By K Raveendran
In the high-stakes world of Indian politics, promises are currency. They sway voters, ignite debates, and shape the destiny of a nation. As the 2024 parliamentary elections loom large, the battle lines are drawn, and the air is thick with rhetoric. At the heart of this electoral drama lies the concept of guarantees.
Guarantee was essentially a Congress ploy. It was used in the assembly elections with eminent success. Congress offered five guarantees, including Rs 5,000 monthly allowance to every deserving family, jobs for unemployed youth, improved healthcare infrastructure, revamping of the education system and comprehensive support for farmers. But apart from the monthly allowance, the other guarantees lacked specific milestones, which made fulfilment difficult to track.
Modi’s penchant for words and phrases with mass appeal is unmatched. He could see how the Congress guarantee could play out in the elections and therefore launched a broadside straightaway. He described the Congress guarantees as a dangerous free revdi (sweets) culture, which would in the long run prove disastrous.
“Today in our country, attempts are being made to collect votes by distributing free revdis. This revdi culture is very dangerous for the development of the country. People of the country, especially the youth, need to be careful of this revdi culture. People of revdi culture will not build expressways, airports or defence corridors for you,” he thundered at the assembly election rallies.
But much water has flown down the Ganges since then. And today Modi has become the wholesale dealer of guarantees. Modi guarantee has become ubiquitous and he uses it left, right and centre. His guarantee is omnibus and covers every aspect of life, but without committing anything specific. ‘Viksit Bharat’ is a quintessential Modi guarantee, which promises the benefits of India becoming the third biggest economy of the world and encapsulates a vision of holistic development, where every citizen benefits. It’s not specific in terms of schemes and programmes, but a promise of transforming lives.
Modi seeks to demonstrate his guarantee through the past rather than future, highlighting the achievements of his government in the last 10 years and claims that ensuring an increase in income and savings, along with reducing expenses, is a fundamental responsibility of the government. “Modi has guaranteed to make sisters lakhpatis. During past 10 years, one crore sisters have become ‘Lakhpati Didi’ and steps have been taken in the budget to make 3 crore sisters as lakhpati,” he told a rally in Bhubaneswar recently.
Modi’s guarantee has become the focal point of the BJP’s campaign. With substantial financial resources being allocated to advertising campaigns, the Prime Minister has, however, refused to tie himself down to specifics. The promise of Rs 15 lakh deposit in every bank account prior to the demonetization, turning out to be a real ‘joomla’ must be playing at the back of his mind to hold him back from committing himself to specifics.
The BJP’s appropriation of the Congress guarantee card is undeniably a strategic move, tapping into the pulse of the electorate. However, the success of this manoeuvre depends on how well Modi can navigate the thin line between a sweeping guarantee and a lack of specificity. While the BJP aims to create a broad narrative, the risk lies in the potential for a lack of clarity, leaving room for skepticism and criticism.
To be fair to Modi’s criticism of revdi culture, we have the Karnataka government struggling to live up to the guarantee expectations from people. The ruling Congress in a tight spot ahead of Lok Sabha elections as the government has to first ensure availability of funds for the five guarantee schemes and it has been a struggle so far. And on top of that, the state is getting little help from the Modi government, which must be enjoying Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s predicament.
With drought engulfing three-fourths of Karnataka, pressure is growing on the Siddaramaiah government to waive crop loans as a ‘contingency’ measure, but it does not have the financial muscle to do that. Already, 251 farmers have died by suicide till August last year. According to latest banking data, Karnataka has agricultural non-performing assets (NPAs) worth Rs 18,964.6 crore. The last crop loan waiver was in 2018-19 when the JD(S)-Congress coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy waived crop loans to the tune Rs 15,597 crore, covering 26.83 lakh farmers. In his first term, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had waived cooperative crop loans worth Rs 8,165 crore for22.27 lakh farmers. These are not comforting thoughts for both Siddaramaiah and his party. (IPA Service)
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