With the announcement of General Elections, there is very big happenings in all the parties regarding forging an alliance with the other like minded parties. With most of the parties have almost completed their alliances, but Congress is still struggling to seal their alliance with different parties. SP/BSP refused alliance with Congress, they have only gave the concession to Congress that they will not field candidates in five seats where Congress have stronghold in UP. In reply Congress is saying that they are ready for alliance and offering 7 seats to SP/BSP. Laloo is offering only 8 seats to Congress in Bihar and saying take it or leave. In West Bengal CPM also wants major share of seats and treating Congress as junior partner. Only alliance in place for Congress is with NCP in Maharashtra & JD in Karnataka. BJP has already finalised their partners in NDA.
It looks like the campaign during this elections will be based more on negativity of opposing parties than positivity of own party. What some party did few decades back, does not hold relevance at this stage. Whether it was bad or good for the country at that time is past and history. Yes history sometimes affects the present, but we should try to move. In the recent past, in 2009 UPA was re elected because there were many things which were done by UPA were liked by public, but the same UPA suffered very badly in 2009 because of various scams & corruption charges against their leaders and people voted for NDA.
Presently if you see certain print media and social media, you will always find bad points like communal disharmony, PM is telling lies, PM has not delivered what he promised, demonitisation and GST have turned out bad for country, Govt/Army/Airforce telling lies on surgical strikes and many more.
Friends, I am not a BJP supporter or Modi follower, but some things which the present regime has done have been turned out good for the nation, whether opposition accept this openly or not is their choice, but they must have realised that there are many things which have been appreciated by public, hence they are on back foot so these negativity.
Few things which have been liked by the general public are:
5 years ago income tax for income tax on taxable income from Rs 2 to 5 lakh was 10 % , now it is zero.
Earlier tax on restaurant bills varied from 13 to 28% now it is 5%.
Earlier interest on home loans was 10.3 %, and now it is 8.4% to 8.65%.
5 years ago , 1 GB of 3 GB data back was Rs 250 and now 1 GB of 4G at Rs 5.
5 years ago very high prices of medicine and stents, now there are several notches below.
5 years ago, inflation was in double digits, now under 5%. Prices of so many food items/vegetables are least affected by inflation.
5 years ago, 17 different indirect taxes now just GST.
5 years back in ease of doing business we were at 160 rank, and now one of the top performer with under 100 rank.
Earlier real estate developers used to ditch home buyers and do their manmani, and now they are bound by RERA to deliver project before deadline.
Earlier, there were many entrance exams for medical, now there is only one NEET.
5 years ago, Passport issue time was more than 2-3 months, now it is less than one month.
The speed of making highway/roads has been increased by almost 80%, as compared to earlier.
Earlier it was distant dream to hear from any leaders or ministers. Now they respond to tweets and FB posts.
Five years back, no body spoke about Safai, now we have world’s biggest Safai andolan.
Earlier medicines’ prices were regulated and decided by big pharma groups, now the same is regulated by the govt, and have been brought down by 50%.
We have become the fastest growing economy in the world.
There have been other govt schemes for poor people like Toilet building in rural areas, jandhan yojana, LPG connections, reach of electricity to almost 99% of population, financial benefits to poor transferred directly into their bank account linked thru Aadhaar card, benefits for girl child under Bet Padao Beti Bachao yojana.
And lastly 5 years back, in the outside world no one was sure who runs Indian govt, as our then PM was hardly recognised and known in other countries. Other world leaders knew he is puppet, who is controlled by Congress High command and present PM is among the top 5 leaders of the world. Present PM is known throughout o the world and people know him as India’s PM.
Let us wait and watch, and see into the elections manifesto of different political parties, about their vision for India in the coming years. In my personal opinion there are so many political parties who do not have any vision for the country. Problem is that we have too many regional parties, and leader of each of them wants to become PM, knowing that as a single party they are incapable of forming the govt but in the alliance they all want upper hand.
So in the end, you live only on hope that who so ever forms the govt, the leader should have clear vision for country’s future for at least next 10 years.
Waiting for your comments on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
19th March 2019
R. N. Mungale.
Let us wait and watch!