We are at a pivotal moment in our history. The developments of 2019 had ensured that the next decade would be the most significant in the history of Independent India and to top it off, the beginning of the decade saw the dawn of a deadly pandemic that has crippled the world economy. Thus, to recover from this crisis, it is only to be expected that big bang reforms will have to be pushed through. If India is to come out of this mess, then it is of paramount importance that India takes hard measures to spark an economic revival. Thus, we have seen Uttar Pradesh implement a major reform of labour laws and Madhya Pradesh on agriculture.
There are enough indications that the reforms have the backing of the Central Government. As expected, the usual suspects are up in arms against the reforms and an attempt is being made to portray the reforms as the end of humanity. In this context, Prime Minister Modi had delivered a speech in March which precisely highlights the mentality of such individuals and the commitment of his government towards bringing about real reforms.
We’ve moved on from the times of merely talking the right things.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 6, 2020
This is era of doing the right things. And, doing them for public welfare. pic.twitter.com/2Un61VLhmK
Prime Minister Modi had said in his speech, “There was a time when things were run according to the predictions of a special class. Whatever verdict they delivered was assumed to be final. But due to developments in technology and the democratisation of discourse, the opinions of every section of society matters. Today, the ordinary citizen voices his opinions very strongly against the so-called touted wisdom. Earlier, the arguments and theories of this special class used to bury the ambitions and aspirations of the ordinary citizen.” The Prime Minister then went on to elaborate how the country was lacking basic amenities such as toilets when he first assumed the seat of Prime Minister.
“We had the choice to continue pursuing the path that had been laid down before us, or we could leave it and forge a new one for ourselves and proceed with a new approach. After a lot of a contemplation, we forged a new path with a new approach, went forward and we prioritised the aspirations of the masses above all else,” Narendra Modi said. The Prime Minister then went to assert that the identifying characteristic of this special class is their penchant for saying the right things. “There is no harm in saying the right things. But this class hates those individuals who do the right things. That’s why when there’s a change in the status quo, such people start seeing disruptions,” he said.
The Prime Minister stated further, “Those who call themselves the messiah of gender justice, they are against our decision to bring forth a law against Triple Talaq. Those who go around the world pontificating on the necessity of according to refugees human rights, they oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act which is designed to help refugees. Those who swear by the Constitution day and night, they oppose the abrogation of Article 370 which would ensure the implementation of the Constitution even in Jammu & Kashmir. Those who keep talking about Justice, when a single verdict of the Supreme Court goes against them, they start questioning the integrity of the Supreme Court itself.”
In light of the massive reforms being undertaken to solve India’s economic woes, these words gain new significance. Of course, a certain set of individuals are not pleased by the Uttar Pradesh Government’s decision. These individuals would much rather want the status quo that they helped created to continue thriving because, naturally, they benefit the most from it. However, as the events from 2019 demonstrate, Prime Minister Modi has made up his mind to upend the status quo as it is not serving the masses. Some shrieks and screams are to be expected as the benefactors of the erstwhile status quo would obviously do everything in their power to ensure that the status quo is not changed. But, armed by a massive mandate in his favour, Narendra Modi has decided to forge a new path for the country.
