The Modi Government has completed 100 days in office during its third term. What is interesting is that this is an event that the Opposition has taken note of more than the government. The Congress specially went all guns blazing with multiple press conferences in various cities to point out all that the government had not delivered. It is never difficult to spot shortfalls and sure enough the feisty Supriya Shrinate came armed with a list of how the Modi Government had failed the farmers, youth, middle class, railways, infrastructure and the social fabric of the country. Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram called this a government of U turns. Certainly there have been one to many rollbacks in the first few months from the decision on indexation of property to lateral entry for bureaucrats, the broadcast bill and the Wakq Board Amendment bill.
Added to that the repeated criticisms from the RSS and the now open rebellion in election going states from those who have been left out of the candidate list this is certainly not a picture either the PRime Minister or the Home Minister would be comfortable with.
But having said that, the duo are carrying on with business as usual from Day One. Whether it was the decision to appoint the same cabinet as the one in Modi 2.0 (the big four remained the same), or to appoint a Lok Sabha speaker of this choice (again this was a repeat of Modi 2.0), or even the decision to defer the election/selection of a new BJP Chief, there is little in terms of optics to show that the all powerful duo are rattled by the opposition attack. Until the allies pull out the Modi Government is here to stay, which is why one can see some very subtle (and some not so subtle as in the budget grants) to appease Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. If these two are content then the rest dont really matter because if you look at it closely, no one wants this government to fall. The Opposition for all its hue and cry is in no position to form an alternate government. If the Congress was to take the lead, it would be at the mercy of its allies and in a much more precarious position than the current Modi government. If a smaller regional party leader gets to be prime minister then it would be the case of the tail wagging the dog. The Congress does not make for a reliable ally when it is in a supporting role. We have the United Front Experiment as a case in point (1996-1998). This is something Chandrababu Naidu also recalls all too well.
That leaves the RSS. For all its (implied) criticism of Narendra Modi’s style of functioning the RSS leadership is also all too aware that without Modi’s leadership the tally would have been much lower for the BJP. Coming back for a third term is no easy feat and Modi is still the BJPs best bet to stay on in power.
So in the end, the BJP may end up losing the Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and J&K polls as the pollsters are predicting. Yes it will be a loss of face, but will it lead to anything more than that, I doubt it. The Modi Government will last out its full term, because that is what all the political parties want.
Priya Sahgal
