A second opportunity

 Narendra Modi will be the 17th Prime Minister (in person) of India after his swearing-in on May 30 and the 4th Prime Minister to serve two consecutive terms . Modi is also the first Non Congress Party Prime Minister of India who would complete two consecutive terms. Having led the BJP to a massive mandate by winning 303 seats on its own( short of 350 for a 2/3rd majority) , Modi can now fulfil whatever his party had promised including many of those unfulfilled promises made in 2014. In addition the NDA now has a mammoth majority of 353, which is more than 2/3rd of the strength of the Lok Sabha. This alone will ensure that Modi can take major decisions without any hindrance. The absolute sway of the BJP and NDA in the 17th Lok Sabha is significant because it means that if Modi wants, he can transform India in a positive way. It may be mentioned that while in 2014 Narendra Modi was a gamble, in 2019 he has been an informed choice. If the vote for Modi then was an expression of anti-incumbency against the Congress-led UPA, this time it has been an assertion of the right course. In 2014 Modi was magic and wave, then in 2019, Modi is the voice of ‘New India’ loud and clear. In his second consecutive innings, Modi will be expected to learn from mistakes in the first term and take course correction where needed. There were a number of initiatives taken by the Modi government in their first term, which should be taken to their logical conclusion now that it has been given a second mandate. His first priority should be to send a strong message across, that his government will follow an inclusive policy towards all Indians. He must also keep in mind that his first term was marred by his own ministers and party functionaries and so has to adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards motormouths. Modi has expressed anger at what his party member Pragya Singh Thakur had said in venerating Nathuram Godse and so people like her have to be put in their place. That will set lessons for others. It is also a golden opportunity for Modi to ensure that nuisances like stray cattle and cow vigilantes have to be tackled ruthlessly and order state authorities to deal with such aberrations with a firm hand. Such crimes cannot be allowed to supersede local political leadership. Also the safety of women, minorities and Dalits should be non-negotiable without exception. The biggest expectation of the public from Modi will be his promised action against corruption and economic offenders, on which the general perception is that of slow progress. The Modi government should try and put the spotlight on real issues of governance, rather than diverting from them by riding solely on hyper-nationalism. Modi should also try and reduce the gap between the larger-than-life advertising of their schemes and their actual implementation on ground. He should also focus on contemporary issues rather than distorting history, as was done in the first term. The new government under Modi should also try and focus on their own governance performance , rather than dragging a former prime minister into current politics. In this way, Modi can assure the people that he is serious about his vision of a ‘New India.’