India’s dismal achievements in its fight to keep inflation down, and the budget gave little indication that anything major would be done to alter this.
Verdict: Not quite Acche Din.
Teacher Teacher
Promise: “School khulenge, bahut jald khulenge.” (Schools will open, very soon).
Delivery: Education has run into quite a bit of trouble over Modi’s 100 days. From a contentious Human Rights Development minister to battles within his own party about the Four Year Undergraduate Program at Delhi University and the changes to the civil services exam, there has lots of controversy.
On the specific promise of building more schools, the government has focused on the upper-end rather than the bottom of the pyramid. Modi’s promise to build an Indian Institute of Technology, an Indian Institute of Management and an All India Institute of Medical Sciences in every state found its way into the budget, but many believe the new institutes will be beset by the same problems, such as lack of faculty, as the existing ones.
Verdict: False start.
Lights Out
Promise: “Gaon mein bijli aanewali hai.” (Electricity is coming to the villages).
Delivery: Tales of Gujarat’s great infrastructure were central to the narrative Modi built up over the course of the campaign. At the heart of that was the seductive promise of 24x7 electricity, something he promised to scale up for the rest of the country.
The budget featured a Rs 500 crore outlay for the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, which is aimed at augmenting power supply to rural areas and to strengthen sub-transmission and distribution systems. While the power discoms remain in dire straits and issues remain on the power front from gas pricing issue to the merger of hydroelectric companies, the intention to improve the energy situation has been made clear.
Verdict: Well begun.
Field of Dreams
Promise: “Fasal ugane ka gyan bhi, fasal ka sahi daam bhi, aur kisan hone ka maan bhi.” (Improving agricultural knowledge, giving the right price for crops and giving farmers the respect).
Delivery: Modi set out his intention to be on the side of India’s farmers, not big business, when he made it clear that India would not be agreeing to the trade facilitation portion of the World Trade Organisation’s Bali Package. Although the move could still alienate India internationally, the message it sent was undeniable: food security and farmers first, international trade second.
The government still has a long way to go on addressing the same supply-side issues that keep farmers poor while also spurring on high inflation, but Modi has made it evident that the idea of India as an agricultural country is not one that will be abandoned in a hurry.
Verdict: In progress.
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The campaign raised such high expectations, the BJP government began to face troublesome questions about its election promises almost as soon as it came to power. The noise got so loud, Prime Minister Narendra Modi complained that he had not been given the customary "honeymoon period" afforded to most governments to settle in.
Here are some of the promises made by the party.
Neighbourhood Watch
Promise: “Na desh ke seemaon ko nazar lagegi, na dushmanon ki nazar hum par uthegi” (Our borders will not be in danger, and neither will our enemies dare to gaze towards us.)
Delivery: Modi made it clear that the neighbourhood would be crucial to his foreign-policy approach, to the extent of inviting Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to his swearing-in ceremony, along with all the other SAARC heads of states.
But relations with Pakistan have since soured. Ceasefire violations on the Line of Control have been a regular feature, with very little said about it in New Delhi. The government did, however, come through on its promise to act tough by calling off foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan after Islamabad decided to meet with Kashmiri separatists at its High Commission in New Delhi. With Pakistan currently in one of its regular bouts of turmoil, it’s hard to say whether the tough approach is paying any dividends.
Verdict: Inconclusive.
The Price is Right?
Promise: “Is bar gaon sheher mein sabke din firne wale hain” (This time, everyone’s lives are about to get better, from village to the cities).
Delivery: For a party that made inflation a key portion of its campaign, it didn’t help that it came with turmoil in West Asia, staring at the potential of a bad monsoon. Although there were some attempts at structural change, the government has primarily fallen back on age-old tactics of curbing imports and attempting to stop hoarding.
The numbers, however, have not fallen into place: inflation remains stubbornly high, with food prices in particular hurting the image of the party that had made such a big noise about mehengai. There has been little activity on either supply-side problems or distribution issues, both of which contribute the most to India’s dismal achievements in its fight to keep inflation down, and the budget gave little indication that anything major would be done to alter this.
Verdict: Not quite Acche Din.
Teacher Teacher
Promise: “School khulenge, bahut jald khulenge.” (Schools will open, very soon).
Delivery: Education has run into quite a bit of trouble over Modi’s 100 days. From a contentious Human Rights Development minister to battles within his own party about the Four Year Undergraduate Program at Delhi University and the changes to the civil services exam, there has lots of controversy.
On the specific promise of building more schools, the government has focused on the upper-end rather than the bottom of the pyramid. Modi’s promise to build an Indian Institute of Technology, an Indian Institute of Management and an All India Institute of Medical Sciences in every state found its way into the budget, but many believe the new institutes will be beset by the same problems, such as lack of faculty, as the existing ones.
Verdict: False start.
Lights Out
Promise: “Gaon mein bijli aanewali hai.” (Electricity is coming to the villages).
Delivery: Tales of Gujarat’s great infrastructure were central to the narrative Modi built up over the course of the campaign. At the heart of that was the seductive promise of 24x7 electricity, something he promised to scale up for the rest of the country.
The budget featured a Rs 500 crore outlay for the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, which is aimed at augmenting power supply to rural areas and to strengthen sub-transmission and distribution systems. While the power discoms remain in dire straits and issues remain on the power front from gas pricing issue to the merger of hydroelectric companies, the intention to improve the energy situation has been made clear.
Verdict: Well begun.
Field of Dreams
Promise: “Fasal ugane ka gyan bhi, fasal ka sahi daam bhi, aur kisan hone ka maan bhi.” (Improving agricultural knowledge, giving the right price for crops and giving farmers the respect).
Delivery: Modi set out his intention to be on the side of India’s farmers, not big business, when he made it clear that India would not be agreeing to the trade facilitation portion of the World Trade Organisation’s Bali Package. Although the move could still alienate India internationally, the message it sent was undeniable: food security and farmers first, international trade second.
The government still has a long way to go on addressing the same supply-side issues that keep farmers poor while also spurring on high inflation, but Modi has made it evident that the idea of India as an agricultural country is not one that will be abandoned in a hurry.
Verdict: In progress.