Narayana Murthy backs NDA govt on reforms, says PM a charismatic personality

Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy backed the Modi govt on crucial reforms such as the GST and the Land bill, stating that it is important that people rise above party politics in doing good for the country, a day before the Monsoon session of Parliament kicks off. In an exclusive interview to ET NOW, Murthy admitted that there is restlessness in India because of high expectations, he believes the government is working on a good foundation before delivering big-bang reforms.

“Modi is a charismatic personality, he can speak very well, he can rouse the crowds and he has raised the image of India. Today people are very restless because they want to see big bang stuff happening. But before you have the big bang stuff there is a lot of preparation needed. So, I presume the government is working on a good foundation before the big bang happens.”

When asked about what his definition of a big-bang would be, Murthy alluded to the 1991 reforms that opened up the economy and said something similar is required.

“People have different perception of big bang. In the area of IT, if Digital India takes off, if govt works out modalities of working with Indian companies in fair manner, if trust is restored, if bureaucrats spend time in defining requirements of companies, there will be a huge big bang opportunity.”

However, he expressed disappointment in areas such as the Innovation Universities bill, which has been pending for years now and the FCRA guidelines, which classifies companies such as Infosys and HDFC Bank as foreign-owned. “This is a nation where apathy is our stable diet, action is not our forte. We see things not happening around us but we don’t care. We are not a nation hungry for change.”