From Communal violence to Demonetisation, a brief analysis of PM Modi's 'Achhe din'

1. Demonetisation

The demonetization was announced on November 8 that declared the 1000 and 500 rupees notes will no more be legal tender. The demonetisation drive was followed by a series of problems that were more of results of the mismanagement that came to light after the die was cast, after the damage was done.

Interestingly, the ATM machines were not calibrated for the new notes that were to replace the demonetized ones. The long queues and the unending wait in the ATM queues was something that was visible to everyone, reported by news media in all the lengths and breadths and was felt by the masses but there were some drastic effects on the economy that were carelessly glossed over in the glare of the government funded false publicity and many fell into the illusion that the demonetisation drive was a success.

The Small and medium enterprises were the worst hit and it was well evident in the economic growth rate. The industrial growth touched its all-time low and government was not late in realizing the ill-effects of the demonetization drive and shifted their focus from limiting corruption, curbing terror funding and restricting the fake currency circulation to digitising the economy and driving the nation towards being cashless.

2. Foreign Relations

India has had complicated relations with their neighbours in the past 4 years. One of India's most crucial neighbours, Pakistan and the relations with the country has witnessed a steep decline under the Modi government. There was a time when PM Modi, to everyone's surprise, dropped in Pakistan to wish the then Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif on his birthday that was taken as a sign of change but then happened Pathankot and Uri attacks that have brought the Indo-Pak relations to an all-time low. The two countries have no bilateral talks whatsoever at present, India's stand has been tough and unrelenting of no talks unless Pakistan stops ceasefire violations and cross-border infiltration to incite terrorism.

Moreover, India charged on Pakistan and hit the bunkers on their side of the border and the operation was followed by even bitter relations between the two countries. The Surgical strike by India was not only successfully accomplished but also announced world over. This was a rare case of accepting breaching the borders and violating ceasefire that did not draw any criticism from the international community which can be attributed to India's robust diplomacy and its success has been evident in US President Trump's tough stance on Pakistan's role in endorsing terrorism in the region.

China has been a difficult neighbour to deal with. Its rising economic might is being felt worldwide and particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. However, India and China found themselves against each other at a special location on the plateau of Doklam in Bhutan. The standoff lasted for around 2 months and is seen as the closest thing to 1962 war, India fought against China. Nepal is also ceding away from India into China's laps.

3. Communalism

This is one question BJP has been facing since their inception in the eighties and with the time passing, there are more instances adding up to BJP's Hindutva imagery. Modi's 4 years have been no different with the extremist Hindu groups getting active, instances of mob-lynching and vigilantism in the name of cow protection, increasing.

The influence of RSS has been more than visible in the NDA government's policy formations and choice of leaders. Choosing the controversial figure of UP politics, Yogi Adityanath as the state's CM is one of them. This is one reason minorities have been sceptical of the regime and while Modi may have been able to instil a version of development in people's mind, BJP have miserably failed in addressing this significant issue. While 'Sabka Vikas' is not something, we can be sure about, 'Sabka Saath' has been completely missing, for sure.

Also Read: CSK vs SRH: CSK vs SRH: Dhoni reveals his secret to success