Nitin Seth

May 16, 2014 was an incredible day for Indian Democracy. What an amazing outcome to the largest dance of democracy in the world – a resounding  mandate for change to Narendra Modi, a crushing blow to the Congress dynasty, the outdated Left and various caste based formations, and finally hope yet caution for the fledgling AAP. All of this raises great optimism that our country is headed towards a new dawn. A resurgent Bharat that is prosperous, inclusive and strong. A Bharat that is a global leader of the 21^st century!!

In this note, I am sharing some thoughts on what this mandate means, some hopes from the new government and our role as citizens.

What the mandate means

This is the most decisive mandate in 30 years. It is a mandate for positive change, for hope over despair, and most importantly a pan-Indian expression by the youth of India of their yearning for development. There were 5 types of participants in this elections and the mandate has different implications for each of them.

1. Narendra Modi and the BJP. Country has endorsed Mr. Modi’s call for development rising above caste, region and many other barriers. The decisive mandate gives Mr. Modi a historical opportunity to script a renaissance for our country. However both Mr. Modi and BJP need to be aware that there is no option for them but to deliver. Public is very aware now and will kick them out if they fail on their promise of development.
2. Congress. This election is a crushing below for the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. I find it unbelievable how a party that has many outstanding leaders like Sachin Pilot and Nandan Nilekani is still tied to the whims and fancies of a dynasty. The new India will have little patience for such feudal behavior. If the Congress party does not reinvent itself beyond the dynasty, it will likely go into sunset sooner than most imagine.
3. Left and the Caste based parties. These elections have dealt a knock-out blow to the Left, which has been in decline for many years. Not many will shed tears on the demise of a political formulation that has made few positive contributions to our country and is an anachronism in the current times. Caste based parties like the Samajwadi Party, RJD and BSP, most of them remnants of Lohia’s Socialist experiment, have also taken a big hit. It is positive that our voters are rising above the politics of caste and dole. However, it might be hasty to count out these parties. If the right-of-centre BJP doesn’t deliver, the Socialist parties might make a comeback.
4. Regional parties. Parties that represent regional aspirations like the AIADMK, Trinamool Congress, Biju Janta Dal and Telgu Desam have done very well. Most are led by strong leaders and fought without any alliance partners. This shows that while BJP has got the strongest pan-Indian mandate in decades, regional identity and aspirations remain strong.
5. AAP. The mandate for AAP in the election has been an enigma, a bit like the fledgling party itself. One of the most positive outcomes of the election has been the remarkable performance of AAP in Punjab. It shows that voters have little patience for corrupt regimes and will give a chance to new, honest options. At the same time voters rejected all the senior leaders of AAP and most of their 400+ candidates lost their deposit!!  Country certainly needs a party like AAP and the new politics they promise. I hope they take away from this experience the importance of patience and delivery over grandstanding and negative campaigns. If they do, they can be natural claimants for the political space that is getting vacated with the demise of the Left and possible the Congress.

Hopes from the new government

The new government has a historic opportunity to take our country on a brilliant, new growth trajectory. They have a decisive mandate, a strong leader in Mr. Modi and most importantly the youth of the country who are yearning for progress and positive change. They will need to make concerted progress towards 4 objectives:

