One year of Modi Government 2.0 : A Betrayal of Development
‘Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas, Sab ka Vishwas.’ The Narendra Modi government which rode to power for the second term with these three slogans has completed one year in office. Looking back on the year gone by, these slogans seem to have been thrown to the wind with the country now standing steeply divided on economic lines and the government’s focus nowhere on the development agenda. The ‘Sab ka Vikas’ development juggernaut has simply trampled and run over the lives of migrant laborers. Minorities and Dalits are stunned at the betrayal of this government as the Modi government has dumped its ‘Sab ka Vishwas’ agenda.
The discordance between the Centre and the States has grown huge. Hopes and aspirations that Modi would use his second term in office to take the country on the path of development now seem a pipe dream. ‘Coronavirus’ seems to be the only weapon before the Modi government to retain any form of self-respect. The government has already dropped enough hints that it is going to use Corona crisis as a shield to explain its multiple failures
During his first term in office, people suffered because of his controversial decision to demonetize high-value currencies. The Prime Minister had then openly declared that a few officials had misled him and had also expressed helplessness that a five-year term was not adequate to put the country back on the rails of development. In this background, the people were hopeful that the second term would be used to put the country firmly on the path of development.
With the first five years’ experience to back, he was also expected to show more political maturity. His promise of achieving development by taking everybody into confidence further fueled the expectations of people. But the past year has seen only the betrayal of that promise.
Within a few months of coming to power for the second term, Modi slowly took a back seat while his trusted lieutenant and Home Minister Amit Shah was seen setting the agenda in which ‘development’ was abandoned. Instead, emotional issues such as Kashmir, Ram Mandir, National Register of Citizenship (NRC) that are against the spirit of ‘Sab Ka Saath’ were given priority. Realizing that people were quickly losing confidence in this four-month new government and the country staring at a severe economic crisis, the government chose to play up these emotionally charged issues to divert the people’s attention and make sure that they don’t see its failures.
The government’s unilateral decision over Kashmir has created a situation that is difficult to comprehend. The government claims that it has now fully integrated Kashmir into the Indian Union by withdrawing the special status of the State but the people’s representatives of Kashmir are still under house arrest and the state still witnessing a huge presence of the army. If the government’s claim that it is now closer to the people of Kashmir than ever before is true, then why is Kashmir still under siege? Why are the Opposition leaders not able to roam around freely in Kashmir? The country is in lockdown due to Corona over the last few months but Kashmir has been locked down for the last eight months with people’s lives in jeopardy.
The government ignored the sentiments of the people of Kashmir and showed that it is only interested in the land of Kashmir. This hasty decision of the government has not only impacted our country adversely but also our neighboring countries. China is flagging the embers by inciting Nepal. Pakistan is also trying to use this opportunity arising in Kashmir in its favor. We then have to question the government’s decision on Kashmir that was taken when the country was facing its worse ever economic crisis. Kashmir has fallen silent with absolutely no activity in the tourism sector, its mainstay. The state finds itself within layers and layers of confinement, first with the army and now with the Coronavirus. The Modi government might claim that it has taken over Kashmir but it’s important for Kashmiris to proclaim openly that they belong to India.
The other issue for which the Centre is taking credit is the smooth resolution of the contentious issue of the construction of Ram Mandir, as though the judgment was not given by the Supreme Court but by the government. The construction of Ram Mandir can in no way contribute to the development of the country. It is like opium to keep the people emotionally sedated.
Almost at the same time, the government destroyed the lives of thousands of laborers of Assam by implementing NRC. It is pertinent to question the decision of the government to implement NRC as it involves an expenditure of hundreds of crores and whose aim is only to divide the people. The government has failed to respond to any of these questions before the country. Amit Shah’s announcement that NRC would be implemented all over the country, seems to have been given a burial at least for the time being but the seeds of hatred that he sowed have wreaked havoc.
The objective of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was to divide the country but the Coronavirus quickly brought together people who were being divided on the basis of religious lines. People who erupted in protests over the CAA had to come together to fight the Coronavirus. The threat of implementing CAA that already had a bearing on the country’s economy was also used to unleash police brutalities in which many people lost their lives. In the process of implementing these hasty decisions, the government betrayed the agenda of development yet again. Amit Shah who has contributed extensively to divide the country now seems to have faded away and Modi has again occupied the center stage.
The spread of Coronavirus in the country has destroyed the livelihoods of people who were already facing acute economic distress. The rate of deaths caused by Corona in other countries should have alerted the government to immediately swing into action and keep a track on people who entered our country.
According to experts, if the government had taken proactive steps, the Coronavirus would not have spread so much. The ‘Namaste Trump’ roadshow event was responsible for the spread of Coronavirus that led to the lockdown being imposed on the whole country instead of being imposed only on foreign travelers. Even when the lockdown was imposed, Modi’s ‘Sab Ka Vishwas’ agenda bit the dust, and the lockdown led to the humanitarian crisis of migrant laborers many of whom have died on the roadside.
The greatest achievement of Narendra Modi’s one year in office is betraying the ‘Sab Ka Vikas’ development agenda that is now in tatters and exemplified by the visuals of people dying on railway tracks. The Modi government which was trying to ride on the shoulders of Amit Shah is now facing a situation similar to the blind man leading the lame.
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
