The leadership of PM Modi has again done magic in the most complex state of India. The assembly results that gave BJP an unprecedented mandate reflects quite clearly on the impact of pro-poor policies of Modi government in the rural areas. Frankly, even a die-hard BJP supporter would have not thought that the BJP would make a triple century in Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh is one of the most complicated places for the election pundits because it is very difficult for them to analyse the mood of voters. It comprises of people from different caste, religion and political belief and it represents a pretty heterogeneous society. Despite all this complications, if the BJP has been able to entice people towards itself en-mass, there has to be very strong fundamental reasons behind it.
Demonetization, announced by PM Modi on 8th of November, 2016 proved to be the Brahmastra for the BJP in the sense that it created a sense of belief amid the poor that the government is serious about eliminating it’s hardship by shifting the burden on the rich population. The left loving intellectuals and a large chunk of journalists tried to push their agenda by disproportionately demonizing the demonetization, but the poor had already sensed the truth and intention behind the demonetization drive of Prime Minister.
The villages, who had never saw the electric bulbs lightening in their homes even after seven decades of independence have been empowered by the electrification through the Deen Dayal Upadhayaya Gram Jyoti Yojana. Their children can watch television, recharge mobile and read in bulbs. Electricity is a very important component in empowering the rural India. The Modi government has been able to read the nerves of the poor and downtrodden.
One very important component that is often ignored in the narrative is the program of financial inclusion. Even though, the financial inclusion per-se was never a new concept and had been in the national discourse ever since the nationalization of banks had started in the fourth five year plan. The “Jan Dhan Yojana” helped in opening up of accounts to millions of poor who were hitherto deprived of the basic banking services. It helped the poor to reach out to banks and understand the importance of savings. Furthermore, the licensing of payment banks for will help the rural migrants to send remittance back to home without any hassle.
The much advertised flagship programme “Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan” has been able to bring a paradigm shift in the mentality of people towards the hygienic and clean environment. The unhygienic practice impacts poor living in slums the most. The unhygienic practice leads to different kinds of chronic disease which severely impacts on their pocket. Already, the program has been able to create three open-defecation free states and the rate is quite promising.
The Ujjwala Yojana has been a grand programme that seeks to provide the LPG connections to the BPL households. The women are the worst sufferers of the pollution that emanates from using the conventional fuels and therefore, the Ujjwala Yojana has empowered them and also on the other hand, helped them become more healthy. The scheme is still in it’s nascent stage as it has been only around 9 months since the scheme kicked off. But given the scale and size of the scheme, it is apparent that it would be widely embraced by the rural household in particular and women in general.
The thumping win of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh is a testimony to the fact that the opposition will find it difficult to break the wave in 2019. The opposition will have to come out of Modi paranoia and will have to engage in constructive criticism. They should come out of nostalgia and accept the new form of waves that are crippling and which are being embraced by the Indian society. The days of hypocrisy are gone. The one who will deliver will win while the one who will spew vitriol will be shown the door.