1. Create jobs and drive economic growth. The greatest strength our country has is our youth. They have the spirit and self-confidence to propel the country to great heights. However, we need to ensure they have jobs so their energies are channelized constructively. If we don’t it will lead to destructive anarchy. So job creation has to be the most important priority for the new government.  To make this happen,  we will need to shed the inefficient Socialist approaches of the past decades that have only perpetuated  a dole mindset and kept the country poor.  Instead we need to embrace the mantra of aggressively growing our economy by encouraging free enterprise and entrepreneurship. We are still a very poor country and need to have double digit growth for the next 20 years to lift our country. For this, we need to take at least the following 6 steps:
   1. Revive manufacturing. We have lost the manufacturing battle with China. However, for job growth it is imperative that we revive and rebuild manufacturing.
   2. Build infrastructure. To revive manufacturing one of the key enablers is to build hi-quality infrastructure. We need massive investment into roads, power generation, ports, waterways and airports.
   3. Attract FDI. For infrastructure development, we need support of foreign capital. India’s attractiveness as an investment destination has plummeted in recent years. Therefore, government needs to put in place a simple and stable policy regime, and restore confidence with foreign investors.
   4. Continue to build leadership in the Services industry. Growth of the Services industry and in particular the IT/BPO industry over the past 15 years has been one of the biggest successes for India. It is one of the few areas where India enjoys global domination. It is imperative that we continue our thrust towards this industry and extend our global lead.
   5. Improve higher education. The quality of higher education is inconsistent. We have a large population of graduates but their employability is poor. There is urgent need to improve the quality of education curriculum, infrastructure and faculty to improve employability.
   6. Encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. We have to unleash the entrepreneurial energy of our talent. The resounding success of Indians overseas especially in Technology should be a great inspiration. We need to create ecosystems and policies that support entrepreneurship and innovation.  Only then can we leapfrog from our current abysmally low per capital income and hope to move towards global leadership.
2. Fix the basics. The life of majority of our population is very difficult. The benefits of India Shining have not reached them. Daily existence is a struggle compounded by frustrations of dealing with unresponsive and corrupt systems. The answer is not to have another string of dole oriented schemes (we have been doing that for past many decades but with zero or limited results) but by ensuring that the promise of governance is delivered efficiently. In particular, the following three aspects are important:
   1. Deliver basic health, education, roads, water and electricity for all.  These five are the basic lifeline of daily existence and where government has a role to play. Our urban centers are exploding without planning and the delivery of these basic services is poor.  Condition in rural India where the majority of population lives is much worse.  If job creation is the most important priority for the new government, ensuring delivery of these basic services is perhaps the most urgent priority.  It is imperative that government makes real progress towards fixing these issues else it will lose the trust of the people.
   2. Act to remove corruption. Corruption is a cancer that has pervaded across multiple levels of our government and society. The scale of “big ticket” corruption over the past 5-7 years has been staggering. It is important that new government doesn’t fall into the bad habits of the previous regime and sets the tone by rooting out “big ticket” corruption. That will have a domino effect and will start positively impacting behaviors at lower levels of the government machinery that most affect the common man.
   3. Build a government that works. Government departments in most part are very inefficient and unresponsive. There is little accountability, delivery of services is poor, and projects are not executed even when funding is there. There is urgent need to improve accountability and execution focus within the government. Perhaps defining Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for all services government departments deliver might be a good start.
3. Carry along all communities. One of the tragedies of our country is that while many of our political parties loudly profess secularism, the socio-economic condition of our largest minority community severely lags rest of the country. Leaders of the community and political parties are both to blame for perpetuating old, insular ghetto mindsets. Ghettos and lack of modern education have led to stunted economic development and therefore feeling of alienation and discrimination.This needs to change. For our country to progress sustainably and peacefully it is imperative that all communities are able to participate equally in growth. NDA government has a great opportunity to be a catalyst in this process of inclusive development. This is especially important for the new government because BJP is seen with suspicion by many from the minority communities. Therefore, they will need to try harder. The new government has to reach out and initiate a process of healing and trust building. One of the first steps will be formation of the new council of ministers where there should be proper representation to the minority communities. Over time, by shifting the focus from divisive and destructive issues to development and modern education, they can show a new path to the minority community. A path that will lead to minorities feeling a full part of the national mainstream and realizing the benefits of country’s growth and prosperity.
4. Restore national pride and self-confidence. To become a great nation, we need to have pride and self-confidence in our identity as Indians. Centuries of foreign subjugation has brought a certain diffidence and lack of self-belief and sense of ownership in our national identity. We tend to do better as individuals than in teams, we do better outside India than in India, and certainly our sense of civic responsibility is low. To build a strong, vibrant nation, it is important that we rediscover a sense of national pride and common purpose. It is a difficult, long-term process but very important that we embark on it. A few things to consider:
   1. Revive Indian culture. We are one of the oldest civilizations in the world and have an unparalleled cultural heritage. To progress in the 21^st century it is important that we are strongly anchored in our roots. It can be a source of strength and distinctiveness. Therefore, we should raise awareness and celebrate our arts, our history, our heroes and other aspects of our heritage.
   2. Build excellence in sports. One of the most tangible expressions of national excellence is via sports. Events like the Olympics are a great celebration of national pride. That is why countries like China have invested so massively in building sporting excellence. Our track record in Sports other than Cricket is embarrassingly poor. We should identify sports where we have the best chance of success and should invest in a focused way in them.
   3. Embrace Indian spirituality. One of our greatest gifts as a civilization is our vast treasure of spiritual wisdom. Texts like Gita and practices like Yoga & Meditation are among the great contributions India has made to the world. However, we have been weighed down by a confused debate on Secularism and have hesitated to embrace our greatest gifts. We need to raise awareness and understanding of Indian spiritual wisdom. It is not only an important aspect of our identity but also a great tool for leading a balanced life in today’s chaotic world.

