If a New Year comes, can wish lists be far behind? Here is one that is short and simple — cut out the clutter. There is a new government with a decisive mandate. There is renewed hope about the India story. But over the past few months, there has also been a parallel narrative. There are conflicting signals, leading even some of the most ardent supporters of the Modi government, to question whether the important has been replaced by the irrelevant, a consequence of distractions by the Sangh Parivar and its ideological affiliates. Many Modi sceptics question whether the Hindutva agenda is really a choreographed side-show as some would like to believe or the main mission?
These are fair questions given the mixed signals — the nub of the problem. As marketers never tire of pointing out, cut out the clutter. If Brand India wants to position itself as the hope, growth and development story, it has to cut out everything which distracts and threatens the main mission of achieving higher economic growth and development that is regionally and socially inclusive.
Economic growth that is sustainable and equitable requires a conducive, social and political environment. But what do we see on the ground? Over the past week, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad claims to have converted more than 60 Christians to Hinduism in Kottayam, Kerala. In Karnataka, the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha is reportedly planning a similar programme. On the other hand, in Gaya, Bihar, at least 40 Mahadalit families have reportedly embraced Chris-tianity in recent days. And Orissa police are investigating if a dozen odd tribal families in Sundargarh have been forced to convert to Christianity from Hinduism.
What does all this do to Brand India? Prime Minister Modi insists that development and good governance “are the only ways ahead”. Where does “ghar wapsi”, reconversion of non-Hindus back into the Hindu fold, fit into this vision? Is “ghar wapsi” one of India’s top priorities? Or should the nation’s energy be spent on steps that make everyone’s “ghar” strong and more liveable so that the mass religious conversions of all sorts lose their lure? Will the Prime Minister tell us what he thinks about this polarising debate?
Prime Minister Modi’s supporters say these are issues raked up by “left-liberals” who habitually critique everything that the new government says or does. But people like economist Surjit Bhalla, an ardent champion of free markets, don’t quite fit this image. In a column in a newspaper last month, Mr Bhalla exasperatedly asked, “Good god, what can we expect in January?” The reference was to the cascade of controversies over issues which have little or no bearing on the government’s professed economic and development agenda. Well, January is here and we have learnt to live with fog. But the fog in the messaging needs to go.
As we roll out the welcome mat to 2015, we need to focus on the big picture — where is India headed and where will competitive evangelism with its agonising cycle of conversions and reconversions take us? Can the economy soar if there is social and political turmoil? What are the really important discussions we need to have and what can wait? In a country where tens of thousands of schools are without basic minimum facilities and which still has a large illiterate population, is teaching of Sanskrit the immediate worry? If economic growth and inclusive development are the two key national priorities, then all issues that have no bearing on these have to be put on the back-burner.
The next step is to go beyond slogans. The National Democratic Alliance government has been quick to create attractive slogans. Slogan driven activity surrounding “achhe din”, “Ab Ki Bar, Modi sarkar”, “Make in India”, “Swachh Bharat” and now “Good Governance” have found a clear connect with large swathes of the population. But now is the time to go beyond slogans and focus on the specifics.
Take the buzz word of the day — good governance. This implies being transparent about the choices and trade-offs. What is being given up and for whose benefit? As I write, there is controversy over a cut in the health budget. Health ministry officials are speaking in different voices to the media — some saying there has been a cut, and some saying no. We need to know the truth. Especially since India has among the lowest public health expenditures in the world. Though India has marginally improved its score on infant mortality, the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) shows that one of every 25 Indian infants still die within one year of birth. It is amply clear that the government must spend more on public healthcare. If there is likely to be less money for health and right across the social sector because past allocations have not been spent, the government — both Centre and state — need to tell us why this is so and what is being done to improve capacity to use allocated resources?
Then there are socio-cultural issues which continue to be a blot on Brand India. Like the skewed sex ratio. The latest SRS shows that sex ratio at birth has improved by a point to 909 from 2010-12 to 2011-13. But what is worrying is the child sex ratio in the 0-4 age group. After being stable at 914 from 2007-09 to 2009-11, the child sex ratio (age group 0-4) for the country has decreased to 909 in 2011-2013. There are other challenges — deteriorating environment, lack of quality education, skill development. On each of these, tough choices have to be made and there needs to be a clear prioritising of what is immediate and urgent and what can wait.
Along with economic growth, these are the real issues of development. These are the litmus tests of good governance. No doubt, there will be battles ahead. But India has to choose which battles are worth fighting to usher in change. Let us hope that 2015 is the year when the change we want is visible on the ground and not just in speeches.
The writer focuses on development issues in India and emerging economies.
She can be reached at patralekha.chatterjee@gmail.com
