A spontaneous speech lasting over one hour, with no teleprompter for cues, is something worth pondering. It shows that the person making the speech has internalised what he wishes to share with the 1.2 billion Indians, many of whom were listening over radio or television. Narendra Modi is no mean orator. From the looks of it, he seems to have captured the imagination of voters with his clear and concise take on issues that mattered to them. Indians were looking for change and a leadership figure. It is too early to say much about the former but in terms of leadership, India does seem to have someone with the vision to take the country forward to a place of pride. No sooner had Modi spoken from the Red Fort ramparts on Aug 15 after steering away from many conventions, media anchors were in a hurry to analyse his speech point by point and to get the usual suspects to the TV studios to debates on what Modi should have said and what he did not say. Indeed, this might be the first speech after Independent India which has been dissected and deconstructed very minutely by columnists, economists, corporate honchos, academics and the media.
The bureaucracy it is said found Modi’s speech rhetorical and boring. It did not fit in with the style they were used to for so long. Former Prime Ministers read from a prepared text most things that the bureaucracy could predict. It was about the GDP about curbing inflation, about foreign policy and about threatening Pakistan and also warning other neighbours to behave themselves. Modi’s speech had none of these. He was conversational and as many experts have stated, Modi’s speech was very ‘domestic,’ in that he harped on issues of cleanliness, of sexual crimes, of communal violence , the plight of women, of a fragmented bureaucracy in Delhi and of giving a fillip to manufacturing in India and making it a country where quality control was strictly practised. But perhaps what came as a shock to the Delhi Durbar which is used to status quo is the dismantling of the 68 year old Planning Commission which had grown deep roots and had escaped parliamentary scrutiny. A new development and reforms institution is in the offing. This itself means a major shake-up in the status quo.
The prime minister’s speech resonated with ordinary people but critics rue that there is more intent but no action plan. But isn’t a vision necessary before setting out on a mission? The nation waits and watches as Modi unleashes his ‘less government and more governance’ action plan.
