 "Arun Shourie")
Arun Shourie, senior BJP leader and former union minister in Vajpayee cabinet, today launched a scathing attack on the economic policies of the Narendra Modi-government, saying its performance has been disappointing. The 73-year-old journalist-turned-politician said that for the NDA government, managing economy meant "managing the headlines".
Shourie made the remarks at a function to launch a book, Turn of The Tortoise, written by T N Ninan, chairman of Business Standard.
He said: "Doctor Singh [Manmohan Singh] ko log yaad karne lag gaye hain (People have started recalling the days of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh). The way to characterise the policies of this government is: Congress plus a cow. Policies are the same”.
He said: "Doctor Singh [Manmohan Singh] ko log yaad karne lag gaye hain (People have started recalling the days of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh). The way to characterise the policies of this government is: Congress plus a cow. Policies are the same”.
Here are the 10 things that Arun Shourie said about Modi government
1. On economic policies
Shourie said, "There is clear belief that managing economy means managing the headlines, and this is not really going to work."
2. On the functioning of PMO
Targeting Modi, the former union minister, said: "I feel there was never a weaker PMO as now. There has never been as great a centralisation of functions, not power, of functions in the PMO as now. If fellows don’t have domain expertise that Brajesh Mishra had, L K Jha had, all these principal secretaries had, then things get stuck."
3. On tax administration and banking reform
"If you see impediments that existed in the tax administration, virtually no change... Banking reform has been delayed by a year and a half for no reason. So, this tortoise [refers to the title of the book] is a very generous metaphor. Yeh toh soh hi jata hai (this tortoise goes to sleep)."
4. On industrialists
Shourie said industrialists are afraid of speaking against the government. "The industrialists who meet the Prime Minister don't speak the whole truth. After meeting PM, they wonder what is happening and say, 'please do something'. And then in front of the media, they give the government 9 out of 10," he said.
5. Modi's style of functioning
In an interview to the Indian Express on December 7, 2014, he was quoted as saying: “I don’t want to use harsh words but the consensus seems to be that when all is said and done, more is said than done. I am sure sincere efforts are being made and they may yield results, but as Akbar Allahabadi said, ‘Plateon ke aane ki awaaz toh aa rahi hai, khaana nahin aa raha (The plates’ sound can be heard but the food is not coming)’.
6. On Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor
Taking digs at the Modi government, Shourie said it should embrace everybody instead of fighting. "Don't get into a fight with everyone. If you want to build the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), you require support of five chief ministers," he said.
7. On Centre-state relationship
On the government's relationship with the states and the Opposition, Shourie said: "One thing that has surprised me about the government is its timidity. Slight opposition comes and the reform is dropped. In my head, I would say, please befriend, please impress... You cannot get up every morning and get into a boxing match."
8. On foreign policy
In an interview to Karan Thapar, Headlines Today, on May 1, 2015, he had said: "Modi's foreign policy is a success. But India has to follow up on the MoUs. Modi needs to execute policies quickly as China is a principal challenge for India. India's foreign policy is getting re-oriented and Modi has to move much faster. Nobody is waiting for us. The US is already feeling impatient. Also, keeping Sushma Swaraj Sushma on the margins is wrong."
9. On safety of minorities
Shourie said the government must respond to the fears of the minority communities. "He was silent when communal riots took place or when churches were attacked. PM Modi should speak out often and must speak on these critical issues."
10. On govt triumvirate
In the interview to Thapar, Shourie had advised Modi and his government to learn to embrace others and maintain a low profile. He said the gap between the government's projection and performance had become vast. However, he said the PM alone wasn't to blame. He said the "trimurti" (triumvirate) of Modi, Jaitley and BJP president Amit Shah worked as a team to run the government and the party, but it wasn't getting feedback, as it had "frightened" not only allies but their own people as well.
