Somehow the monsoon washout in the Parliament reminds me of the 2nd term of the UPA regime and the long history of absolute policy paralysis that the country witnessed. However with Parliament coming to a standstill, the reforms agenda has more or less taken a back seat at least for now. There is a urgent need to put the reform rail on track not just in the interest of the BJP Govt but also in the country’s interest which is already reeling under the burden of severe policy inaction witnessed in the past decade.
It is high time that this majority govt came out of its honeymoon phase and put the much needed Plan B in place. It is not a time to lick its wounds but rather concentrate on using its strength to tide over these unfavourable times. Looking back at its short stint thus far, some basic facts are very clear:
- Time has come for the BJP Govt to harness its strength and smoothen out the rough edges
- It needs to act fact when the advantage is with them
- A majority Govt is a worry for the opposition and they will leave no stone unturned to disturb their game plan. The BJ needs to rise above it.
- Modi Govt needs to take extra care to not lose its existing support base.
For example, a Govt which is facing legislative hurdle in terms of implementing reforms, the BJP Govt should not train its guns on the avenues that are still open. It is perceived as a pro-market, a corporate friendly Govt. So why not capitalise that aspect and look at ways to rekindle growth, rein in inflation which is again rearing its ugly head.
Not only at the corporate level, the Govt should also look at using instruments like NREGA to rev up the job situation across the country and across social strata. The Govt’s thrust in foreign policy should be used to leverage its position back home and its has to devise ways to address issues like the recent terror attacks with an iron hand.
Not just that this recent Parliament debacle should be also a warning for the BJP to clean up its own act and come out in open with potential solutions to intra-party issues like Vyapam, Lalit Modi controversy and the like. It is time that the Modi Govt looked at reversing the narrative and substantiating it with some definitive ground level action.
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