My Columns: Without Fear and Favour

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s I-Day Speech By Deepak Parvatiyar August 18, 2015 (Published in elections.in) If Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden Independence Day speech last year was meant to break the monotony of convention – to give an unambiguous message of change to the countrymen from the nation’s biggest stage. However, his second address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort this year was a mix of stock-taking exercise and the roadmap ahead. Just at a time when much is at stake for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the ensuing Bihar elections, and where again Modi is the front, the Prime Minister’s thrust on issues concerning farmers’ welfare in no uncertain terms addressed the electorates in agrarian Bihar. Consider that the Prime Minister devoted almost one-tenth of his speech to the farmers. A very significant announcement was the changing the nomenclature of the ‘Ministry of Agriculture’ to the “Ministry of Farmer Welfare’ – “Agricultural growth is as important ...

Understanding the GST Bill Impasse By Deepak Parvatiyar August 17, 2015 (Published in elections.in) On the completion of the first year of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was upbeat about creating history – “We are in the process of creating history by bringing about the most important indirect tax reform - the GST (Goods and Services Tax)”, he had told media persons on May 22. However, the government’s plans of creating history went awry because of the logjam in the monsoon session of Parliament over ‘Lalitgate’ and ‘Vyapam’ scams. (refer to  http://www.elections.in/blog/was-bjp-a-lenient-opposition-as-compared-to-congress/ ). The delay in the implementation of GST now threatens to derail the reform process in no uncertain terms. The Government had set the April 1, 2016 deadline to roll out the GST regime. Little surprise, therefore, that once the monsoon session of Parliament ended in a virtual washout on August...

Politics of India on the 69th year of independence By Deepak Parvatiyar August 14, 2015 Published in elections.in (http://www.elections.in/blog/politics-of-india-on-the-69th-year-of-independence/) The nation celebrates its 69th Independence Day on August 15. This is the second time that Prime Minister Narendra Modi unfurls the national flag at the historic Red Fort. This reminds me of his first appearance at the Red Fort as Prime Minister last year when he delivered a highly acclaimed speech from its rampart to spell out his vision of ‘Make In India’, ‘Digital India’, and ‘Clean India’. He announced scrapping of the Planning Commission of India that was thereafter replaced by NITI Aayog. He urged the Members of Parliament to adopt villages as part of his Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna. They did sound like the “mantra’ to emancipate Indian society from poverty and class divide. Yet the most significant of Modi’s announcements was a call for a 10 year moratorium on commu...

Modi’s silence on scams By Deepak Parvatiyar August 10, 2015 5.00/5 (100.00%) 1 vote Published in elections.in (http://www.elections.in/blog/modi-silence-on-scams/) At least two arguments are in circulation to explain Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cryptic silence over the scams and controversies that dog his government. First, that his silence is premeditated and born out of calculations so as to prevent the trap laid for him by the Congress-led Opposition; second, that he has been tightlipped so as to nail his detractors within his own Bharatiya Janata Party. Let’s discuss the second argument first. The prominent names that figure in the scams are of those who are considered Modi’s political adversaries within the Bharatiya Janata Party. Hence a conspiracy theory emanating from the precincts of the South Block cannot be dismissed either. Much is already written about how the victims of the scams and their uncomfortable past equations with Modi could be a re...

Naga Peace Accord: Does It Allay Pressing Concerns? By Deepak Parvatiyar August 8, 2015 5.00/5 (100.00%) 1 vote  Published in elections.in (http://www.elections.in/blog/naga-peace-accord/) There seems more than what meets the eyes in the ‘historic’ Naga peace accord signed between the Centre and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) in New Delhi on 3 August. Firstly, let’s focus on the political fallout. Except Nagaland (which is ruled by the Nagaland People’s Front, a constituent of the ruling National Democratic Front in Centre), the three other states (Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh) directly affected by the Naga insurgency are all ruled by the Congress party. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the Congress President Sonia Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the government over the accord for not consulting the three chief ministers before signing the pact. Yet, what has surprised many is that at least the chief ministers of...