One of the foremost right-wing ideologues in India, Arun Shourie, has spoken out about the various issues ailing the Modi government over the last year. Shourie's interview with Headlines Today has created a splash on social media with most Modi baiters latching on to it as vindication, and supporters almost treating it as an act of treason. BJP leaders like Sambit Patra have dubbed Shourie a 'fair-weather friend'. Uncharitable comments about Shourie being disgruntled over not being given a ministerial berth are being put forth. Even if one assumes that is true, it does not undermine his views in any way. The points Shourie has raised in the interview are questions the establishment and supporters of the establishment need to brood over.
On foreign policy, Shourie has articulated a common concern - that the Modi government has reached a dead-end on the Pakistan front. The government started out on a positive note but soon its policy became focused on knee-jerk reactions to shenanigans from across the border. Essentially in the quest of being appearing 'tough', the broad contours of a long-term dialogue process were undermined. It's still not clear when the government will start engaging with Pakistan again, and on what terms. So the Pakistan policy has been muddled with an opaqueness the government could do without.
On the economic front, it's a fact that falling oil prices has come as a boon for the Modi government. While Amit Shah in rally after rally has tried to impress upon the decreasing prices, the price fall has been mainly caused by external factors. The government's real challenge will only come with unseasonal rain coming as a dampner, and a less-than-normal forecast for the monsoons. It remains to be seen if there has been any improvement in the supply chain and storage facilities, especially when it comes to food items.
Shourie perhaps was a tad uncharitable in hoping for a radical change in the investment mood in the country just within a year. But the anguish which Shourie expressed has been shared by other eminent businessmen. The feeling is that government has not been able to use its majority to push for big-bang reforms in the way it should have done. The entire fiasco regarding the Income Tax Return forms has only added to the negative perception.
It's too early to pass any judgment on any flagship government schemes like Make in India or Jan Dhan Yojana. Shourie's grouse with them being headline hunting doesn't hold much ground as any government of the day is well entitled to promote and publicise its marquee schemes. But the veteran ideologue's words should engender caution, because beyond the headlines, the aam aadmi will be only be convinced about the schemes if something tangible materialises on the ground.
Shourie has also asked the government to tone down the hyperbole as only the difference between the promised and delivered is taken into account by the electorate. In effect Shourie has asked Modi to desert the perennial election rhetoric of grandiose announcements - a sane advice no doubt. The government is elected for five years and not every government programme needs to be treated as a town hall interaction to drum up support. Sometimes brevity and silent work is much more helpful.
Shourie's critic of BJP's ambitious outreach programmes hindering its ambitions in the Rajya Sabha is a mixed bag. On one hand it makes perfect sense for a party to try to expand when it is in pole position. But then again launching virulent personal attacks against political leaders may completely cut the chain of communication even for backdoor manoeuvres. Shourie cites the example of West Bengal, where Amit Shah and Co have gone hard against TMC and Mamata Banerjee. According to him, that has stopped BJP from reaching any adjustment with TMC in the Rajya Sabha. But in the most likely scenario, TMC would have never lend support to BJP keeping in mind their domestic considerations. Thus Shourie's advice to go a tad slow probably holds more ground in states like Tamil Nadu, where the likes of Jayalalithaa can be trusted to lend help for some crucial legislations.
Shourie has highlighted the clash between different institutions specially mentioning the Supreme Court and RBI. In both cases, Modi government is not in unchartered territory. Former RBI chief Subbarao and Finance Minister Chidambaram often clashed regarding cutting repo rates. Institutions like CAG were at loggerheads with the government in the previous regime. In a way certain clashes are perhaps inevitable. But stating that judges fear '5-star activists' are the kind of statements which could be avoided.
The government also seems to be losing the battle of perception on attacks against minorities in several parts of the country. In politics and public life, perceptions matter more than fact. The government has come out strongly to condemn attacks against minorities. But in some cases there has been a time lag between the incident and reaction from the government, especially from the top echelons. The government has not been clear about its stance towards the ghar-wapsi programme instituted by VHP. The brouhaha regarding the beef ban has only added fuel to the fire. The government's soft treatment of the likes of Sakshi Maharaj and Giriraj Singh has added to the negative perceptions. Beyond usual tokenism, there seems to be a gap in the government's outreach to minorities.
However, it's still early days and the Modi government has time for course correction. The communication mechanism of the government needs to be more robust to properly convey the message it seeks to give out. In matters like ban on German language in KVs, good governance day, land acquisition bill and various issues a perception was created and government had to indulge in fire-fighting to try to alter it. So reaching out to the concerned constituency with the suitable message is key. Also it must be willing to engage specially with ' disgruntled' leaders like Arun Shourie and with members of civil society. Getting trapped in a self servicing echo chamber may give it an ego boost but will ultimately turn out to be fatal. For NDA to stop from being UPA 3, they need to pay heed to Arun Shourie.