Badly planned, poorly communicated: Agri, labour reforms were too rushed

Prime Minister Modi is unwisely ignoring the central difficulty of reform in India: While you can't wait for everyone to agree before you make changes, you can't impose them with zero agreement

In recent weeks, India’s government has shown unusual amounts of energy in pushing through long-awaited economic reforms. The last session of Parliament — cut short when several MPs tested positive for Covid-19 — was exceptionally productive. Two labor-law amendments were passed, as was a package of measures addressing the agricultural sector.

However you look at it, these moves take India in the right direction. They don’t go far enough, are badly planned and have been poorly communicated —nevertheless, they are grounds for optimism.

Cautious optimism, however, because the take-no-prisoners political style of India’s ruling party threatens to undermine the impact of