PM-elect Narendra Modi with TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar during the NDA parliamentary party meeting at Samvidhan Sadan, in New Delhi on June 7, 2024. (PTI)
UPA was an example of what happens to a coalition government when the country’s Prime Minister is held to ransom at the whims and fancies of parties. But Modi 3.0 promises to destigmatise coalition politics and governance
Has the BJP got a slimmer mandate than in 2019? Yes, the numbers speak for themselves. Will it be a coalition government? Of course, that’s how the NDA will cross 272-mark. But does that mean Modi 3.0 will be a repetition of UPA 1 when even smaller parties like the Left could hold the government to ransom on issues ranging from price rationalisation to a civil nuclear deal? The answer is an absolute and emphatic No.
The UPA era has come to be defined as one of policy paralysis. Then prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh was not just under attack from his allies on key policy decisions amid threats to pull the plug but was also known to be under pressure from the all-important National Advisory Council led by Sonia Gandhi. But in spite of being a coalition government, Modi 3.0 promises to be completely different.
MODI LIKELY TO KEEP RAISINA MINISTRIES
News18 has learnt that all the Raisina ministries — Home, Finance, Defence and MEA — will be retained by the BJP to ensure no deviation of policy in these four crucial portfolios. Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Rajnath Singh and S Jaishankar who held these respective portfolios are being invited to join the Union Cabinet this time as well. While portfolio allocation remains the Prime Minister’s prerogative, the buzz is that the ministers holding the portfolios of these four top ministries may not see changes.
Modi has already exhibited that a coalition government doesn’t change much of his style of functioning when it comes to policy enactment. He takes along allies like HD Kumaraswamy of the JDS, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu of the TDP, Jitin Ram Manjhi of the HAM, Rajeev Ranjan of the JDU, Ramdas Athawale of the RPI(A), Chirag Paswan of the LJP (RV) among others. In a lighter vein, he also told his allies not to trust anyone about ministerial calls “unless you get the call”.
He made it clear that even though he will have to manage a coalition government, it does not mean the Modi way of doing business will see drastic changes.
BOND OF RESPECT WITH ALLIES
Political satirists expected NDA partners to act pricey in the face of a relatively weaker BJP whose strength has gone down from 303 to 240. It’s perhaps Modi’s charisma that allies chose to touch his feet in a rare show of respect that he will command in running the government.
Being the third largest party in the NDA, JD-U’s Nitish Kumar is being touted as the ‘kingmaker’. But on Friday, he left everyone surprised when the ‘kingmaker’ tried to touch Modi’s feet in Parliament’s Central Hall. In a video that has gone viral, Nitish Kumar is seen walking towards Modi with folded hands and bowing down to touch his feet. Modi, however, quickly stopped him from doing so.
During the NDA parliamentary party, Nitish Kumar said in a lighter vein: “Main toh chahta hun aaj hi aap PM fir se ban jayein aur kaam shuru ho jaaye (I want you to become PM today and start working).”
Nitish Kumar had tried to touch Modi’s feet during campaigning in Bihar’s Nawada too. In the post-results circumstances, however, the gesture is reflective of the power dynamic of Modi 3.0 — a complete contrast to UPA 1 and Manmohan Singh.
NO TRUCK WITH INDIA BLOC
The entire INDIA bloc bagged 234 seats together — a far stretch from the magic number of 272. Soon, visuals of RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav sitting next to Nitish Kumar on a flight to Delhi went viral as JD-U leader KC Tyagi revealed in an interview to a news channel that the INDIA bloc had offered Nitish Kumar the post of Deputy Prime Minister. The alliance also reportedly dialled TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu to reach the 272-mark.
But ever since the results, both Nitish and Naidu have expressed in at least three different statements that they remain committed to the NDA. These statements came soon after the results were clear, when both leaders were leaving for Delhi and finally at the NDA meet.
It was Chandrababu Naidu who proposed Modi’s name to be the leader of NDA while calling him “the right leader for the right time”.
“Narendra Modi has a vision and a zeal, his execution is very perfect. He is executing all his policies with a true spirit. Today, India has the right leader – that is Narendra Modi. This is a very good opportunity for India. If you miss now, we will miss forever,” said Naidu on Friday at the NDA meet, backing Modi.
UPA 1 was an example of what happens to a coalition government when the country’s Prime Minister is held to ransom at the whims and fancies of parties. But Modi 3.0 promises to destigmatize coalition politics and governance.
