Freedom to grow

The PM did not dwell on why consensus has broken down so spectacularly in the last year. While many clashes are unavoidable,because there are valid rival conceptions of the public good,the UPA has allowed itself to be defeated by the most lightweight obstacles,and to be distracted by non-issues. There was an early phase in UPA 2s tenure when it looked as though the government was extending itself to find support for its legislative and policy agenda among the opposition and allies,and the opposition appeared to be ready to meet it halfway. Since then,however,an increasingly self-absorbed Congress has been unable to get its own allies to support critical reforms,from FDI in retail to land acquisition. Its own ministries trip each other up. It has let important financial bills slide,be it the GST or the direct taxes code,because of,among other things,an inability to master the art of bargain and compromise. The BJP too,as principal opposition party,is responsible for this drift,as it opportunistically blocks initiatives that it supported while in power. Looking out exclusively for ones own interest is what leads to crisis exemplified by the recent successive power outages that drew the worlds attention. This me-first attitude is not a tenable approach in a time as fraught as this. With the growth story souring so rapidly,responsible political actors must concentrate on the big picture.

The PMs speech conveyed some of that urgency. He framed the need to focus on growth and reform as national security issues. Encouraging investment and bettering the governments financial fundamentals are not an abstract matter. They have everything to do with secure livelihoods and assured infrastructure and energy in the PMs uncharacteristically strong words,it most certainly affects our national security.