'Achhe Din' finally?

The third Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to start functioning. With a fractured mandate, the BJP will have to rely on their close allies to move forward with the administration works, unlike the earlier times that saw the saffron party dominating the administrative works at a whim. In Modi’s third term, all major decisions will have to be consulted with allies or else it never sees light.

Sceptics have already predicted doomsday for the third Modi government, which many believe would crumble to pieces before the completion of the term. But remember that the Narasimha Rao government completed five years in power in the 90s without a majority, and the Oommen Chandy government completed its term in Kerala with a wafer-thin majority.

Narendra Modi is a political virtuoso who has emerged stronger whenever faced with a political rigmarole. Back in 2013, a veteran journalist with a great understanding of Modi’s politics warned the Congress to put up a 'fight of their lifetime' to win the 2014 LS polls. When asked for reasons the journalist was blasé in her response: “If Modi comes to power, he cannot be defeated again”. Her words are still ringing true considering the happenings in the Indian polity. Narendra Modi has the smarts and excellence to complete his tenure. However, it remains a reality that even Modi was left befuddled knowing that the BJP lacked a majority in the elections, despite the many developments completed.

Modi can upend things in five years if he can deliver the 'Achcha Din' election promise. More than the glitter of advertisements and slogans, people should realize that their living standards have improved. In such a case, Modi will be here to stay for longer.

After assuming office for a record third time, PM Modi came to his office in South Block and signed a file related to PM Kisan Nidhi, a farmer welfare scheme. This is to allow the disbursement of the 17th instalment of Kisan Nidhi. About twenty thousand crore rupees will be distributed and a total of 9.3 crore farmers will be benefited. After signing the file, the Prime Minister announced the NDA government's dedication to farmers' welfare and said the current decision was just a prelude to more decisions coming for farmers under the new NDA government.

This should be viewed as a course correction from the failed farmers' bill that resulted in chaos and destruction in the country. During the time of peak unrest, the NDA government back then was keen to picture the protestors as anti-Indians and fringe elements, rather than hearing their concerns. The realization of the awry move only hit the BJP after the drubbing they received in the Hindi heartlands where the voters mostly included farmers.

With his very first move, PM Modi has lifted the spirits of the farmer section and is finally giving signs of better days in the offing.