Raman Suri
As the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government completes one year of its second successive term in office, the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and former Chief Minister of J&K Ghulam Nabi Azad termed it as a year of misgovernance. This is nothing more than a word spoken for the sake of speaking. The vague allegations that Azad levelled to support his comment largely revolved around pandemic and the issues concerning migrant workers besides what he added as failed economy, job losses and cycles of violence.
First Thing First : The Congress must understand that pandemic of Coronavirus took the entire world by surprise. Its nature, effect, time of spread, precautions to be taken and vaccine were not known to anyone. Despite all odds, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made correct assessment of the situation and acted accordingly by first announcing a day’s ‘Janta Curfew’ followed by successive lockdowns, simultaneously preparing India to take preventive measures including establishing COVID-19 hospitals, enhancing testing capacities, arranging Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits for doctors and keeping the spirit of people affected by unknown virus high.
This is the reason that India, with a population of 130 Crore, has reported one of the lowest COVID-19 deaths per lakh population with respect to other countries. Today, it is because of multiple messages by Prime Minister, who made people understand the nature of infection, precautions to be taken and advisories to be followed, that situation is far better in India as compared to rest of the world. India’s Rs 20 lakh crore COVID-19 Relief Package was also among the largest in the world that helped MSMEs, labourers, cottage industries, middle class in a big way.
Migrant Workers’ Issue : Despite repeated requests by Hon’ble Prime Minister right at the onset of pandemic, that each and every person must stay wherever he/she is and the country will take care of them and their needs, migrants were forced, manipulated, scared, pushed and misguided by false assurances of opposition leaders as well as fake news, which made them move in panic. Fuel was added to the fire by a few, who chose to use the labourers’ stories to grind their own axe, instead of asking them that why are they moving even when the PM has asked them to freeze wherever they are.
Assessing the gravity of situation and workers’ troubles, Prime Minister ensured that even if it takes a fortnight for excessive arrangements, each and every person on the move should be made to reach their homes. Subsequently buses and trains were all made operational under ‘Shramik Special’ name and every one reached their home. Similarly, students, workers, tourists and anyone abroad were all airlifted and brought back to India and reunited with their families in these testing times under the Vande Bharat Mission.
In time of pandemic, when complete economy including travel, trade, tourism, industry and small businesses had all taken a back seat, saving lives was more important. The opposition, which is finding flaws in procedures and timings of lockdowns, itself had no idea of how to deal with an unknown and unseen virus. Instead of extending complete support to the Government and standing by the Nation, they chose to settle scores, provoke labourers and enter into unnecessary debates that could have waited.
Had there not been bank accounts of poor people, money that the Government transferred into the accounts of workers, would have never reached them. Contrarily, during the regime of Congress, opening a bank account was a herculean task and money never reached poor because of pilferage, a fact sealed by the words of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Answering Jibes : This is an established fact that Congress always challenged BJP to abrogate Article 370, and now when BJP Government has brought Jammu and Kashmir at par with other states and Union Territories (UTs) of the country, it is pinching the Congress. Today, erstwhile J&K state is a UT, Ladakh got its share, all discriminatory laws stand abrogated, state flag is a relic, Tricolour is unfurling high, PRC is gone, so-called Sher-e-Kashmir and several institutions named after him stand razed to ground, women got empowered, One Nation One Tax empowered the country, and a proper order in the system of governance is in place. This is what the former Chief Minister calls as a failure on administrative, economic, foreign affair and social fronts.
The man who mentioned about cycles of violence in his article chose to remain silent on lynching of Sadhus in Palghar area of Maharashtra. Allegations of using each and every institution to further the political purposes rather than for nation-building hold no ground as well. The Congress must recall as to how it crushed democracy by imposing Emergency on the people of India and suspending their rights while also curbing the freedom of press and freedom of speech.
Cycles of violence that used to claim lives of hundreds of young boys in Kashmir have today ended and people are looking forward towards building their career by seeking benefits of the schemes by UT as well as Central Government that are meant for their prosperity. Be it Azad as Chief Minister of erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir or Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed or Omar Abdullah, none of them could contain the violence in Kashmir for a simple reason that it suited their politics of separatism and blackmailing the successive Union Governments, which is a thing of the past now.
Good Governance: Since the time in 2014 that Narendra Modi has become Prime Minister of India, the nation witnessed a sea-change in the system of governance. Unlike past, when financial scams, favours, frauds, kickbacks, corruption and nepotism were on the rise, today a proper order has been brought into the governance. This is perhaps the second cabinet that is functioning honestly and giving nation its dues. Narendra Modi, on whom people pinned their faith for the second consecutive term, didn’t let anyone down and rather emerged as a global leader to strengthen India’s position around the globe on all fronts.
Today when every global investor is looking towards India, Congress sees nothing but its own ends, which is why its leadership’s thought process is afloat with vague allegations.
Historic Decisions: Abrogation of Article 370, The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, Citizenship (Amendment) Act, settlement of Ram Temple issue, all these ended the decades old issues that were hampering the country as well as individuals’ growth. Today, the country is moving on to a new high and is not indulging into such issues that always kept communalism on forefront. These laws defeated the forces that banked upon communalism or regionalism. Now, militancy in Jammu and Kashmir is on its last leg, Muslim women can live with dignity, persecuted religious minorities in neighbouring countries can come and settle in India, and work on Ram Temple is in progress. Appointment of the Chief of Defence Staff, commissioning of Tejas, purchases of Rafale and Apache helicopters not only strengthened our armed forces but also gave our soldiers an edge over the enemy.
Self Reliant India: Various Union Government schemes including Ayushman Bharat, PM Ujjwala Yojana, Housing for All Mission, PM Jan Dhan Yojana, Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao Yojana, Swachh Bharat Mission, PM Mudra Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana, Smart Cities Mission, Make in India, Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, AMRUT Plan, Start-up India, Hridaya Plan and Namami Gange besides several other such initiatives are not only aimed at making India clean and green but also making it self-reliant. Crores of people have been benefitted with Ayushman Bharat and Rs 6,000 financial assistance is going to farmers annually under PM-KISAN Scheme.
Technically, this is the completion of Narendra Modi’s first year of second term, but he has been taking care of the country for six years now. India, under his leadership, is emerging as a Self-Reliant Nation, which has given to the entire globe the World Yoga Day and a direction to preserve the Environment as well as deal with pandemic in the most effective manner. Worried about Modi government’s proposed over 1,000 “online rallies”, Congress is unable to find a counter to such innovative ideas and e-moves.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given to the Nation a clean and most transparent government in past 6 years, even the years ahead belong to such governance. India under Modi era has seen soldiers dealing with enemy nations in most effective manner. All this establishes that ‘In Modi era corruption is passé, Country is first’.
(The author is BJP leader and a philanthropist)
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