While we celebrate our freedom, our thoughts go back to those who struggled and gave up their lives for the freedom of the country from British rule. Their struggles and sacrifices cannot and will not be forgotten. The weapon of non-violence that Mahatma Gandhi introduced during the fight for Independence also cannot be forgotten. Non-violence and civil disobedience were two weapons that earned India its freedom. They become very relevant in today’s period when the India is being attacked from within through terrorists and insurgents. Independence has not brought an end to the struggle in the country and battles continue to be waged, whether with the gun or without it, distracting the government attention from more pressing issues of growth and development.
India needs growth, and the government has to focus on achieving this. A cabinet reshuffle later, the Union government should have been showing much more stamina and vitality than it has. The biggest achievement of the past few weeks has been the passage of the Goods and Services Tax bill by both Houses of Parliament that proposes a uniform tax structure across the country. It will take another few months before the GST can actually be implemented and a couple of years before there are results shown. So only the GST will not be enough to change the course of India’s growth, nor do it quickly enough. The country needs results over rhetoric if it is to move forward to take its place on the global stage.
This will be Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort in Delhi. Delivering his first Independence Day speech he had announced the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, a scheme that aimed to give every Indian a bank account, and invited the world to ‘come, make in India’. Last year, in his second speech on this day, he had pointed out to the progress of the PMJDY scheme and the money mobilised through this, but there was no mention of the developments, if any, in the ‘Make in India’ campaign. Was it a reflection that the campaign hadn’t shown tangible results? So was it all rhetoric, and are we going to get some more of it this Independence Day?
This year, Modi has decided to listen to the people before speaking to them on Independence Day. He asked for ideas from citizens on issues that he could speak on, when he delivers his address on the morning of August 15. No Indian Prime Minister has ever taken such a step, perhaps never even contemplated it. But in an era of the social media, when the Prime Minister and his Office tweet regularly, and the common man can respond to the tweets instantly, seeking ideas from the people becomes another manner of connecting with the people, another rhetorical moment. Where are the results?
It is almost the midterm for the government and so we can expect another bunch of announcements this Independence Day. But, it is the translation of the announcements made in the past into results that is awaited. It is the fulfillment of the promises made, of the acche din promised in the flush of victory, of the return of black money from abroad, that people still await. Let not the Independence Day become another opportunity for the government to play to the galleries, but an occasion to restructure their policies and redraft the plans with deadlines in sight and deliverables aimed at. Delivery, not speeches, will be the key to progress. This Independence Day, can this government promise the nation growth and development and then keep that promise?
