During the virtual all-party meeting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired yesterday ahead of the Union Budget presentation tomorrow, he exhibited the essential qualities that make him the preferred leader for the vast majority of the nation.
When some opposition leaders tried to put him on the backfoot over the protracted agitation of the farmers’ unions around the national capital – just a day after some 20 political parties boycotted President Ramnath Kovind’s address to a joint sitting of the Parliament – the Prime Minister reminded them all that peaceful dialogue was the only way to resolve the issue and it was everyone’s responsibility to prioritise the interests of the nation.
Despite all that has transpired on the farmers’ protest front over the past few days (particularly on January 26), he demonstrated utmost flexibility as he declared that his government’s offer of suspending the implementation of the three controversial farm laws for one and a half years was still on the table and his Agriculture Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar, was ready for more talks any time that the farmer union leaders wanted to.
Showing profound understanding of the sensitivity of the issue, Prime Minister Modi refrained from decrying the Republic Day violence in New Delhi, but he made no manner of pacifying gesture towards the perpetrators as he said the law would take its course in the matter.
However, the Prime Minister pulled no punches as he strongly condemned the vandalization of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in Davis, California, which happened just two days ahead of the death anniversary of the Father of the Nation. He pointed out that such an atmosphere of hate was dangerous for the world.
In his address, he delivered a lesson in democracy and democratic processes as he reminded all parties about the absolute importance of healthy debates for smooth conduct of business in the Parliament. As he sought to make all realise that too much disruption during Parliament sessions was particularly against the interest of smaller parties, which had rather limited time to speak in Parliament, he called on the larger parties to assume a bigger responsibility in ensuring smooth running of Parliament sessions.
A day earlier, while virtually addressing the World Economic Forum’s Davos Dialogue, Prime Minister Modi rather impressively presented India’s success in its battle against the coronavirus pandemic and pitched the nation’s potential of playing a bigger role in tackling global challenges. On the occasion, the avowal of his commitment to making India self-reliant was also followed by a promise to develop and supply more indigenously made Covid-19 vaccines to the world.
The numbers say it all.
At a time when Europe and the United States are still reeling from waves of Covid-19, India’s daily Covid count has been steadily declining since September last year. Despite having all odds stacked against it – from being one of the most highly and densely populated nations, to being home to nearly a third of the planet’s poor, to having relatively weaker health infrastructure in comparison to the developed world – India has emerged as one of the countries that have best tackled the pandemic.
The International Monetary Fund has projected India to grow at 11.5% this year, making it the only major economy in the world expected to see double-digit growth.
All this would simply not have been possible without decisive, compassionate and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi. While addressing a meeting of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance yesterday, he called on his party and its allies to prepare for the big role that India is set to play in the new world order that will emerge after the end of the pandemic.
With Prime Minister Modi going to complete his seventh year as the leader of the nation in a couple of months, one thing is undeniable: the people of India have chosen well.
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