Sir,
Now that Article 370 is abrogated, Ayodhya dispute settled, triple talaq law is formalised, BJP’s principal promises have all been fulfilled. What next? Once the current rainbow dusts also disappear over all these, BJP will face an existential crisis?
What issues will dominate the public discourse in the aftermath of these long argued debates, some, as the Supreme Court noted, stretching over to the last century and half, BJP’s main focus could be creation of Ram Rajya in Aryavarta.
That can mean let the people live in peace and prosperity. That has been the aspiration for ever, for every ruler, but rarely achieved. In modern times, it will have to be the economy. Not a job for the faint hearted.
As things are expected to turn, the prospects for BJP will pivot around the Government’s success in tackling the economic issues now. For all one can see, till the next election in 2024, it is the economy that will dominate the fray and determine the way the public opinion will swing. The political gains of the last years and months, will be quickly forgotten and cease to appeal if there is deep economic malaise.
Rising incomes in rural economy, faster creation of jobs in the urban centres, stable prices, a return of investment all create a sense of well-being. That is the so-called feel good factor. It is this psychological comfort which matters most. The real economy must provide that underlying reality for the psychological comfort factor. Here lies the rub.
The economy avowedly is not in the best of shape. GDP growth rate has slumped. That in itself, might not be too much of a problem. The pace of growth can be at times fast, sometimes sluggish. Even at the stepped down current level, it is not inconsequential. As a major economy, the additional GDP is substantial.
These fears are being expressed by a global economic literati. It is these people, who from their collective tower of Babble, influence the thinking of those who matter, have already started expressing their deepening pessimism about the Indian economy. Their talk will affect the investor sentiment and inward flow of investment dollars will peter out.
Anjan Roy
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