Modi sees merit in the Stability Plank

Last week Prime Minister Narendra Modi met MPs from the breakaway Trinamool Congress group over breakfast even as Parliament remained stalled. The subject of the meeting, as is the case with such discussions, was state-specific and had an added relevance since the 20 MPs are new additions to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and a crucial part of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) outreach in West Bengal where the party formed its first government in May.

The freewheeling discussion touched on infrastructure projects for the state and its capital Kolkata but also a broader developmental vision for eastern and north east India. Modi pointed to the potential of Kolkata, Guwahati and Bhubaneswar driving development and restoring the region to its former status as a leader in industry, trade and commerce.

Durable Government

As he explained why the new NDA entrants would be part of the change, Modi slipped in a word or two on durability of the BJP-led government at the Centre. During the time that he has been Prime Minister United Kingdom has seen half-a-dozen PMs come and go, he said. The remark was not casual but underlined the durability of successive NDA governments since 2014 and that political stability was a preferred outcome for voters who tend to deliver decisive mandates.

The Prime Minister’s observations are relevant in the backdrop of the challenge posed by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) which led to the resignation of senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan as education minister and has set off a flood of heated commentary whether the protest against the NEET paper leaks could be a turning point. Would the CJP protest that was born on social media but became a pitched street battle on July 20 in central Delhi be the proverbial straws in the wind.

Meeting the Challenge

Modi’s comments during his interaction with the MPs – now a part of the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) – suggest he does not think so. It is not that he has not understood the anger and angst of the youth over compromised public exams and the mismatch between aspirations, skills and ground realities. His late night selfie-videos might have been essentially fire fighting exercises but he has grasped the importance of the medium and format. Thereafter another video on national handloom day urging people to support weavers indicates that the response to the outreach has been encouraging.

Yet, the political stability plank does not offer a permanent state of satisfaction. There is a need for periodic renewal to guard against complacency. The Prime Minister seems to understand this and regularly sets new goals for the government. He also knows the value of “talking up” issues so that they gain sufficient public traction. His observation at a IIT Delhi graduation ceremony that the “exam of life” is a set of questions that are “out of syllabus” was not incidental. His interaction with Commonwealth Games medal winners has a similar youthful flavor and message when he said doers will bloom in life.

A Strong Political Brand

Political stability can come across as a prosaic and can thus be underrated. But it has helped Modi to build a solid political brand based on a development track record and seen him embellish a reputation as a leader prepared to take tough calls whether in removing Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir or dealing with Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. The CJP began as a protest against paper leaks but became a lightening rod for all sections who had a grouse with BJP and Modi.

Detecting pressure points within society and dealing with them requires anticipation and planning. The kind of jobs many in the work force seek may not available in the numbers required. But Modi offers a more hopeful future and does not lose sight of the need to tell his audiences that the government is working to grow the economy internally while and trade deals with developed nations will also create new opportunities for Indian farmers and business.

The Foxconn’s massive iPhone plant near Bengaluru employees thousands of young women who have become part of manufacturing. The demand for engineers in AI, according to Linkedin CEO Dan Shapero, is growing at more than 50%. Much of this has been facilitated by a government with a stable majority in Parliament and the will to deliver on big ticket projects and confront stubborn legacy issues.