President of India Droupadi Murmu on Thursday, June 27, said in her customary address to the joint session of parliament that “this election of 2024 has been an election of trust in policy, intention, dedication and decisions: It is a stamp of approval for my Government’s mission of service and good governance undertaken in the past 10 years.”
Is the reduction of seats – from 303 to 240 – a stamp of approval? Voters have demonstrated their trust in which policy – Agniveer? Note-bandi? Farm laws? Shocking neglect of bleeding and burning Manipur? And, trust in intention? The intention behind introducing the electoral bonds scheme, which attracted allegations of extortion, bribery and quid pro quo; and declared illegal by the Supreme Court? Good governance as reflected in the unprecedented humanitarian crisis triggered by the mindless lockdowns, rising communal discord in society, menacingly rising prices, alarming unemployment and series of paper leaks?
Some of the vital decisions taken in the past 10 years were not even mentioned in the presidential address. Agniveer, for instance, was not mentioned even as there was an elaborate exposition on the measures taken to “reform” the defence sector. The President referred to smaller decisions like setting up CDS (Chief of Defence Staff), restructuring ordnance factories, rising defence exports, developing two defence corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and establishing of National War Memorial but chose not to hail Agniveer scheme as a great reform.
Youth anger erupted in the election over the grotesque four-year job scheme in states like Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, hitting the BJP hard. Agniveer obviously doesn’t fit into the boast of trust in the government’s policy, much like note-bandi (demonetisation) and farm laws, decisions portrayed as Narendra Modi’s brainchild. The President was obviously compelled to read a script that was misleading, full of half-truths and falsehood.
One issue that overshadowed this election was youth discontent. While unemployment acquired a menacing proportion, paper leaks in many states played havoc with youth’s careers. However, the President’s speech did not specifically deal with the unemployment question while acknowledging the crisis on the paper-leak front. There was nothing on job creation but the President vaguely said, “My Government is involved in creating an enabling environment for the youth of this country to dream big and realise those dreams. In the last 10 years, every such obstacle which caused trouble to our youth has been removed.”
Ironically the achievements listed by the President advertised the government’s politics of subterfuge. She said, “In the past, the youth had to run from pillar to post in order to get their certificates attested. Now their self-attestation is sufficient. Interviews for recruitment into Group-C and Group-D posts of the Central Government have been abolished. Earlier, the students who studied in Indian languages faced an unfair situation. With the implementation of the new National Education Policy, my Government has been able to remove this injustice. Now students can take up engineering courses in Indian languages.”
Without giving a road map for job creation, the President continued with hollow rhetoric: “It is the continuous endeavour of the Government to provide the right opportunities to the youth of the country to demonstrate their talent.”
She claimed youth got new opportunities in sports. On paper leaks, she said, “Whether it is competitive examinations or Government recruitment there should be no reason for any hindrance. This process requires complete transparency and probity. Regarding the recent instances of paper leaks in some examinations, my Government is committed to a fair investigation and ensuring strict punishment of the culprits. Parliament has also enacted a strict law against unfair means in examinations. My Government is working towards major reforms in examination-related bodies, their functioning and all aspects of the examination process.”
The difference between lofty claims in election speeches and the formal text of the address to the joint session of parliament appeared to have been deliberately blurred. Much like the claims on the problems of the youth, the boasts on India’s dominance in the global community too relied on weak grounds. While the President said “as a Vishwa-Bandhu” (thankfully, not Vishwaguru!), India has taken initiatives in providing solutions to many global problems, the evidence produced was in the context of Yoga, millets and solar energy. The United States and China are considered superpowers because of robust economies, defence prowess and diplomatic clout, not Yoga and millets. Even poverty alleviation claims appeared to rest primarily on free ration and toilets.
While the Presidential address, though prepared by the Government, is usually devoid of political criticism, Modi’s frustration over the Opposition’s outcry on threats to democracy found manifestation in the speech. The President said, “Often, due to adversarial mindset and narrow selfishness, the basic spirit of democracy has been greatly undermined. It affects the parliamentary system as well as the developmental journey of the nation.”
She added, “Today, the whole world respects us as the Mother of Democracy. The people of India have always demonstrated complete trust in democracy and expressed full faith in the electoral institutions. We need to preserve and protect this trust to sustain our robust democracy. We must realise that hurting the faith of people in democratic institutions and the electoral process is like cutting the very branch on which we all are sitting. We should collectively denounce every attempt to undermine the credibility of our democracy.”
The President went so far as to give a veiled threat to the critics of this Government, saying, “I also want to share with you some of my concerns. I would urge you to introspect on these issues and give concrete and constructive solutions to the country. In this era of communication revolution, disruptive forces are conspiring to weaken democracy and create fissures in society. These forces are present within the country and are also operating from outside the country. These forces resort to rumour-mongering, misleading the people and misinformation. This situation cannot be allowed to continue unchecked.”
Without realising that Modi was now heading a coalition, she said, “During the phase of unstable governments in the country that lasted several decades, many governments, even if willing, were neither able to bring reforms nor take critical decisions. The people of India have now changed this situation by their decisive mandate. Many such reforms have taken place in the last 10 years which are greatly benefiting the nation today. Even when these reforms were being taken up, they were opposed and attempts were made to spread negativity.”
Modi took pride in his robust majority between 2014 and 2024 and condemned coalition governments as unstable and indecisive. That sentiment has now crept into the President’s speech. She also hailed Om Birla, saying, “I wish Om Birla Ji the very best for performing his exalted role as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. He has vast experience in public life. I am confident that he will be successful in taking democratic traditions to new heights with his skills.” She chose not to explain whether Birla took the “democratic traditions” to new heights in this first term as the Speaker or not.