Our role as citizens

All of us have an important role in developing our country. It is too important a task to be left only to the politicians. All of us have to become aware of our responsibility in this great journey of nation building and do our bit. We have to embrace a spirit of “active citizenship” where we are not just passive observers but become participants and where we don’t just focus on getting but on giving back to the country. If all of us contribute, the momentum for nation building will be unstoppable. There are at least three sets of actions that I would request all of us to consider.

1. Participate in politics. Public participation in the recent elections has been unprecedented, not just the large voter turnout but how much of our public and private conversations were dominated by politics. There are three forces that drove this – dissatisfaction with the UPA government, hope generated by Mr. Modi, and AAP as a new platform. We should not let this momentum die. There is an urgent need for a new generation to enter politics. Those of us who can should consider joining politics; others should stay closely connected with it. For example, make an effort to connect with our local elected representative so we can share our concerns and also hold them accountable.
2. Take responsibility and volunteer. We often blame the system for all our problems. The system is nothing but the combination of all of us.  Therefore, we need to be proactive and take responsibility for solving problems around us. We should all volunteer towards some cause. Whether it is participating in a charity, contributing within our housing colony or the broader community, or even in our professional lives in our company or for our industry. If we all take small steps and give our time to improving things around us, the system will also start to change.
3. Say no to corruption. We all complain about corruption but it happens because we perpetuate it. We often do not have the courage or patience to face up to unreasonable demands. Worse still, we often encourage it because we take the easy way out. How many of us have not tried to negotiate for a speeding ticket?  If all of us start saying no to corruption, we will see corruption in the system coming down.

In summary, I feel tremendously hopeful with the election results. It points to greater public awareness and yearning for change going beyond politics and politicians who were taking them for granted. It points to the wisdom of our public that has risen above the many divisions in our society to give a decisive mandate.  It also points to the resurgence of Bharat of small towns and villages that has spoken rising above the noise created by our chattering elites. Most importantly, it points to the strength of our democracy, one of the greatest institutions we have as a country.

The new government has a tremendous opportunity. They have a decisive mandate, a strong leader and a country (especially our youth) that is ripe for change. They have to act with responsibility, courage, humility and wisdom. They have to move the country from the shackles of socialism to focus on development and unleashing of the entrepreneurial spirit; from a corrupt, unresponsive administration to an accountable, efficient government; and, from divisions of caste, religion and region to a country united by a strong Indian identity.  If we progress on this path, our country will see a beautiful, new dawn. A resurgent Bharat that is prosperous, inclusive and strong. A Bharat that is a global leader of the 21^st century!!

All of us have a role to play in this journey as active, engaged citizens. Momentum I have seen in our country over the past 12-18 months suggests that this time the Indian public will not let the opportunity slip. Time has come to realize our destiny!!

Jai Hind!!