Charge-Shout Politics; Will Netas in Gov rake Dividends
By: Amit Bhushan Date: 1st Feb 2017
The Netas finding themselves wanting to have some answers often resort to bringing out Charge-sheets on their way to ‘talking’ strategy. This may have some administrative measures added to give it a shape that some actions may have taken place. However, given the movement in politics such hot air balloons start to have a negative dividend. This is because it ensures that an ‘issue’ would consume strength of Netas from both side in politics and remain in ‘air’, and the Netas in opposition would have easily a leeway out using some humour, unless they insist to stick out dumb headedly. It helps that usually the leaders in government, would not be able to cite any policy violation or procedural deficiency which they have been able to ‘identify and close’ and then taken ‘stringent steps’ to correct the situation. In absence of such public disclosures, judiciary will continue to look for justification to punish the allegedly guilty bureaucrat and political leadership involved, and the foreign governments could never be sure about authenticity of the ‘witch-hunts’.
While we have politicians out there to garner all sorts of acclaims like ‘tough’, ‘having cudgels to discipline bureaucrats (with people wonder about how many of them in total)’, ‘corruption-free (although don’t know who takes this seriously)’, ‘putting long hours’, ‘revolutionizing sanitation’ including some like ‘great economist’, ‘thinker and philosophers’, ‘Committed party loyalist (in these days of ephemeral political commitments)’, ‘delivered our set of promises’, amongst some else. The point is that political direction (of demand) is for and answering and accountable Neta, while the political parties are well directed towards the path for scheming and Machiavellian Neta (supported by news and perception management through support from commercial news media). Take the case bank defaulters which seems to be a crisis that is a huge drain on political energies of the government (what the commercial news media would like to project). However the discussion may be limited to a single case, rather than revealing some stats on total defaulters and if adequate steps have been taken in each of the cases. The political blame game limited to the case (while omission of others) actually go very well to convince people about the seriousness of the efforts to plug loopholes. One can have eyewash and mega-schemes like MNREGA, and Food Subsidy or Demonetization with a dash for Swachhta. The commercial news media simply refuses to to measure effectiveness in objective fashion while choosing sides.
It is for the Netas to realize what catapults the Change to forefront on political brainmaps of people. This is when corruption becomes endemic, the disparities rise, development (of people rather than infra) and employment stagnates and the Netas refuse to buzz and modify policies and procedures to suit current environment and the commercial news media continues to sing paeans to the situation. The situation was same in an Eastern state which changes its socialist liberal government and the jury may still not be out if happened for the better worst. The author will attribute the re-election of the government to the emotive boundary settlement issue, and rather limited skills with the credible opposition there rather the realization of the powers about the need to bring about necessary corrections. In fact, the situation allows those singing ‘We are the Change’ loudly somehow manage to take advantage out of the situation though they may be lacking in any actual policy set that could effectively improve the situation. Often, the failure of Netas is to be the ‘Change’ with all blisters and no bite is witnessed including tendency to deny space to people who may be actualizing the ‘change’ through scheming and denials. This takes shape of people’s movements like the Digital Jallikattu in social media impacting the political and media scene and forcing them to concede some of their ‘failures’ even though they would refuse to acknowledge any single source and instead would continue to take it on their chin ‘from the masses’.
Take the case of the Demonetization touted as big step against black money and corruption. When under pressure, the government resorted to Cash-less mantra, but instead to strongly nudging the businesses and the institutional sectors (such as Educational institutes/independent doctors etc.) backed by strong tax based incentives and dis-incentives, we have the cash-withdrawal limits from current accounts gone. So when it comes to pushing businesses and institutions for a change, the government seems weak-kneed and only announcements like ‘no cash transactions over certain amount (3 lacs)’ has little implementation value since more under there lacs transactions can always be done. The government would be hard pressed to explain rushing into the ‘Change of Currency Notes’ in an unplanned manner, unless it can bring out supporting data like black money smoked out. And of course, this even logically doesn’t curb corruption although to its credit some efforts have been made to tighten noose around political parties, but when & how do they loose their Tax rebates is not declared (like if returned is not filed on time, no rebates). Cash-less drive could have put various unlawful activities at much greater difficulty be it drugs, hawala, illegal currency, terrorism etc. For businesses becoming more compliant, the banks can follow economic activity trails to lend at cheaper rates as cash-less movement gives them cheap deposits as well. The activities of bank defaulter can have been tracked more easily. However, the government has refrained to put any tax on Cash withdrawal by corporates and institutions and therefore its drive towards cash-less is merely another Jumla, which may be required to be explained to public. With the GST related reforms also a bit away, a difficult political season is most likely. Given the politicized environs around it might become difficult to impress population with gizmos and advertorials alone. The governing leadership may have another opportunity, but that may be for the time to decide.
The policy set to encourage those nations selling their wares into India like energy or manufactures sellers be it defence, hitech like aircrafts/ships/railways etc. are required to be encouraged to produce within the country but policy set to encourage these investments seem to lacking. Similarly companies from perhaps should be able to sell their products (or MNCs in the sector need to be encouraged to manufacture and export) competitive drilling and related services including engineering projects from India to these exporter nations. Suitable policy as well as security measures may be needed including suitable institutional framework for supporting such quest. This is one clear area where the efforts seems to be lagging although the rhetoric on manufacturing as well as globalization remains high without a model on where and how the manufactures get consumed. Also in states, while there is somewhat better appreciation of the ‘Ease of doing business’ however which global supply chains to penetrate and how, with what product and services, is left to entrepreneurs with little details about the globalized scenarios about these supply chains. The states utilizing India’s managerial skills to have greater details about their own relative competitiveness factors as well as suitability to penetrate some of these global chains in a planned fashion with well-defined target markets, might have been a greater support to convert pledges into investments. Also, the appreciation for domestic markets and planning a supply chain is very sub-dued even with the advent of technology and even hi-tech service sector like domestic e-commerce, logistics/courier or financial sectors seem highly oblivious to this. Most domestic call center continue to be located in large cities with their relatively high cost of living with smaller cities even in Hindi (which is largest spoken language) heartland continue to have a perceived anti-business and low skills (with pathetic soft-skills) image. Given the elections in crucial states, and the lack of readiness to walk the talk and blisters yields a chance to the political opposition which may be somewhat equally underprepared to seize the opportunity. The ‘Game’ maintains a Khichidi forecast for the elections with upper hand for the ‘opposition & secular’ combine. The 'combine' in the previous sentence reflects the lack of individual and relative merits with any of the parties and combinations contesting as 'opposition'. Let’s see the ‘Game’ evolve further…..