From Hailing Private Sector To Calling Out Bureaucrats: How Modi Govt Is Bucking The Sarkari Socialist Mindset

In historic fashion yesterday (10 February) Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Lok Sabha speech hailed the Indian private sector and said that abusing it is no longer acceptable.

He endorsed the private sector's contribution in nation building while warning against demonising it for political ends.

Prime Minister Modi said that wealth creators are necessary to ensure employment which in-turn will ensure that wealth reaches poorer sections of the society.

Prime Minister Modi also said that the culture of abusing the Private Sector is no longer acceptable and while such a rhetoric may have fetched votes in the past but such times are now gone.

This speech comes at a time when when India's top industrialists like Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani have been targeted by anti-farm law protesters. This has included vandalism of over 1,500 Jio mobile towers in Punjab.

Modi Govt's Pro-Private Outlook

This speech by Prime Minister Modi is not a solitary occurrence. Famously in his 2019 Independence Day speech, he had hailed India's wealth creators by calling them the wealth of the country.

"Let us never see wealth creators with suspicion. Only when wealth is created, wealth will be distributed...Wealth creation is absolutely essential. Those who create wealth are India’s wealth and we respect them", Prime Minister Modi had said.

Similarly, Union Minister Piyush Goyal while presenting the 2019 Union Budget had humbly thanked the Indian taxpayers for their valuable contribution towards nation building.

"On behalf of all the people of India and our Government, I would first like to thank all our taxpayers for their valuable contribution to nation building and for providing a better life to the poor and marginalised sections of society. Your tax helps provide dignity to our sisters and mothers with toilets and cooking gas connections."

"Your tax pays for the electricity connections to the poor who lived in darkness for generations. The tax you pay will provide health care to 50 crore brothers and sisters, and children. It is you who is ensuring respect, dignity, and a secure future to our retired jawans through One Rank One Pension. Thank you, taxpayers.", Piyush Goyal said.

Many have termed this outlook as a sharp contrast from views of former prime ministers like Jawaharlal Nehru who had once famously remarked, "Never talk to me about the word profit; it is a dirty word".

Calling Out The Bureaucracy

Another one of Narendra Modi led central government's features has been to call out inefficient bureaucrats plaguing the government systems.

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari last October had called out NHAI officials for inordinate project delays and a culture of inefficiency.

Gadkari said that negative bureaucrats who are known for their indecisiveness and tendency to create complications are latched on to NHAI for the past 12-13 years and they become guide and philosophers of Chairmen.

He had hinted on a similar culture prevalent in other government department where non-useful bureaucrats not just survive but also thrive.

"In our organisation we treat donkeys and horses alike and we need to identify them and send non-useful people to other government departments where such people keep getting promotions till the end along with great CR (confidential report) scores", said Gadkari.

Prime Minister Modi in his speech yesterday also indirectly called out the "master of all trades" attitude of the Indian bureaucracy by saying that IAS Officers cannot run everything in the country.

"Will the Babus do everything? If one becomes IAS will he/she do everything like running fertiliser industries, chemical industries or flying a plane...what are we going achieve by handing over our country to Babus. If Babus belong to our country, so do the youth (who work in the private sector)", said Prime Minister Modi.