Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s customary address in the Lok Sabha at the tail end of the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address, most Indians could have been forgiven for harbouring three broad expectations.
First, an expectation that the Prime Minister would acknowledge the scale of the multiple crises facing the country. These range from historically high levels of unemployment to the accelerating distress in the agrarian economy, exacerbated by the hasty passage of the three contentious farm Bills, to the challenges of rising inflation, depressed consumption and the staggering rise in household debt. All of these will likely deteriorate further in the aftermath of a tepid Budget that left a zero for the aam aadmi (the common person), the nation’s kisaans (farmers) and the economically vulnerable. Sadly, there was mention of none.