A word that best describes the next 5 years? "Interesting"

“Excited” could be the word that best describes the next 5 years in India, some believe. For some, it’s “hope”. Other words not so far behind are "safe”, “anticipation”, "Secular", “communal” etc. I, for one, would only like to term it as “interesting”.

The dust is yet to settle. Many BJP and Narendra Modi fans are still in seventh heaven and for rightful reasons. Hope is definitely there, especially after a clear single party mandate. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) don’t even need the allies to continue in office for the next 5 years although they will be better off with additional support. Even if some parties or even BJP MPs revoke their support (in politics, decisions are based on immediate benefit), there will be others in the opposition who will be ready to provide external support to the government (reason – immediate benefit again). So, unless there is a catastrophe, BJP will remain in government for the foreseeable future. Most of the bills will be easily passed in the lower house of the parliament. Narendra Modi government will have the power to make bold decisions (something a government formed on alliances won’t have). Narendra Modi is now seen as a ‘messiah’ that will lead brand India forward and re-establish the country on the world map. If he really succeeds in doing so, even the 69% of people who didn’t vote for BJP will have reasons to cheer.

Kind courtesy - merabharosa.com

Two main reasons why I find the next 5 years “interesting” –

• Height of expectations – By decimating Congress and UPA, Modi Sarkar has come to power. Modi fought primarily on development with some key BJP members introducing the communal card towards the end of the campaign. That was a political strategy and it worked especially in the north where BJP overtook even the regional heavyweights. The battle has been won, the war is the yet to begin. The expectation from the new government will be sky-high. They cannot afford to falter anywhere. Modi government has a big challenge to retain the confidence of the people who voted for them. The first year would be a honeymoon phase with government taking some populists measures to continue the “Modi-wave”. Reality will start creeping in from the 2nd year onwards. That’s the real challenge of this government. Country will decide based on the ground results. Also, I don’t expect the limited and scattered opposition to wait and watch. They will unite (despite their ideologies and wishes) against the government to find a decision / indecision they feel they can exploit. It's their comeback strategy.
• Increased media scrutiny – Media, in today's India, can make and break political parties. Just ask Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). They were formed in 2013 and that same year they (almost) single-handedly captured the capital of India - Delhi. The media were firmly behind their success, apart from the fact that they positioned themselves as a party with honesty and integrity. In many ways, media made them what they were in December 2013. Then, for some reason, the same media went against them. And the result is right there in front of us. Backed out of Delhi Government in lieu of Lok Sabha elections and got barely 4 seats (considering they were aiming to be a national party). That's what media can do. BJP has the media support they need at the moment. But they cannot be complacent. One bad move, one riot somewhere and this media will "seek answers". No one can deny that media played their part too in the fall of the UPA-2 government. They brought the scams out in the public domain. 

Let the dust settle and the development work begin. Isn’t that the reason why Modi government was elected by the people of India? He wanted 272, we gave him 282. Time for the Modi government to reciprocate.