Between the lines, there was an acknowledgement that the NDA’s third term is distinct from the two that preceded it; there was an admission, even if tentative, of the need for the coalition government formed on June 4 to listen, not just do. (File)
In Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s I-day speech, the first of his third term, “Viksit Bharat at 2047” was the stated goal as well as recurring motif. The world was India’s stage, and it was upto Indians, especially its young, impatient for the “chhallang” or big leap into the future, to seize the golden hour and its “sambhavnayen (possibilities)”, he said. Of course, this emphasis on India’s unfulfilled “samarthya” or capability, is not new. It is part of an older framing of his government’s achievements in terms of tapping into the people’s ambitions and aspirations, as opposed to what he describes as preceding governments’ status quoism and “chalta hai/hota hai” lassitude. And yet, there were some significant departures, too, in this I-Day speech.
Between the lines, there was an acknowledgement that the NDA’s third term is distinct from the two that preceded it; there was an admission, even if tentative, of the need for the coalition government formed on June 4 to listen, not just do. The “people” have written in, said the PM, on what a developed India at 100, looks like to them. For some, it will be the world’s skill capital, a global manufacturing hub for others, and for still others, the country that has reversed delays in justice, or built capacities against natural disasters, or implemented governance reforms and built better cities. The PM marked an even bigger shift in his speech. It came when he spoke of the imperative for a Uniform Civil Code, alongwith the other controversial idea of One Nation One Election. Again, the UCC is an older and longer BJP refrain. It was one of three “core” issues that, for long, the BJP government pushed on to the “backburner” when it was dependent on allies. It is the only one, after the building of Ram temple and abrogation of Article 370, to remain unimplemented after the BJP came back with a decisive majority in 2014. Now, when the electoral verdict of 2024 has again made the BJP dependent on its allies, PM Modi spoke of the UCC once more, and gave it the imprimatur of the Red Fort setting. But there were three crucial differences.
One, he spoke of the UCC not as the BJP’s political-ideological commitment, but as a goal mentioned in the Constitution and underlined by the Supreme Court. Two, he called for a wider debate in the country. And three, he said the country needs a “secular” civil code, as opposed to the current “communal” code which is “discriminatory”. That the PM felt the need to add the force of the Constitution and the Court to a BJP promise, and that he invited a participatory discussion on it, is significant. But what is most important is his use of the word “secular” — as a desired outcome. After all, the BJP so far has used “secular” as a label and accusation, a term of mockery and derision. This recasting of “secular”, and the announcement at speech’s end of his government’s intent to draft 1 lakh young people with no family political connections into politics, to get “new ideas” in – were the most resonant parts of PM Modi’s I-Day speech. These are likely to echo, as they call for expansiveness in politics and inclusion in governance, the “samvedansheelta (sensitivity)” he also referred to. That is his challenge the day after.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 15-08-2024 at 17:21 IST
