Civic polls and surveys: Modi reigns supreme

There is an opinion among some who voted the BJP to power in 2014 that the government isn’t doing enough to justify the mandate it received. They believe that government isn’t moving fast enough with reform, and not forcefully enough with parliamentary legislation. This kind of rhetoric is now rampant in television studios and newspaper columns. They say the government doesn’t want to be perceived as dictatorial or anti-poor, especially before important elections. Even if there is some truth to it, one has to understand that a government cannot be politically stupid. However idealistic one may be, one has to accept the fact that electoral gains are as important as anything else for Mr. Modi’s developmental agenda.

Unlike what the mainstream media wants us to believe, some instances earlier this week showed us that the government is on as strong a footing as ever. Large sections of the population still stand firmly behind the government. The predominant notion that this government is losing support on the ground increasingly looks like a myth.

An entire parliament session was washed out because of two issues: Lalitgate and Vyapam. The names of the external affairs minister and the Rajasthan chief minister emerged in the first one while the name of the Madhya Pradesh chief minister emerged in the second. The opposition didn’t allow both houses of parliament to function demanding that the union minister and both the BJP chief ministers resign. Congress heir apparent Rahul Gandhi said these were not his wishes but those of the people. The minister and chief ministers stood their ground. Both chief ministers faced the electorate right after the parliament session, and the people’s wishes were for all to see. The results of the Madhya Pradesh municipal elections were announced last Sunday. The BJP swept the elections, winning 8 of the 10 municipalities. And the results of the Rajasthan civic polls which came out on Thursday were also on similar lines. The BJP won 79 of the 128 municipal bodies. Now we know the outrage over these issues was restricted to Congress offices and Times Now studios.

If one wanted to know what the mood of the nation was today, India Today’s Mood of the Nation survey also came out this week. The India Today Group – one of the pillars of Indian mainstream media – giving the Modi government favourable ratings, was an amusing sight. To be fair to them they did their level best to project the results in a negative light, but fortunately for us numbers don’t lie. Veteran Modi-baiter Sardesai ate humble pie as he announced that the BJP’s vote-share had remained at 31%, the same as May 2014. But what must have stung hard was the question that sought to know which individual was best suited to lead the country. Mr. Modi’s ratings have gone up by one percentage point while the ratings of the next four best-suited individuals have fallen. While 28% rated his performance as average, there were 40% who thought it was good and 17% who thought it was excellent. Not too many world leaders can boast of positive figures such as these. To add to that, we must keep in mind that the survey was conducted before the opposition washed out an entire session of parliament. Back then, Sushma Swaraj hadn’t exposed the Gandhis on the floor of the Lok Sabha. The Prime Minster hadn’t listed his government’s phenomenal achievements from the ramparts of the Red Fort, something the media never does. He hadn’t yet set foot in the UAE, which was arguably his most successful foreign trip. India’s brilliant diplomatic manoeuvre with Pakistan hadn’t been made. Prime Minister Modi and his government’s ratings would have been better still had the survey been conducted today.

Clearly, the Indian electorate has learned from its past mistakes. Even though some may think the Modi government isn’t moving fast enough, they realise it still moves faster than previous governments. Even though some may not be too comfortable with certain moves of the government, they realise it is by far the best alternative for the country. People see through opposition gimmicks and mainstream media rhetoric. They trust this government to a great extent. Recent developments have established that this government’s political foundations aren’t as flimsy as they were previously thought to be. These will be a much-needed reassurance for those at the helm of affairs. Expect the government to get much bolder in the coming months.