When the Bharatiya Janata Party and Narendra Modi rode to power with a sweeping majority, his opponents were concerned that their worst fears would come true: Big Business would be unfettered and have free rein while fringe elements of the Sangh Parivar would dictate how citizens would behave.
While there have been plenty of contentious cultural issues, from BJP politicians calling India a Hindu nation to propaganda about the Love Jihad bogey, on the policy front Modi’s government has given even his opponents something to be cheerful about.
It began with Modi’s first address in the Central Hall of Parliament, soon after the election results were declared. “This government will be one which thinks of the poor, which listens to the poor, which lives for the people,” he said. Although this may have been standard lip service, Modi continued to repeat this mantra in subsequent speeches, and has ended up implementing a number of policies that would make even the most earnest jholawalla happy.
* Not-so-free trade: WTO stand
Who was happy: Leftists
For all the free market capital that backed the Modi campaign, the government ended up taking an entirely different direction in the first major international test on this front. The government decided it wouldn’t be following through on the previous administration’s promise to ratify the trade facilitation portion of the Bali Package, an agreement to simplify and standardise port procedures.
India was the only country standing in the way of what would have been the World Trade Organisation’s first-ever comprehensive agreement, so the decision risked alienating foreign investors and prompted many at home to argue that it damaged India’s reputation. Yet the government has stuck to the decision and insisted that it would also be looking to review all the Free Trade Agreements India has with other countries.
* Retail therapy: Foreign Direct Investment U-turn
Who was happy: Congress supporters
Though the BJP, keeping its trader base in mind, campaigned vigorously against the Congress policy of Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail, the government has made no moves to change the law. Instead, the government has maintained the status quo, allowing those states that had opened up to FDI in retail to remain that way. For Congress supporters, this is both vindication of Modi as a "Feku" (the pre-poll term Congress workers used for him on social media, implying he was a liar), but also of a Congress policy that resulted in the Trinamool Congress breaking its involvement with the United Progressive Alliance government.
* Rolling back: Rail fares
Who was happy: Congress supporters and leftists
Modi’s railway minister hiked rail fares with the rail budget only a few weeks away, leaving Congressis in a bit of a bind. They wanted to criticise Modi, but they knew how recently they were defending their own government doing the same thing. Meanwhile, the jholawallas railed against the authorities for raising fares for the neediest, prompting a partial rollback of the policy aimed primarily at placating voters in a few states that are set to go to polls. This also gave material to opponents who want to insist that Modi isn’t the decisive leader he was made out to be.
* We don’t need no education: CSAT and FYUP
Who was happy: Leftists
Education policy has reached a very surprising place during the 100 days of this government. Staunch Modi supporters like Madhu Kishwar opposed him tooth-and-nail over his choice of human resource development minister, Smriti Irani. Then the Left and Right managed to find common ground, opposing the previous government’s policies on both the Delhi University’s Four Year Undergraduate Programme as well as the changed format of the civil services exam. Despite opposition from some in the BJP, the government ended up caving to the Left-Right pressure and rolling back both the FYUP, while excluding the English portions of part of the civil services exam. Quietly, the Congress’ youth wing, the National Students Union of India, has also come around to supporting the same policies that its senior body originally introduced.
* Modified crops: GM trials
Who was happy: Both and neither
First the Narendra Modi government announced that it would put all genetically modified crop trials on hold, right after meeting with representatives of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch. Since the SJM’s position on this largely overlaps with the most Leftist organisations, the policy was openly supported by those who felt GM crops could be dangerous for India’s farmers. Then Prakash Javadekar, environment minister, announced that field trials would go ahead with appropriate safeguards, furthering the previous government’s push to innovate on the GM crop front. The flip-flop, however, meant neither side is sure whether they should be cheering the government or calling for its head.
* Look West: Israel policy
Who was happy: Leftists and Congress supporters
The op-eds all announced that Modi’s government would be the most pro-Israel group that India had ever seen. The growing relationship on the arms front made this seem even more likely. Yet when it came to a vote in the United Nations Human Rights Council, where a resolution had been passed seeking to probe Israel’s actions in Gaza, the Modi government decided to go against Tel Aviv.
