My year-end trip to Jharkhand dispensed a subtle political message: Prime Minister Modi is the most intensely debated man, albeit unfavourably. Karim Mia, a meat seller, regrets voting for Modi, defying the diktat of his village cleric. His grouse is that the price of goats has skyrocketed and if he tries to keep pace with it, he may go out of business. It’s not just Karim, there are others who agree that prices of all commodities and vegetables have gone up sharply and are visibly upset with Modi for not punishing middlemen and traders involved in hoarding and fixing prices arbitrarily.
Inder, a labourer who gets Rs 250 as his daily wage, has not eaten lentils for several months. His meal includes rice, potato and vegetables grown in his backyard. I ask if he knows that Pakistani terrorists had attacked Pathankot base in January this year and killed our soldiers. A puzzled countenance gives it all away. Inder is waiting for Modi to fulfil his promise of distributing television sets. Dilwa, another labourer does have a TV but at the end of the day, he is too tired to watch anything worthwhile. None of them are aware of the PM’s much publicised radio show, Mann Ki Baat.
Where is ‘Good Governance’?
In an effort to elicit participation, I try highlighting Modi’s achievements and risks undertaken in meeting the Pakistan Prime Minister but the audience is not interested. Darshan, a mason, suddenly inquires if I can request Modi to give his 14-year-old son a government job, as promised at the time of campaigning. Another mason wants Modi to provide Rs 5,000 that he needs to repair the thatched roof over his two-room hut. Raju, a matriculate and a plumber by profession is the only one who praises Modi for introducing the land reform bill.
When pushed to define provisions of the bill, he claims that it will give him the right to own land that he has been tilling for years. An elderly man, potter by caste, alleges that the agenda of the Jharkhand Chief Minister, Raghubar Das is to protect interests of his Teli community only. A school teacher, Bhumihar by caste, endorses his views and insists that Das has acquired Modi’s dictatorial demeanour but not his ability to govern.
Local Issues
Joining the discussion, a tribal teacher predicts that if elections are held in Jharkhand today, the BJP will lose badly to the JMM-RJD-Congress combine. ‘So, you won’t vote for Modi again,’ I sum up. A hushed silence is all the answer I get.
On my next stopover, I meet Shobha Devi, a widow. She complains that Modi has reduced the free monthly ration from 35 kg per to 10 kg. She is forced to sell the spare ration in the market and use the extra money to buy other items. The village sarpanch supports her, saying that small families have indeed been badly affected and holds Modi responsible for this. As I move ahead, I hear Parvati Devi cursing Modi for stopping her Central Government Freedom Fighters pension that she had been getting for the past 11 years.
Hope Persists
Soon, I am joined by a group of young boys. I ask them if they are aware of something called FDI. A boy promptly claims that it is a scheme under which Modi has asked banks to give interest-free loans to students. No one contradicts.
‘Why can’t you keep your village clean as envisioned by your Prime Minister?’ I ask them. One of them, Ganesh points out that money is required to buy brooms, dustbins and carts to dump wastes but Modi won’t give any. ‘Can’t you then approach more prosperous villagers to contribute?’, I react.
They giggle derisively. The son of the village headman counters. “Modi has levied a cess for Swachh Bharat campaign. Let him transfer our money to the village. Why do I have to pay for cleanliness of other places,” he asks. My escort condescends. He says that because of this cess, bills of mobile, electricity, water, rail tickets etc. have gone up, making everyone angry.
Son of the village headmanModi has levied a cess for the Swachh Bharat campaign. Let him transfer our money to the village. Why do I have to pay for cleanliness of other places?
A common refrain follows us – if the district administration is corrupt, traffic policemen take money right in front of the SP’s residence, petty government officials continue acquiring properties illegally without fear, railway coaches remain as dirty as ever and students of high schools and colleges seldom attend classes, where has the efficiency projected by Modi gone and why can’t he punish the corrupt and the thieves and shirkers. Modi and not his ministers, officers and state governments, emerges as their fall guy and perhaps their ultimate hope.
(The writer is a former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat)
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