Cornered on the state of the economy with GDP at a six-year-low of 5%, the Narendra Modi government, celebrating the first 100 days of its second tenure, showcased the withdrawal of Article 370 and Article 35A as its biggest achievement.
But the Congress tried to pin it down on the dire state of the economy.
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar, addressing a press conference on the occasion, said the biggest decision by way of revoking Article 370 and Article 35A was to ensure that Jammu and Kashmir is no longer sequestered from rest of the country.
Speedy decisions
“Modi government 2.0 in its first 100 days has made historic and landmark decisions, with speed, be it Jammu and Kashmir or decisions regarding Unlawful Activity Prevention Act or reflections on status of economy. These could be done because the preparations for these decisions began before elections,” Mr. Javadekar said.
The Minister reiterated that Kashmir has largely been incident free since revoking of Article 370 and 35A on August 5.
“It's been 35 days there has been only one or two stray incidents like the one yesterday. No life has been lost, no bullet has been fired. Since terrorism started in the Valley in 1990s, this is the first time that such a thing has happened,” he added.
Asserting that normalcy has returned swiftly in the State, Mr Javadekar said other than Section 144 in 14-15 police stationsin entire state, there were no other restrictions in place. He also said that despite efforts from Pakistan to knock on every door including the United Nations, the entire world is standing with the government.
Empowering the poor
The theme of the government, he said, is to empower the poor, farmers, labourers, Dalits and all those who did not get their share of development.
The Minister later released a booklet Jan Connect and inaugurated an Exhibition on ‘Furthering India’s Development - 100 days of Bold Initiatives & Decisive Actions’.
The opposition Congress tried to pin down the government on the dire state of the economy.
Focus on failure
Taking a jibe at the Centre for the “ravaged” economy, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a tweet said, “Congratulations to the Modi government on #100DaysNoVikas, the continued subversion of democracy, a firmer stranglehold on a submissive media to drown out criticism and a glaring lack of leadership, direction and plans where it’s needed the most — to turnaround our ravaged economy.”
On similar lines Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, tweeting in Hindi, said the Modi government was silent after “ruining the economy” and is instead trying to distract everyone.
“The government is mum after ruining the economy. The companies are in danger, while trade is in doldrums. Through drama, deceit, lies, and propaganda, they are trying to hide the country's grim situation,” she said.
In a series of tweets, the party attacked the government on the economy, pointing out that eight sectors had recorded a growth rate of below 2%. A steep fall in the GDP from last year is a direct result of the government's ignorance and “gross mismanagement” of economy, the Congress alleged.
“By disregarding voices of the industry, economists and former PM Dr (Manmohan) Singh, BJP has proved itself to be completely incompetent in handling the economy,” it said.
Cyclic process: BJP
In his interaction, Mr. Javadekar tried to sidestep questions on the economy, calling the slow down a ‘cyclic process’.
“Sometimes slow down is a cyclic process; fundamentals of Indian economy are so strong, it’s not being disturbed. Our domestic economy on strong foot, expecting more foreign investment and more domestic demand,” he said. The target to achieve $5 trillion economy is not merely a dream, he said; it lays the road map for the way ahead.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal at a press conference earlier in the day said the Modi government’s 100 days are characterised by “arrogance”, “vendetta politics”, “uncertainty” and “anguish”. Mr. Sibal said legislations have been passed without parliamentary scrutiny, Article 370 has been nullified without due consultations and there has been blatant misuse of the agencies like Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation and so on.
“Common man's problems are increasing, lapdog media is becoming even more biased, atrocities against women increasing, there is no strategy on education and health, small trader is in distress, and there is vendetta politics against political opponents,” Mr. Sibal said.
