By Atul Maharaj:
Almost three years ago, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) handsomely won the general elections in 2014. The nation wanted change, and many of them opted for it in the form of Narendra Modi. After ousting the Manmohan Singh-led Congress government from power, it was the BJP’s chance to cherish the moment that took 10 years to arrive. There was a lot of blame game and scams were unearthed before the BJP came to power. Many promises were made by the BJP back then. Some of which have been fulfilled, while the others are yet to be.
It’s been more than two years since the Modi government came to power. How many times have we seen the cabinet ministers make an appearance? Not many times for sure. We did see the Home Minister Rajnath Singh address the media after the terror attacks in Pathankot. But the only face that we see most of the time is that of Modi. From inaugurating new trains to starting cleanliness drives, Modi is the face of everything. Was there a need for Modi to make the declaration when the announcement was made regarding the invalidity of ₹500 and ₹1000 currency notes? I certainly don’t think so. Where was the Finance Minister? Was he not part of the ‘core group’ which was aware of this decision? Whatever the reason may be, the fact that cabinet ministers don’t announce important decisions raises many questions.
Is Modi single-handedly taking care of all the portfolios? Has Narendra Modi actually taken his post so seriously that he has taken charge of all ministries? Even though we see on Twitter how Sushma Swaraj ensures that a Pakistani woman about to marry an Indian is given a visa, one doesn’t see real governance from the cabinet ministers. Every important announcement is made by the Prime Minister. Why is that so?
[envoke_twitter_link]Modi does not allow any cabinet minister to take the limelight. Is he scared? [/envoke_twitter_link]Does he feel that if he allows them to speak, inconsistent or false information might be circulated? We would want to see our ministers every time there is anything that is happening in their respective ministries. If I ask who the Law Minister is, I’m sure not many can answer, because most of us don’t know who he is.
[envoke_twitter_link]Are the ministers not capable enough according to Modi? [/envoke_twitter_link]I do think that every minister is capable and has potential. But the way Modi speaks for every ministry certainly sends a wrong message. When you have some of the finest ministers on board, why do you always need to take centre stage? I know that capability is not an issue, but something is definitely not right about this.
These instances clearly show that Modi isn’t a good leader. Who is a good leader? I see a leader as good if he is a person who keeps the team ahead and grows with it. One of the best example of a good leader is Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He simply credits the players for every win and takes the blame for every loss. What we are seeing now isn’t good leadership. I want to see the ministers given more freedom, if they have not been given so. Freedom to take decisions, put forward their point of view and make statements. I certainly don’t want to see Modi coming up every time the budget is announced or decision regarding finance take place. Being a Prime Minister, he certainly has a lot of other work which should be prioritised instead of always coming up to make announcements.
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