How many of us remember, the Narendra Modi speech, made in early 2014, during his campaign trail in Goa. On the one hand he promised “Special Status” for the Goans, as he stressed that it was easy, since Goans had not asked for a financial package in the Special Status demand. The other very important question Modi posed during his speech, was the economy underlined the “Pink Revolution”. While ridiculing the fundamentals, of beef exports he taunted – “What is this Pink Revolution? He wanted to know and act against it. Goans must now recall Modi’s utterances his present silence and understand his mindset, which is against slaughter of cattle, then in 2014 and now in power, he is practicing what he had been preaching nipping in the bud the growth of cattle slaughter and crippling the pink revolution of meat consumption, and export of leather, hides, horns, and other processed materials from slaughtered animals. Three years on our economy is under acute stress as Modi is subtly promoting the agendas of Hindutva.
Indians by and large were enchanted by Modi’s oratory skill and a litany of promises he made as the leader of the BJP going into the last parliamentary polls. Land which is extremely limited and fragile is being taken lock, stock and barrel for a song by out station migrant industrial giants rendering Goan strangers in their own home land. This is today of serious concern. The land price and using political influence is not an issue to the industrial as well as real estate giants from mega cities like New Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad etc. For instance entire set of islands around Divar, particularly around Vauxim are taken over by Ozone Recreational Pleasure Resorts, which the late Fr Bismarque Dias fought against and was allegedly forcefully drowned by the vested interest lobby as they did not like the priest for declaring that he would not allow Vauxim to transform it in a “Sin City”. We have 7 engineering institutions of Higher Learning and one more IIT is proposed! Should we dish out our land so very easily? Disproportionate asset case against the IIT Director is the indicator of the scams involving land grab.
The BJP in Goa and in New Delhi have taken Goans for a ride “Sab ka Saath aur Sab ka Vikas”, which means development for all, but this has turned our as a “damn squib”. All around you see policies which favour the rich and throttle the poor. While the rich industrial giants find solace in huge multi crore loan waivers and the Central government turning a Nelson’s eye by not punishing the large scale borrowers of public money on the contrary the poor farmers across India have to either die in police firings or commit suicide as they are unable to service their debt of even Rs 50,000 only. Today Industrial Development Corporation of Goa and the Investment Promotion Board are gifting land in large areas to migrant industrial giants.
We boast declaring that our country is agricultural and farmer-friendly but over the last 60 years, we have only made movies and sung songs of praise eulogizing the contribution of the farm sector but sadly kept the farmers by and large below the poverty line; save a few rich farmers who have used their political clout for ulterior motives; fanning personal interests against the growing problems of the marginalized lot amongst them.
The Modi government has tactfully undertaken the demonitisation exercise which has slowed down economic growth and thus the panic-stricken farmers, labourers, daily wage workers, small-time traders were made to suffer months of pain of going cashless, thus the Modi mantra that black money, duplicate money and the cash with terrorists would be arrested came to a “big knot”. The terrorists were going and are still going great guns with the new Rs 2000 notes, fuelling tensions in Jammu and Kashmir. Incidentally Kashmir is in the boil; as of today. Even women, children and the common-educated students of Kashmir are up in arms throwing stones and crying for autonomy in Kashmir, under Article 370 of the Constitution, which was agreed upon at the time of accession of Kashmir with India. The Indian GDP growth has slumped, once from as high as 10.8 during the UPA regime to 6.1 as of today.
Modi has been travelling abroad extensively. The world at large will judge his foreign policy but as far as India is concerned Modi has a very long way to go to help him meet the aspirations of the people of the country. Vajpayee gave the India shinning campaign and along with it the slogan of the feel good factor cost him dearly last time BJP was in power. Modi promised less government more of governance. But the Modi government is passing new laws against public interests eg. the recent anti-cow slaughter regulation through the Ministry of Environment that is anti-people.
Modi should realise that he is sending wrong signals about development, when he keeps quiet and fails to clamp down the cow-vigilantism.To save cows we would have to kill livelihoods and starve the people! Is it just?
Modi has shown his concern towards environment. The Swacch Bharat mission and cleaning up River Ganga initiative is well intended policy. But every policy must be backed by firm commitment and focused actions. As of now crores of rupees have gone down the drain in ambitious advertisement on radio, televisions newspapers and public hoardings.
Then as an Opposition, BJP from 2008 to 2013 fought against GST as well as Aadhar card usage as it was considered as an anti people approach of the Congress. Now in power the BJP is firmly rooting up to all the Congress policies, it fought against while in Opposition. You can fool some people all the time. Would Modi succeed in enchanting and deceiving the Indian electorate for all time? Modi and the people have two more years to decide, reflect and act thereafter in 2019 elections to seal the fate of Modi. But till then should the general public suffer on stand up and agitate for our rights.
