By Saswat Panigrahi on
Democracy got a new lease of life in Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s speech at the India Today Conclave on Saturday.
“A true democracy is a collaboration between the citizens and the Government. In a real democracy, the Government has to take people into confidence. In Gujarat, democracy is a combined effort,” Modi said.
Modi’s message is simple, powerful and has the capacity to change the fate of the nation. It comes at a time when the gap between the Government and the people is widening.
Modi tried to bridge the difference between the essence and practice of democracy. He suggested that the people should be stake-holders in nation building and the Government should act as a catalyst.
“Government can’t change the nation alone. It is the people who must bring about real change. The Government needs to empower the citizens and institutionalise ideas,” he said.
At a time when bureaucratic tangles hinder the development process, Modi explained how bureaucracy should work in a real democracy. “The bureaucratic mindset during British rule was to keep the empire happy. Today we are an independent country. In a democracy, bureaucracy has to work for the people instead of serving the ruling party,” he said.
Even as a section of Indian media continues to go gaga over leader-centric and personality-centric ideas, Modi emphasised the need for people-centric ideas. “Leader-centric and personality-centric ideas may work for a few years. But they can’t last for long. Ideas need to be institutionalised. We need people-centric ideas to bring about development,” he said.
To further the country on the path of development, Modi brought us memories of the independence struggle. “It was Mahatma Gandhi who converted the freedom movement into a mass movement. That spirit of people’s participation is what made India a free country. Similarly, for the nation’s development, there needs to be a mass movement,” he said.
The Gujarat Chief Minister gave democracy a perspective which has long remained unattended by subsequent Congress regimes since we became a free country. While the Congress-led UPA never tires of providing people their rights (which they were entitled to Constitutionally anyway), Modi reminded the Government of its responsibilities, “The Constitution of India guarantees citizens a number of rights. What the people need from the Government is not rights but action.”
India has huge potential. What the political leadership of the current regime lacks is will power to convert it into performance. Narendra Modi has already walked his talk. He has revolutionised Gujarat. The nation needs a statesman like Modi who can filter the fruits of governance down to the poorest of the poor. It’s time he was given the chance to do it for the country.
Source: http://www.niticentral.com/2013/03/18/a-nation-builder-takes-delhi-by-storm-56503.html
Democracy got a new lease of life in Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s speech at the India Today Conclave on Saturday.“A true democracy is a collaboration between the citizens and the Government. In a real democracy, the Government has to take people into confidence. In Gujarat, democracy is a combined effort,” Modi said.
Modi’s message is simple, powerful and has the capacity to change the fate of the nation. It comes at a time when the gap between the Government and the people is widening.
Modi tried to bridge the difference between the essence and practice of democracy. He suggested that the people should be stake-holders in nation building and the Government should act as a catalyst.
“Government can’t change the nation alone. It is the people who must bring about real change. The Government needs to empower the citizens and institutionalise ideas,” he said.
At a time when bureaucratic tangles hinder the development process, Modi explained how bureaucracy should work in a real democracy. “The bureaucratic mindset during British rule was to keep the empire happy. Today we are an independent country. In a democracy, bureaucracy has to work for the people instead of serving the ruling party,” he said.
Even as a section of Indian media continues to go gaga over leader-centric and personality-centric ideas, Modi emphasised the need for people-centric ideas. “Leader-centric and personality-centric ideas may work for a few years. But they can’t last for long. Ideas need to be institutionalised. We need people-centric ideas to bring about development,” he said.
To further the country on the path of development, Modi brought us memories of the independence struggle. “It was Mahatma Gandhi who converted the freedom movement into a mass movement. That spirit of people’s participation is what made India a free country. Similarly, for the nation’s development, there needs to be a mass movement,” he said.
The Gujarat Chief Minister gave democracy a perspective which has long remained unattended by subsequent Congress regimes since we became a free country. While the Congress-led UPA never tires of providing people their rights (which they were entitled to Constitutionally anyway), Modi reminded the Government of its responsibilities, “The Constitution of India guarantees citizens a number of rights. What the people need from the Government is not rights but action.”
India has huge potential. What the political leadership of the current regime lacks is will power to convert it into performance. Narendra Modi has already walked his talk. He has revolutionised Gujarat. The nation needs a statesman like Modi who can filter the fruits of governance down to the poorest of the poor. It’s time he was given the chance to do it for the country.
Source: http://www.niticentral.com/2013/03/18/a-nation-builder-takes-delhi-by-storm-56503.html
No comments:
Post a Comment