The resounding mandate that the people of India have given Prime Minister Modi is a clear message that the people trust him and his leadership to take India forward. More than a century ago, Swami Vivekananda had spoken about a ‘New India’ resplendent in her glory, that would arise and take its place amidst the comity of Nations. The time seems to be opportune for this to happen with the Prime Minister constituting his cabinet and taking the oath of office yesterday. The people that he has chosen, the combination of class, caste, experience, freshness to office and competence indicates the thought that he has given in their selection. It is also evident that performance will now be the yardstick and that he will demand that everyone work in synergy and stay focused on realising this dream of Swami Vivekananda which is now every Indian’s dream too. While the expectations of the millions will be justifiably sky-high, we the citizens also need to do our bit. It is also time for the opposition to stop squabbling and criticizing the Prime Minister for everything he does or does not do. They now need to join hands and work constructively with the Government in ensuring that they provide support where needed and constructive criticism when essential.
The work of governance and inclusive development is slow, painful and needs sustained effort. Building human & social capital leading to economic gains is a long drawn process and is generational. Let us all pray that this Government will usher this in and that we do our bit to demand both accountability and responsiveness from our newly elected parliamentarians.
Please read some thoughts in fighting poverty that I wrote in the June 19 issue of Civil Society magazine. https://civilsocietyonline.com/column/village-voices/a-way-out-of-poverty/
