Weak NaMo spirit to affect Maharashtra civic polls

DELHI: Underneath the celebratory mood in the corridors of Maharashtra BJP's head quarters here lurks a sense of urgency and worry. While the consensus in the state BJP is that the government enjoys a good measure of popularity , many in the party think the 2014 'NaMo' spirit is missing. This, they point out, could cast a shadow on BJP prospects in a slew of civic elections scheduled this year.
A bureaucrat summed up Maharashtra BJP's dilemma. “While the BJP is set to showcase the Modi government's achievements, the Devendra Fadnavis dispensation is weighed down by farmers' suicides, water and power crisis, the beef ban brouhaha, price rise, Shiv Sena's belligerence over the land bill and the Jaitapur nuclear plant.“

The BJP is set to play up the 'feel-good' factor in the run up to the May 27 celebrations. Said party national vice-president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe: "The national mood is upbeat. The atmosphere of gloom has disappeared."

Restoring India's pre-eminence in world affairs, linking education with employability and encouraging innovative thinking in administration are Modi's "finer points", said Sahasrabuddhe, adding, "What makes Modi stand head and shoulders above his contemporaries are his vision and sense of purpose."

The state BJP's concern is to accelerate the state administration's pace in implementing Modi's key projects. "The party mechanism must be geared up to hard sell these schemes," said a BJP functionary . A team of Maharashtra spokespersons attended a workshop in New Delhi last week on how to market these pro-people policies as part of the anniversary celebrations. BJP national president Amit Shah and other seniors briefed them.

"We were asked to tell people about the schemes," said Niranjan Shetty , Mumbai spokesperson. Yet, a section of the middle class seems restive. "The initial enthusiasm seems to be on the wane," said chronicler Bhanu Kale."Contrast the affection for Modi in May 2014 with the unease that prevails."

"Modi's cultivated image -Remember he bowed before the steps of LS, and his chaiwala story -now seem distant. His flamboyance, his foreign tours -these are being talked about on social media, not his policies," he said. He advises: "Modi's policies will begin to show results in the next two years."

Congress functionary Sanjay Nirupam demolishes the Modi myth. "This government has been a monumental failure."