Mixed Bag

As Narendra Modi completes four years as prime minister, a look back at the government’s performance

- Pratul Sharma And Soumik Dey

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is everything Manmohan Singh was not. Unlike his predecessor, Modi has campaigned widely, stamped his personal style on policy initiatives, and presented himself as an outsider to Delhi’s power and pelf.

Now, with him about to complete four years in charge, everyone has an opinion on how the government has performed. Opinions differ sharply, depending on which side of the ideological divide one is on. Electorally, the BJP, led by Modi, has steamrolled the opposition. This, says the party, proves people’s acceptance of Modi’s governance style. The occasional defeat has been brushed aside as an aberration. Modi’s own popularity remains undiminished.

In Karnataka, he said, “The Manmohan Singh government was controlled through remote control by 10 Janpath.” This highlighted the current government’s strength. There is only one power centre—Modi.

But, while his stock among the faithful skyrocketed, many felt that it was not possible to have a debate on Modi’s policies without being angrily shouted down in a television studio, threatened on social media or on the streets. The political polarisation has been acute.

There have been atrocities against minorities and dalits, the backlash of which the government faced recently. Dalits erupted in protests across the country, primarily in BJP-ruled states. Though Modi brought focus on dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar, it was partly because he wanted to demolish the Nehru-Gandhi legacy in Indian politics. As a senior BJP leader said, “Politicians meant leaders from these families. Unless that was shaken, the BJP would need a long time to establish itself.”