Narendra Modi on first month in office: No honeymoon period for my government

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said his government has not had the luxury of a ‘honeymoon period’ and had been subjected to a series of allegations within the ‘first hundred hours’ of its formation. “Previous governments had the luxury of extending this ‘honeymoon period’ up to a hundred days and even beyond. Not unexpectedly, I don’t have any such luxury. Forget hundred days, the series of allegations began in less than a hundred hours,” Modi wrote on his personal blog on Thursday, as his government completed one month in office.

The new prime minister’s move to express his views through a blog represents yet another break from the past and highlights his preference for using social media. Since assuming office, Modi has tweeted over a 100 times. The PM did not allude what allegations he was referring to. In his first week in office, controversies broke out over his junior minister’s comments about initiating consultations on Article 370 of the Constitution that deals with Jammu and Kashmir as well as the appointment of Nripendra Misra as principal secretary in the PMO that required an ordinance to change the telecom regulatory law.

The decision of Gopal Subramanium to withdraw his consent to be a Supreme Court judge and his criticism of the government this week is the latest and possibly the biggest controversy to confront the new administration. “A big challenge I am facing in Delhi is to convey to a select group of people about our intentions and sincerity to bring a positive change in this country.
These are people who are both within and outside the government system. There have been some instances in the last month with which our government had nothing to do yet these controversies have persisted,” said the prime minister. He added he didn’t blame anybody but he felt that systems had to be strengthened to ensure that right things are communicated to the right people at the right time.

Modi said when he had assumed office, he had thought he was new to this place and some people believed that he would take at least a year to learn the intricacies of the working of the central government. “Fortunately, a month later, that thought does not exist any longer in my mind. My confidence and determination has increased tremendously,” declared the prime minister.

Underlining that every decision of the government so far had been guided solely by national interest, the Prime Minister said the government has come up with ‘excellent road maps for the various ministries and departments’ on the basis of extensive interactions with officials and ministers on their domains.

The detailed presentations made by ministries to the PM in recent days have enabled “a wonderful exchange of thoughts and ideas,’’ he said. “67 years of previous governments is nothing compared to 1 month, but I do want to say that in the last month, our entire team has devoted every single moment for the welfare of the people,’’ said the prime minister.

Modi’s blog at the end of the first month in office constitutes a departure from tradition. A former bureaucrat said while it was unusual for a PM to write or speak about his first month in office as a landmark, it could have been prompted by Modi's strong affinity to social media and the need to keep a direct line of communication with his millions of followers.

“The Prime Minister has realised that expectations are very high from his government after years of disappointment, and wants to communicate directly with the people. I am glad he is eschewing quick fixes to stay popular and taking the time needed to understand and change the structural flaws in the country,” said former industry secretary Ajay Dua. Congress MP Sashi Tharoor disputed Modi’s statement about not having a honeymoon period.

“I don't agree with Mr Modi that he isn’t enjoying a honeymoon with the media. It seems to me the honeymoon is in full swing,” Tharoor said. Invoking the memories of the emergency, which was declared 39 years ago on June 26, the PM said the episode served as a grim reminder of the dangers associated with ‘subverting freedom of speech, press, expression and silencing opposition.’