India’s current government is led by the Bharatiya Janta Party or the BJP. It is also the country’s largest national party. It was formed in 1980, though its origins lie in the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which was founded in 1951. The Jana Sangh was closely associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organization that continues to play a significant role in shaping the BJP’s ideology.
The party first came to power at the center in 1996, but its government lasted only 13 days. It returned to power in 1998, forming a coalition under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), with Atal Bihari Vajpayee as Prime Minister. His tenure saw India conducting nuclear tests in 1998, economic reforms, and a focus on infrastructure development. However, the BJP lost power in 2004 to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
The BJP made a historic comeback in 2014 by securing 282 seats out of 543 in the Lok Sabha, with Narendra Modi as India’s prime minister. Major policy changes include the revocation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019, and the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 that criminalized triple talaq in India.
The government’s handling of several protests and crises has faced widespread scrutiny. The 2020–2021 farmer protests, which were sparked by the controversial farm laws that were later repealed, drew significant public attention, with criticism directed at the use of force and the management of the situation. Similarly, the government’s response to the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests raised concerns over its handling of dissent, particularly the use of force. The BJP’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic also attracted criticism, especially regarding the lack of transparency around the death toll, shortages of medical resources like oxygen cylinders, and inadequate preparedness during the second wave.
Additionally, the ongoing inter-tribe conflict in Manipur, which erupted in 2023, has faced criticism for the government’s perceived failure to take adequate action, with accusations of poor crisis management and insufficient intervention in addressing the escalating violence.
If NaMo is not showing action, why is the opposition finding the heat and screaming for alliances.
Prof PK Sharma, Freelance Journalist,Barnala(Punjab)
First of all, NaMo should be very precise in his discourse ! More he will speak, more he will be prone to a bundle of lies !
Secondly, he will do nation a great favour if he admits his failures with magnanimity and grace if he feels so quite objectively and honestly!
Third, if he honours his slogan ” Sab Ka Saath Sab Ka Vikas” in letter and spirit, he must take a pledge from the ramparts of the red fort that he will embrace concept of “inclusive ” growth and development of all sections of society in India !
Fourthly, he must ensure the nation that he would not take decisions in an individual as well as unilateral fashion but do so taking countrymen and opposition in to confidence on issues of paramount national and international significance based on consensus and collective wisdom !
Fifth, he should declare on this occasion sincerely that he would strike a harmonious working relationship with the opposition
parties in the best interests of the nation ! He should promise that he will not shift blame on others for various lapses of his regime !
Then finally, he should not open too many fronts of issues overlapping the same but at present if he assures the nation to strive sincerely on two welfare state concepts of affordable quality education and affordable quality healthcare system in the nation by initiating suitable measures acceptable to all the stakeholders, it can be a worthwhile proposition !
He shouldn’t forget at all that he will have to translate these ideas into actuality if he wishes to make amends for what did go wrong in the past more than four years !
It will be a futile exercise if he repeats the past tales sugar quoted in old style !
Prof PK Sharma, Freelance Journalist
Pom Anm Nest,Barnala (Punjab)
Well said
If there is a second term – as many wish there will be – the principal focus should be on the economy. Whether it is about giving Indian children better nutrition and education, older people better healthcare, projecting Indian interests and power abroad, making our cities more liveable and safe, there is almost nothing worthwhile we can do as a nation without much higher economic growth, care being taken to ensure that it is environmentally sustainable and inequality is addressed. At the moment, the state of the economy is looking like a particularly soft spot on the Report Card. 2. As US presidential candidates do several months before the actual election, this would be a good time to start assembling a potential economic team, tasking it to work on major issues and policies that can be unveiled very early in the second term.