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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Narendra Modi declares victory over corruption
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Narendra Modi declares victory over corruption

In interview with PTI, PM indicates govt is open to compromise on land law, relaxing FDI norms in more sectors

Modi signalled that the government was willing to look at a compromise on the land bill. Photo: ReutersPremium
Modi signalled that the government was willing to look at a compromise on the land bill. Photo: Reuters

New Delhi: Claiming that his government had rewritten the governance lexicon by ridding the corridors of power of lobby groups, Prime Minister Narendra Modi signalled that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was willing to consider a compromise to generate political consensus on a new land acquisition law.

The government is also willing to relax foreign direct investment (FDI) norms in more sectors, depending on their potential to create jobs and the availability of strong local talent in such sectors, Modi said.

“The task of cleaning the corridors of power (or cleaning the lobby of lobbies) was important so that the government machinery itself is improved," Modi, who completed one year in office this week, said in an interview with the Press Trust of India.

“This process of correction and cleaning took quite some time but it will provide long-term benefits in the form of clean and fair governance," Modi said, according to a transcript of the interview posted on the website of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

According to the Prime Minister, the NDA regime has adopted a methodical approach to mobilize government machinery and correct administrative defects to provide clean, efficient and fair governance.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA won a commanding majority in the Lok Sabha in last year’s general election after waging a campaign based on the concept of ‘good governance’. The election ended the 10-year rule of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), whose second term in power was marred by corruption scandals.

One year on, the NDA government, which promised to usher in achche din (good days), is claiming success in providing a “corruption-free environment" in the country.

In the interview, Modi said: “Every day was a new bad day and there were new scandals. People were furious. Today, after a year, even our opponents have not accused us of bad actions. You tell me, if there is not a single scandal, is this is not achche din (good days)?"

Political analysts said the real test for the government would begin in its second year.

“There have been several highs in the last one year and they have largely been due to the previous five years of inaction (by the UPA government). Even small actions feel large because of the paralysis that happened over the last five years," said Sandeep Shastri, a political analyst and pro-vice chancellor of Bengaluru-based Jain University.

“For the first year it is okay to say that work is being done but in the second year the people will start questioning the government. I think one year is too early... but in the second year, a sense of impatience creeps in," Shastri added.

The government faced a setback in the recently concluded budget session of Parliament where three key reforms bills—the land acquisition bill, a constitutional amendment to roll out the goods and services tax and the real estate bill—could not be passed because of resistance from opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha, where the NDA is in a minority.

In the interview, Modi signalled that the government was willing to look at a compromise on the land bill.

“Gaon, garib, kisan (village, poor, farmer): if the suggestions are favourable to these downtrodden groups and are in the interests of the nation, we will accept those suggestions," Modi said.

The opposition, led by the Congress, has rallied against the government on the land acquisition bill that proposes to makes it easier for businesses to acquire land, forcing the BJP and the government to mount a strong defence of its “pro-farmer" credentials.

“It is a hard reality of numbers in the Rajya Sabha but what is more important is the political undertones of what he is trying to say (on villages, poor and farmers). They are trying to counter correctly and deal with the perception that the government is pro-rich and not sensitive towards the needs of the marginalized," Shastri said.

The NDA has also been criticized for its handling of an agrarian crisis resulting from a deficient monsoon last year, declining farm incomes and crop damage from unseasonal rains this year.

“The government’s biggest failure is its mishandling of the agrarian crisis," Yogendra Yadav, an academic-turned-politician who was until recently associated with the Aam Aadmi Party, wrote in a column published in Mint.

“The green revolution has reached a dead end. Farming continues to be a non-profit venture. A single crop failure can push farmers into a spiral of poverty, indebtedness and suicide."

In the interview with PTI, Modi said the agrarian crisis and farmer suicides should not be turned into a political issue.

“We need to find where we have gone wrong and why we are not able to solve this over so many years. I have asked all parties for their suggestions to bring contentment and security to our farmers. I want to assure our farmers that this government will never be found wanting in doing whatever is needed for their welfare," he said.

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Published: 29 May 2015, 12:41 AM IST
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