Driven by the ambition to leave behind an enduring legacy, Narendra Modi launched a raft of schemes as prime minister. Some worked well while others floundered. Will he now be rewarded for his vision or punished for his miscalculations?
Every Indian leader who occupied the spartan corner office in the prime minister’s wing in Delhi’s South Block after Jawaharlal Nehru, has looked to emulate him. Even Narendra Modi, though he may be loath to admit it in public. Modi’s ideological moorings in the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have seen him spout venom against India’s first prime minister and trash his achievements. Yet, more than Indira Gandhi, it is Nehru’s exalted status as the builder of modern India that every prime minister after him, including Modi, aspires to surpass. Do a Google search using the words ‘Nehru’ and ‘books’. Apart from the list of 50-odd books that he authored, including compilations of his speeches, it will throw up a thousand books written about him and his legacy. Such has been Nehru’s prominence in the Indian mindspace.
As Modi completes five years as prime minister next month and seeks a mandate for a second term, he is clearly looking to establish a legacy of Nehruvian stature— the making of a Second Republic. At the release of the BJP manifesto for the 2019 election, Modi didn’t confine himself to listing out what his government and party would do up to 2024. Instead, he surprised everyone by setting goals far ahead—to 2047, when India completes a hundred years of Independence. He alluded to a vision of India as a developed country that would be a premier power in the world. Modi then placed the work that his government had done so far and now promises to do in the next five years if re-elected as part of a process of achieving such a lofty vision. (If Modi follows his party’s principle of leaders retiring at 75 years of age, he will have to do so in 2025 and will be out of the reckoning for breaking the record held by Nehru and Indira Gandhi of having the longest tenures as prime minister).
Denne historien er fra April 22, 2019-utgaven av India Today.
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Denne historien er fra April 22, 2019-utgaven av India Today.
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LOW-COST AIRLINES, 2003 - NO-FRILLS TAKES OFF
Air Deccan shattered the myth that flying was an elite pursuit. With no-frills service and ultra-low fares, it transformed Indian aviation, inspiring a booming budget airline segment
THE GENERIC BREAKTHROUGH - Pharmacy to the World
India's pharmaceutical industry has evolved from dependency on foreign firms to global dominance. Driven by generics, biopharma breakthroughs and innovation, it has cemented the country's status as the planet's drug factory
THE SOFTWARE BOOM FROM BYTES TO BILLIONS
From a $100-million fledgling in 1991 to a $250-billion powerhouse today, India's IT industry capitalised on visionary policies, pioneering companies and the Y2K opportunity to become a global leader in outsourcing and innovation
ECONOMIC LIBERALISATION, 1991- BREAKING THE SHACKLES
In 1990, India faced economic collapse with dwindling forex reserves and mounting debt. The next year, the Narasimha Rao government, with Manmohan Singh as finance minister, launched transformative reforms, dismantling protectionism and reshaping the economy
THE MARUTI 800, 1983- The Aam Aadmi Car
The small car that made a big difference by democratising car ownership in the country and changing the face of India's automotive industry
RELIANCE INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING, 1977 - The Emperor of Equities
With his novel idea of raising funds from the public in the late '70s, Dhirubhai Ambani awoke the sleeping giant that was India's capital market, giving the ordinary investor a chance to own a small piece of big business and be part of an equity revolution
WEAVE A STORY
Saree plays muse and material in this modern iteration
SIMPLE LIVING
Spatial planning meets spirituality, and up-cyling meets unconventional design practices, in this Gurgaon home
HARMONY IN DESIGN
Using principles of vaastu coupled with a creative interplay of open and closed spaces, this home in Vadodara is a welcome sight
THE NEW ECO CHIC
This home in Kerala is designed on the principles of climate responsive architecture
