Continuity, Balance, Transformation: Mantra For New Govt

The third term of the Modi government will be an interesting term to watch and hopefully the most transformative. PM Modi would be expected to transform the government and nation and continue on the good work of the past whose foundations he has laid in his two terms.

For the third time PM Modi, the priorities for the new government would have to change. In the past two terms the government has eschewed big bang reforms for incremental changes - and to an extent appeasement by social schemes. However, the current results clearly show that the reluctance to make big bang economic reforms as well as the abject lack of actions on BJP reforms - bureaucracy, judiciary and police - has clearly meant that the government had little to show for from a strategic change perspective. It has been left in the lurch by a simple consolidation of votes of the opposition from the appeased sections, whereas the party’s core constituency has probably given a slight cold shoulder to send a message.

However, for the incumbent government, it still is an election win. While the war cry of “400 paar” is something people may scoff at, in aiming for a win, the quest for a comprehensive one cannot be considered as a fool’s errand. In a country that has seen edgy coalitions for the most part since 1989, for a PM to win a third term back-to-back is a massive achievement whichever way one may want to spin it. The inability to scale up for the target of 400 is more a topic for introspection of the ruling dispensation, than a topic of mirth for the opposition which has now lost three national elections in a row. It is more PM Narendra Modi to now take up the challenge of managing potentially shaky allies such as TDP & JD(U) and convince them to back him in rolling out long pending initiatives.

In my opinion, the PM needs to focus on the mantra of “BJP + Economy” and show deliberate and substantive reforms across this spectrum:

Bureaucracy: India’s famously lethargic and colonial-era bureaucracy is crying for reform – and it was something that the country had been hoping for when it gave Modi his first full majority mandate. Instead, not only has there been zero reform, but parts of the bureaucracy have been given overarching unfettered powers that have badly singed the common man and small and medium businesses. Without a doubt, this has to be the number one priority for Modi 3.0. The era of Indian bureaucracy lording over the citizenry, while patting itself on the back when inching forward, while remaining miles behind global benchmarks must end now.

Judiciary: In a country burdened with a mountain of litigation, with some cases pending decades, a strong muscular approach to reforming the judiciary is a must. Even as the judiciary blindly accepts the police and public prosecution’s chargesheets, as well as systematically makes jail the rule & bail the exception, while espousing the reverse, it is the common man who suffers under the burden of this ridiculous state of affairs. Even though the NJAC was one such much-needed reform, the one-off pushback has put this on the back burner for decades. When the new criminal laws were being worked upon, there had been a glimmer of hope for the populace, but the old wine in a new bottle that has been rolled out, albeit window dressed by “technology-driven process” and “time-bound outcomes” – which by the way are replete with loopholes, has left people wondering if this was really driven by intent or was it to just create buzz? It is vitally important that the new government immediately reform the judiciary & criminal laws effectively in line with benchmarks from developed democracies.

Police: This is a topic which is aptly described by “the less said the better”. India’s police forces resemble a ragtag gang of organised criminals rather than a modern protector of its people. There are certainly many successes to speak of, and some fine police officers across ranks, but in the overall scheme of things these successes and officers are a minuscule minority. India’s Supreme Court, many years ago, spelt out the basic framework for reforms in police which have been wantonly ignored. If there was a time to use them as a base and build on them, that time was never if not now. We need a police force that focuses on robust patrolling and impartial investigations and protects the human rights of the general public as well as arrestees. Modi 3.0 must make this a key priority.

The lack of reforms in BJP – bureaucracy, judiciary and police – has been, without seeming obvious, the reason for the general apathy that has signed Modi 2.0 at the hustings. The voter has not seen their quality of life improve substantively enough in reflection of the mandate given to PM Narendra Modi. He must repay the faith in his current term to redeem the faith that voters seem to have lost.

And, last but in no manner possibly the least, the economy. This will always be the driver of success for any government. While one cannot fault Modi 1.0 & 2.0 for steering headline numbers relatively well and improving ease of doing business at a macro level, the continued lack of big bang reforms to unshackle the economy is preventing the fruits of the headline numbers from percolating to the mid & lower strata of society. Startups and SMBs even today struggle against bureaucratic (especially tax), judicial & police terrorism, even as larger businesses are finding it relatively easy to conduct business and scale. While frameworks and buzzwords are well in place, they are still being governed by Babus making incremental changes but keeping bureaucratic controls in place. None of the initiatives to ease the business environment for the common entrepreneur are democratic, neither are those selected to run & lead them truly the cream of talent available in the market – for once, how many IIM, IIT or other elite specialist university graduates can one find running initiatives for business & economic growth? It is time to break the shackles and provide lateral entry to the best resources (including in BJP, as I discussed above).

The Digital Public Infrastructure that India has built and showcased to the world has been Modi's gift to the citizens and country. We need to make DPI-like progress in every area.

The reforms in GST are the need of the hour now that we have data, insights and learnings from the successful implementation of GST. The Gift City must be accelerated to develop into a world-class financial centre and fulfill its true potential.

The Banking sector is the most important sector where there may be capitalisation needed and there may be a case for a merger of banks. This will lead to efficiency and meritocracy capital.

Rera has been the right step forward and RERA may need to be refreshed to factor the current realities of the real estate sector.

The DPI that India has built and is now bringing in ONDC has given rise to expectations that India will also develop AI for Bharat and India will be the AI Capital of the world.

PM Modi can build the Davos of Spirituality in Bharat's Devbhoomi.

There are a slew of other changes that need to be made in approach and operations by Modi 3.0, which may be best addressed by social commentators and experts, but from a business perspective, this government needs to make sustained, continuous & impactful big bang reforms its primary mantra especially across BJP + Economy. Continuous Transformation and Reinvention and a Giant Leap will help Modi realise India s true economic potential.