Modi 2.0

After the resounding mandate for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, the Modi-led BJP is now well and truly on a complete roll.

But for me, amidst all this, the most important nugget of information is that by November 2020, BJP (and NDA) will have an absolute majority in the Rajya Sabha too.

This makes the passing of every legislation in Parliament a cakewalk now, thus handing complete control to the government. Now is the time, now is the term. I have a strong feeling that Mr. Modi knows just how much this means and how rare it has been for governments to have such enormous clout in both Houses.

Every tough decision, every bill, every law, every change that the government would like to bring about – can be done now. It has the numbers, it has the time, it has the momentum – to ensure that everything it wants done, can see the light of the day.

Time for the team to make India even brighter, bigger, and stronger.

Onward!

An Open Letter to our Pride Minister

Dear Pradhaan Mantri ji,

Hope you are doing better than what you were/did on May 19.
I am not among those who think you are the wrong person in the chair, but you might not be able to count me as your blind-to-any-fault supporter either.

Perhaps even your strongest critics do not doubt your charisma and public speaking skills.
However, this one time, the script has perhaps gone haywire.

Your speech in Shanghai, China has evoked a strong reaction on social media with your "earlier-you-were-ashamed-of-being-an-Indian".

Well, it must be said that the comments were avoidable, to say the least.
It could be a fact that Indians feel more proud an assertive today than in times gone by, but that does not mean we were ashamed of being Indians.

Sir, your claiming it and ascribing it on a billion people as their mentality is certainly inappropriate and flawed.

Yes, we might have had (and continue to have) our flaws here and there (which country doesn't?), and there have very well been more reasons to be proud of ourselves as Indians.

However, this does not mean that the people of this country were ever ashamed of being Indians before you came to power.

For all the progress we have made in recent years, with or without you at the helm, those pessimists/cynics who felt ashamed earlier, might well continue to feel so even now, or later too.

We cannot pronounce judgement on an entire nation's mentality, on the basis of a miniscule group of such critics and cynics.

There was also a more than obvious hint there inyour speech, which seems to suggest, that the (flawed sense of) shame went and was replaced by pride in being an Indian, almost as a direct after-effect of May 16, 2014: or after May 26, 2014 to be precise:
Dates when the election results were announced sweeping you to power with an unequivocal, absolute majority, and the day when you were officially sworn in as PM, respectively.


Sir, please do not doubt the patriotism, pride, and sentiments of all Indians, based on a handful of the kinds who exist everywhere, in every country.

Please do not assume that we (surely, the majority of Indians) were ever ashamed of our identity.
Just as any other country, we reveled and took (and will continue to take) pride in what we and our country achieved over the years.

The problem is not in the shame being felt by any individuals. The problem is in it being foisted as a national sentiment for everyone, and imposing your copyright on us now feeling an enhanced sense of self-esteem, thanks to this government and your leadership alone.

Please ensure that as you lead us, we, as a nation, become the pride of the world.
Everyone's self-pride will take care of itself.

Regards,
Just one of the forever-proud Indians