The Lok Sabha elections are over and the people’s mandate is out. The reason I want to pen down a few thoughts post the election results is because I truly believe that the results which gave a mandate to the NDA government for the next 5 years is historic not only because it’s after a very long time that India elected a majority government for the 2nd time running, but also because of the way the electorate voted and a powerful message they sent out.
I believe that in the educated world, we are consumed by Twitter and blogs; we often get quite taken in with the various views spouted by so-called learned people. At the same time, we city-bred individuals are generally disconnected from the vast majority of the rural populace that is “Bharat”. Hence, our views got formed on the basis of the narrative we heard about how “dischanted” rural India was because of various “failures” of the government; how farm distress was “killing” our farmers; how the SME sector was “bleeding badly”, which, in turn, was “stifling” the economy; and how a drought-like situation in certain areas would further fan the farmers’ angst against the government. In hindsight we all know now how exaggerated those fears were.
The elections, as we all know, were fought in a vitriolic manner. The heightened level of personal attacks and the shrill messaging further ensured that many of us too got caught up in a world of make-believe rather than the truth. WhatsApp and other messaging systems also added to the half-truths, turning this election into a messaging circus.
But what really stunned me was that for the first time “caste equations” and the so-called vote banks did not play out in a conventional way. That was possibly the biggest change that tilted the scale in this election. When political parties of all dispensations have had years and years of reinforcements of a certain type of voting pattern, they can get biased - as it happened this time - and they failed to read the mood of the voter.
As a matter of fact, the direction of the wind was quite evident if one saw the interviews by journalists across rural India, especially in the north. In one such interview in a small village of 300-odd houses, whose main residents were of the minority community, the villagers, especially women, spoke about how government schemes helped them upgrade from huts to concrete houses , the cooking gas they started using, and most importantly, the toilet they now had in their homes.
For me, the success of various government schemes was obvious on the faces of the people who clearly realised that their lives had changed for the better. In some cases, the women actually refused say “toilet” and instead called it “Izzat Ghar”. That showcases truly the liberation that they felt.
From getting electricity nearly 24 hours a day to having a pucca house to live in, cooking gas in place of a chulha, to health cards for access to medical treatment, to access for toilets... this was a turning point in the lives of the poor and oppressed who had never seen such benefits come their way. They did not see any discrimination in the way these schemes benefited the society. What they saw is that all who needed it got benefited from such schemes irrespective of their caste or religion. For the first time, we saw a very good implementation of such schemes. They actually reached the desired audience, which showcased the last-mile connect that this government focused on and got it right.
While there would still be many areas that need improvement, one should at least acknowledge that the government has set out on the right path to get the economy growing, and achieved this much from the potholes that they inherited and in a global economy which isn’t doing that well. In my view, it is a job well begun.
Another interesting point that caught my attention was that our country may not be very literate in terms of education, but when it comes to political astuteness, the voter in Orissa showed us how savvy we are. The very fact that they could elect BJD at the state level while giving a lot of weightage to the BJP at the national level showed that degrees and education may not mean much when it comes to political awareness. I, for one, would find it very difficult to push two different buttons on two different EVMs (State & Centre) and would go by my bias for the party I support. Hats off to the Indian voter for this.
While for a short period of time this massive electoral victory of the NDA government may have stunned the negative voices into submission for not having understood the pulse of India, I fear that the rabble-rousers will come back with inane and less-on-logic arguments as we go ahead. Sometimes, it’s important to see the bigger picture and brush aside small irritants that come along. The freedom of speech that the people in India have tends to get misused for some utopian goals a small minority carry in their heads. For once, I would like to tell them – Listen to the voice of the people and let the government elected by the people rule.
These elections have heralded the arrival of a new India and I am so proud to see us prosper. I have faith and great optimism that India will do well in the years to come and we will hold our heads proudly before the world.
Kailash Kularni is CEO of L&T Mutual Fund.
The article was first appeared in LinkedIn.
The views expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of L&T Mutual Fund or Cafemutual.
