Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is once again in the news for lauding the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This time, he has opened his mind in an article carried by the Deepika Malayalam daily on July 2. He has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s global leadership and developmental milestones.
Tharoor acknowledged with high regard PM Modi’s position as the longest-serving continuously elected Prime Minister in Bharat’s history. (PM Modi has surpassed the previous record held by Jawaharlal Nehru.) The MP from Tiruvananthapuram says Modi is one of the most influential leaders of Bharat, along with Nehru and Smt. Indira Gandhi. He is a surprise even to his political opponents. The country has undergone tremendous development in all sectors since Modi took over in 2014.
According to the Congress Working Committee member, Bharat is witnessing the most remarkable restructuring since 1947. Financial administration is fantastic. Ordinary people have benefited from Modi’s policies. Bharat’s 140 crore people are the beneficiaries. The country is no longer backward in infrastructural development. Airports, seaports, roads, highways, railways, and the supply of piped water and electricity to villagers are some examples. Piped water has been made available to 10 crore village households. Digitalisation has been a shot in the arm for administrative efficiency. Decades-old logistical deficiencies were impediments to development. The Modi regime handled them on a war footing.
The former UN Under-Secretary-General pointed out that, prior to 2014, ordinary people had no banking habit. Now, almost all people have come under the banking sector. People are extensively involved in digital transactions. Subsidies to farmers go directly to their bank accounts, making middlemen’s corruption a thing of the past. Modi utilised the banking reforms introduced by Dr Manmohan Singh for the benefit of the people.
Tharoor added that this was achieved by linking zero-balance accounts (Jan Dhan Yojana), Aadhaar and mobile phones. This JAM trinity paved the way for the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). It enables street vendors and industrial giants alike to carry out their financial transactions with ease. It led to the expansion of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Along with other service initiatives, it has enabled about 25 crore people to escape multidimensional poverty.
Shashi Tharoor says Modi’s foreign policy is remarkable. He is maintaining excellent relations with Russia while simultaneously pursuing strategic relations with the USA. Modi has raised Bharat as a powerful and independent force. The Prime Minister has put forward a policy of “multi-alignment”. Relations with Gulf countries have been strengthened. Bharat has become the voice of the Global South.
The nation has entered into trade pacts with the European Union and Britain. Bharat continues to be a major pillar of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), an international geopolitical alliance involving Australia, India, Japan and the United States. Bharat has become an independent pole. Bharat, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, is a country that travels on its own path.
The article has put the Congress, especially the Kerala unit, on the defensive. Observers await the response of the Congress leaders.
