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Prasoon Joshi calls out the “mean-spiritedness” & “negativity” of those who criticised Modi

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The scale of Modi’s election victory has exposed the nattering nabobs of negativity

Prasoon Joshi | Advertising professional & chairperson of CBFC
The Times of India

In a hard-hitting piece, Joshi says Modi’s “astounding success” in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections should lead to introspection in those who’ve been in denial of the changes India is going through. He calls out the “sheer mean spiritedness” and “negativity” unleashed on Modi by the “naysayers” who refused to contribute anything constructive and had appetite for different points of view not from the “real doers”.

Joshi argues Modi’s victory has come as a shock to the entire “ecosystem of the negative school of thought”, which refuses to recognise that there is “a truly participatory democracy at play”. He accepts that “healthy criticism” is important, but condemns attempts to take a “false moral high ground”. He says this is the time for everyone to “roll up those sleeves” and work for collective betterment.

Transfiguring India

Ashutosh Varshney | Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and Social Sciences, Brown University
The Indian Express

Varshney writes that Modi’s election victory is his victory alone and not the BJP’s. He says that political leaders interpret the mandate in a way that is suitable to them. And the leadership of the BJP and RSS in this case will read it as an endorsement of “the project of Hindu nationalism” – how else can one explain the victory of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur from Bhopal or BJP’s rhetoric against minorities, he asks. Varshney says that unlike Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, who claimed Muslim fear and anxieties “were our anxieties and fears”, since 2014, ‘secular’ protection for minorities is viewed as detrimental to national health and strength. Varshney concludes that if this is the right interpretation of the elections then a “transfigured India probably awaits us”, but the pursuit of Hindu rashtra will be “painful and deeply unsettling”.

The making of the 2019 verdict

Neera Chandhoke | Former professor of political science, Delhi University
The Hindu

Chandhoke believes the secret to Modi’s popularity across caste and class is reflective of a global trend where democracies are shifting to authoritarian populism – she cites Russia, Turkey and Brazil. She says populist leaders are not anti-democratic, but are averse to processes of democratic governance. She lists the typical characteristics of such leaders, who mock the elites as corrupt, speak directly to the people, make his/her own rules and dismiss minorities as equal citizens.

She believes that the probable reason people opt for a “strong man” in democracies is because they want protection against insecurities that liberalisation and globalisation have brought with them for certain sections of society while benefiting others. The writer says Modi’s “strongman image” works like a reassurance for Indians who personify both anxiety and aspirations.

CPEC cannot transform Pakistan’s growth path

Yogesh Gupta | Former IFS officer
Hindustan Times

Gupta explains CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project) will not be able to transform Pakistan’s economy beset by several challenges — an unimpressive GDP ratio, rising debt-to GDP ratio, an increasing fiscal deficit — unless it takes several proactive steps. These include the need to establish a “peace economy”, stop using terror groups, attract more Foreign Direct Investment, expand regional connectivity and raise tax revenues. Even power generation projects are of little use to Pakistan, and the Gwadar port, the CPEC “milestone project”, has not generated much revenue so far and probably won’t for the next 40 years given that 91 per cent of its revenues are “expected” to benefit the Chinese.

Gupta analyses the construction and maintenance of the 7,000-km long oil and gas pipeline linking Gwadar port to north-east China’s Tianjin, saying it will not allow generation of enough revenue, thus reducing Pakistan’s ability to pay back China’s loans.

Right moves closer to Centre

Sanjay Baru | Distinguished fellow, Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis, New Delhi
Economic Times

Baru writes on how the big challenge for the BJP will be to retain hold over India’s political centre while adhering to its own ideology. He wonders if the BJP’s victory in the elections can be attributed to the electorate’s acceptance of the BJP’s Hindutva ideology or if the party has diluted its ideology of establishing a ‘Hindu rashtra’, accepting the values of the Constitution. Baru suggests that perhaps a “bit of both has happened”.

In which case, he hopes BJP leaders and cadres will realise that their party has benefitted from making its journey from an ideological corner into the national mainstream.

How new military bases could seed new cities and create jobs

Nitin Pai | Co-founder and director of Takshashila Institution
Mint

Pai writes India can create over 30 million new jobs in the short and medium term by creating 20 new military bases in the next 15 years. He says most of this can be funded by the land holdings of the defence forces itself. The value of defence land in five major cities is over Rs 15 lakh crore, he writes, adding that this money could be used to purchase land and set up the necessary infrastructure in smaller towns. These smaller towns could become the new urban centres over time and can become engines of economic growth.

What constitutes a good UBI?

Abheek Barua | Chief Economist, HDFC Bank, and Sakshi Gupta, Economist, HDFC Bank
Business Standard

The economists write that the universal basic income (UBI) becomes difficult in emerging market economies. They point out that in the Indian context there are two critical questions that need answers. One, whether the government will have the courage to phase out subsidies to fund the UBI so that fiscal limits are not busted. And second, if the design of a cash transfer system is accompanied by effective governance, appropriate metric to identify beneficiaries, optimal amount of transfer and presence of adequate supply of goods and services that people are likely to demand with the cash they receive.

Correction: An earlier version of this report carried an error in representing Ashutosh Varshney’s views. The error is regretted.

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