“Few Plausible Promises”: NYT on PM Modi’s ‘Strongman Economics’

“Religious minorities fear growing intolerance... Modi does little to stop the violence,” Adam Roberts writes in NYT

In a 9 July opinion piece in The New York Times, Adam Roberts juxtaposed the prevailing economic situation in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his promises ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Roberts, who spent many years in New Delhi as a South Asia correspondent for The Economist, writes that when Narendra Modi assumed office as the prime minister of the world’s largest democracy, he promised that his “strong” leadership would lead to economic revival along with the creation of 100 million new jobs. However, the “promises were bold but very few were plausible,” the article points out.

What Does NYT Mean by ‘Strongman Economics’?

The NYT piece dubs Modi’s brand of economics as ‘Strongman Economics’.

The piece points out that while the incoming investment of over $160 billion from abroad during Modi’s first three years has put parts of the country’s $2.3 trillion-strong economy in better shape, India’s economic problems are still aplenty.

‘Zero’ Job Creation Under Modi

Quoting data from 2015, the article asserts that one lakh jobs were added to the Indian economy since Modi took over the reins. But that might not be enough to meet the demands of the ten lakh Indians who enter the job market every month.

Comparing Modi’s tenure so far with former PM Dr Manmohan Singh, Roberts writes:

Almost no new jobs have been created under Mr Modi. In the late Singh years, economists say, at least 4,00,000 extra jobs were added yearly. In the last three years of Mr Singh’s government, from 2011 to 2014, on average 5,79,000 extra jobs were added yearly in India.

Excerpt from NYT article

Despite warnings from economists that a “nasty shock would follow” demonetisation, Modi’s persistence and implementation of the reform affected Indian economy, Roberts writes.

NaMo vs ManMo

While under Singh’s tenure, economic growth rate averaged at 7.8 percent each year, GDP statistics for the first quarter of the year since demonetisation has been 6.1 percent, the article points out. “Unimpressive for a big, poor country with much catching up to do,” writes Roberts.

What Makes Modi Popular?

With the Opposition party in India being “hopeless” and Indians liking Modi’s “bombast,” the PM seems to be the popular choice, suggests Roberts.

Nationalists talk of their country as an emerging superpower. Just as railway officials call dawdling trains “superfast,” or as fawning broadcasters call Mr Modi the “first 24x7 prime time prime minister,” such claims are overdone.

Consequences of Modi's “Political Character”

Roberts writes that for all the talk of Modi’s economics, the PM says little to assuage the growing fear of intolerance amid religious minorities.

Especially worrying are the consequences of Mr Modi’s political character. For all his strongman economist posturing, he never repudiates his longstanding Hindu nationalist views. Members of religious minorities fear growing intolerance. Mob violence has increased. Mr Modi, a lively Twitter commentator, remains quiet for too long and does little to stop the violence.