Third Time People’s Verdict in India for Strong and Dynamic Government Under the Leadership of Narendra Modi

 

National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured majority for the third term to form government in India. Narendra Modi becomes only the second prime minister in India’s history to win a third term after Jawaharlal Nehru. Two key members of Narendra Modi’s alliance had also endorsed him as India’s next prime minister. Spokespersons from both the Telugu Desam Party and Janata Dal (United) told that their alliance with BJP would form the new government. The achievements in political, social, economical and international levels will be continued. After the election results Narendra Modi said, “It is the victory of people and Indian democracy. The progress in different sectors will be continued with ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’.” The opposition alliance, INDIA led by Congress accepted the result as people’s verdict and its leader Rahul Gandhi also said, “It is the victory of people.” It indicates that in last more than seven decades Indian democracy has achieved an excellent position and world-class institutions have been developed based on its civilization, history and culture. Indian democracy is a bright example for the developing countries of the world.

The achievements that were done in last seven decades are due to effective functioning of the democratic system in India. There are remarkable achievements in last 10 years for upliftment of the people, which are described below.

Average income of people has increased by 50%. 25 crore people got freedom from multidimensional poverty. GST has enabled one nation, one market, one tax infrastructure build-up is being seen in record time. Direct transfer of Rs 34 lakh crore using PM Jan Dhan scheme. Inflation has been under check and within the policy band. PM SVANIDHI scheme gave credit assistance to 78 lakh street vendors. Crop insurance given to 4 crore farmers under PM Fasal Bima Yojana. Direct benefit to 11.8 crore farmers per year under PM Kisan scheme. 30 crore MUDRA Yojana loans have been given to woman entrepreneurs. Female enrolment in higher education has gone up by 28%.

India has grown from eleventh to fifth largest economy in the last decade. This has given a message to the world. All this has been possible due to the various decisions and Atma Nirbhar projects taken up by the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It will achieve the third position in the world in a short time.

India is doing very well in many sectors. The strides made by India in the digital sector is helping it shine in sectors such as industrial, health and education. India has surprised many countries of the world by becoming a cashless country with digitization. India’s Chandrayaan landed on the South Pole of the moon due to its strong science and technological advancement.

The general perception a few years ago was that India may not be able to handle COVID-19 properly as it did not have enough well-equipped hospitals and other modern facilities. However, India changed everyone’s assumption in just one year. India is proud to have supplied COVID-19 vaccine to more than a hundred countries. All this was possible because of Mr. Modi’s vision and leadership qualities. The foreigner’s perception of India has completely changed in the last few years. The Prime Minister’s dream is to create new inventions, start-ups, employment-educational skills and make India the third most powerful country in the world.

India has also taken steps for implementation of GST, abrogation of Article 370, new law on Triple Talaq, Nari Shakti Vandan Act to enhance women’s participation in the Parliament, the inauguration of a new Parliament building and strong steps against terrorism and Left-Wing Extremism.

The Modi government has launched and implemented several welfare schemes to empower Indians in the last ten years. 80 crore people have been getting free food grains under the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana since the pandemic struck the country. Over 11.8 crore households have been given tap water connections while 11.72 crore toilets have been built under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Welfare schemes from 2014 have been motivated by the principle of Antyodaya (no one is left behind). It means the government is targeting 100% saturation in every scheme. Over 48 crore Jan Dhan accounts have been opened by the government. It also highlighted how crores of people have been provided with LPG connections, electricity, insurance, direct benefit transfer, etc. The government has extended income support with PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, providing farmers with an assured cash transfer of Rs 6,000 per year through Direct Benefit Transfer.

Primary focus of India’s foreign policy remains its immediate neighbourhood, under the ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’. Giving some key numbers, it said that India has rescued thousands of citizens from various war-stricken countries under the government. Most recently, it brought back over 3,000 citizens from Sudan. National security has been a top priority for the Modi government. This can be seen in rescue operations conducted outside India, adopting a zero tolerance against terror policy at home, as well as a significant reduction in extremism. There has been a 334% growth in defence exports over the last 5 years and 75% of capital acquisition budget has been earmarked for domestic production in FY 2023-24.

To improve quality of life for all Indians is in line with the larger vision of the Prime Minister of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’. All segments of society have access to basic facilities like banking, LPG connections, sanitation, electricity, tap water, affordable healthcare and quality education.

Past few years have been challenging for the world, especially since the Russian-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine wars, but Indian economy continued to break new ground even amid global turmoil. It is now the fastest growing big economy of the world.

Monthly GST collections hit all-time high of Rs 1.87 lakh crore in April 2023; record $770 billion of goods and services were exported in FY23; over Rs 6.6 lakh crore bad loans were recovered; and there has been a 50% rise in export of electronic goods, among other things. It is mentionable that India’s foreign currency reserves stood at $6,41,590 million as of May 2024, which is one of the largest foreign currency reserves in the world.

Till 2014, only 4.5 per cent Muslims were government employees, and it is reported that the figure has gone up to 10.5 per cent in the last ten years. More than 42 per cent of the accounts opened under the flagship PM Jan Dhan Yojana are owned by Muslims. This clearly shows that the government’s financial inclusion efforts have been successful in reaching marginalized communities. About 22.7 per cent of beneficiaries of Skill India schemes were from the Muslim community, making them the largest beneficiaries, reflecting the government’s focus on skill development provided opportunities for upward mobility for all irrespective of religion. The passage of the Triple Talaq Bill was a historic moment for Muslim women, giving them legal protection against instant divorce and securing their rights. This legislative reform was a major step towards gender equality and women empowerment.

The government’s core objective has been ‘Sabka Saath-Sabka Vikaas’, to uplift all citizens regardless of their religious affiliation, create a more inclusive society, and promote social peace and national progress.

Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina made a congratulatory telephone call to Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi for the victory of NDA in the 18th Lok Sabha elections. Sheikh Hasina was among the first foreign leaders to congratulate Narendra Modi, reflecting the warmth and personal rapport between the two leaders. The two leaders pledged to continue working together to further deepen the historic and close ties under the renewed mandate towards achieving under the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 and Smart Bangladesh 2041. They acknowledged the significant improvements achieved in the lives of the people of both countries in the last decade and looked forward to further enhancing the transformative relationship across all domains that include economic and development partnership, energy security, connectivity including digital linkages and people-to-people contacts among others.

US President Joe Biden also had a telephonic discussion with Narendra Modi to congratulate him and NDA on their historic victory in India’s general election. The President also commended the people of India for participating in the largest democratic exercise in human history, with nearly 650 million going to the polls to vote. Narendra Modi received a telephone call from the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. President Putin warmly congratulated him on the success in the general elections and conveyed best wishes for a historic third term. Other world leaders also congratulated Narendra Modi for their historic win in the elections. It indicates that Indian democracy has reached at a remarkable height.

We hope third term strong and dynamic government of India under the leadership of Narendra Modi will help India to move forward for remarkable progress. Indian democracy is a lesson for developing countries expecting democracy and progress.

 
Dr. N. C. Bhowmik is a freedom
fighter, academic scholar and
former ambassador.