This caused howls of consternation against the decision, and attempts to blame the vote on the bureaucracy rather than the Modi government, it conversely provided relief to those who were concerned about the wholesale abandonment of the Palestinian cause.
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While there have been plenty of contentious cultural issues, from BJP politicians calling India a Hindu nation to propaganda about the Love Jihad bogey, on the policy front Modi’s government has given even his opponents something to be cheerful about.
It began with Modi’s first address in the Central Hall of Parliament, soon after the election results were declared. “This government will be one which thinks of the poor, which listens to the poor, which lives for the people,” he said. Although this may have been standard lip service, Modi continued to repeat this mantra in subsequent speeches, and has ended up implementing a number of policies that would make even the most earnest jholawalla happy.
* Not-so-free trade: WTO stand
Who was happy: Leftists
For all the free market capital that backed the Modi campaign, the government ended up taking an entirely different direction in the first major international test on this front. The government decided it wouldn’t be following through on the previous administration’s promise to ratify the trade facilitation portion of the Bali Package, an agreement to simplify and standardise port procedures.
India was the only country standing in the way of what would have been the World Trade Organisation’s first-ever comprehensive agreement, so the decision risked alienating foreign investors and prompted many at home to argue that it damaged India’s reputation. Yet the government has stuck to the decision and insisted that it would also be looking to review all the Free Trade Agreements India has with other countries.
* Retail therapy: Foreign Direct Investment U-turn
Who was happy: Congress supporters
Though the BJP, keeping its trader base in mind, campaigned vigorously against the Congress policy of Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail, the government has made no moves to change the law. Instead, the government has maintained the status quo, allowing those states that had opened up to FDI in retail to remain that way. For Congress supporters, this is both vindication of Modi as a "Feku" (the pre-poll term Congress workers used for him on social media, implying he was a liar), but also of a Congress policy that resulted in the Trinamool Congress breaking its involvement with the United Progressive Alliance government.
* Rolling back: Rail fares
Who was happy: Congress supporters and leftists
Modi’s railway minister hiked rail fares with the rail budget only a few weeks away, leaving Congressis in a bit of a bind. They wanted to criticise Modi, but they knew how recently they were defending their own government doing the same thing. Meanwhile, the jholawallas railed against the authorities for raising fares for the neediest, prompting a partial rollback of the policy aimed primarily at placating voters in a few states that are set to go to polls. This also gave material to opponents who want to insist that Modi isn’t the decisive leader he was made out to be.
* We don’t need no education: CSAT and FYUP
Who was happy: Leftists
Education policy has reached a very surprising place during the 100 days of this government. Staunch Modi supporters like Madhu Kishwar opposed him tooth-and-nail over his choice of human resource development minister, Smriti Irani. Then the Left and Right managed to find common ground, opposing the previous government’s policies on both the Delhi University’s Four Year Undergraduate Programme as well as the changed format of the civil services exam. Despite opposition from some in the BJP, the government ended up caving to the Left-Right pressure and rolling back both the FYUP, while excluding the English portions of part of the civil services exam. Quietly, the Congress’ youth wing, the National Students Union of India, has also come around to supporting the same policies that its senior body originally introduced.
* Modified crops: GM trials
Who was happy: Both and neither
First the Narendra Modi government announced that it would put all genetically modified crop trials on hold, right after meeting with representatives of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch. Since the SJM’s position on this largely overlaps with the most Leftist organisations, the policy was openly supported by those who felt GM crops could be dangerous for India’s farmers. Then Prakash Javadekar, environment minister, announced that field trials would go ahead with appropriate safeguards, furthering the previous government’s push to innovate on the GM crop front. The flip-flop, however, meant neither side is sure whether they should be cheering the government or calling for its head.
* Look West: Israel policy
Who was happy: Leftists and Congress supporters
The op-eds all announced that Modi’s government would be the most pro-Israel group that India had ever seen. The growing relationship on the arms front made this seem even more likely. Yet when it came to a vote in the United Nations Human Rights Council, where a resolution had been passed seeking to probe Israel’s actions in Gaza, the Modi government decided to go against Tel Aviv.
This caused howls of consternation against the decision, and attempts to blame the vote on the bureaucracy rather than the Modi government, it conversely provided relief to those who were concerned about the wholesale abandonment of the Palestinian cause.