“Through his government’s actions, far more than his words, Naveen is demonstrating one rather important thing to the rest of the nation: If there is a will, there is a way”
By SUNJOY HANS
Editor-in-Chief
The Supreme Court’s judgement on the long-drawn-out Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case has dominated the national narrative this month. While a verdict in favour of the Hindus was highly anticipated, the manner in which the vast majority of political leaders and the public reacted – both before and after the announcement of the landmark decision – was rather laudable as the victorious side did not rub its happiness in the face of the losing side. This per se reaffirmed the credentials of this country as a mature democracy.
However, it is early days yet.
For starters, it seems to be a tall order to negotiate an agreement between local Muslim leaders and the government over the location of the five acres of land that the apex court has instructed to be awarded to their community for construction of a mosque. Until a mutually agreeable solution is reached, the Ayodhya issue will continue to simmer.
Secondly, and most importantly, the Narendra Modi government needs to assure the nation in coming times (through concrete action rather than mere words) that this decision is not the beginning of the road towards a “Hindu rashtra” – because that is exactly what some leaders of the far-right Hindu and Islamic groups are purporting it to be. If the ruling regime fails to do that, this historic Supreme Court judgement will only be viewed by history as a dismal failure in the future.
The obnoxious level of pollution in and around New Delhi itself should be reminder enough for the political leadership that this nation has far bigger problems to deal with and can ill-afford to have its people’s minds polluted with communal venom. No amount of development can make up for a destroyed secular fabric. And anyway, no nation riven by communal tension has ever really progressed.
Meanwhile, the Naveen Patnaik administration in Odisha is setting an example for the rest of the country on how to move forward on the path of progress with peace, harmony and compassion for the weaker sections of the society despite a plethora of challenges.
By ensuring the strict implementation of his 5T programme and pioneering initiatives such as “Mo Sarkar” and “Odisha-Mo Parivar”, among many others, the Chief Minister is already pushing the boundaries of good governance. He is making sure that heads not worthy of serving the public continue to roll. And on the top of it, his government seems to be coming up with new incentives almost every other fortnight to encourage performance across all sectors, from health to sports to education, you name it.
All this has been happening at a fast and steady pace in a year that saw Cyclone Fani (one of the worst ever seen in the nation’s history) ravage Odisha in May, followed by Cyclone Bulbul that left a trail of destruction in the state earlier this month. The Naveen Patnaik government no longer needs to prove its disaster management credentials; the whole world has known it since 2013 when the United Nations felicitated the Chief Minister for his government’s all-out efforts to save lives during Cyclone Phailin.
But through his government’s actions, far more than his words, Naveen is demonstrating one rather important thing to the rest of the nation: If there is a will, there is a way.
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