BJP Ka Haath Aam Aadmi Ke Saath?

Sutanu Guru finds that the latest Budget leans more towards Indira Gandhi with some bold Margaret Thatcher like plans.

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Throw Back to the Past

THE VERY FIRST LINE OF THE BUDGET speech talked about expectations. But expectations can be dangerous. Great expectations can be even more dangerous. Arun Jaitley and Narendra Modi must be pondering over this as hosannas and diatribes swirl around in the next few weeks. In contemporary history, only two other leaders apart from Modi have generated such huge expectations. In 1971, Indira Gandhi rode a wave of popularity and great expectations like an avatar of Goddess Durga. By the time her finance minister, Y. B. Chavan, presented the fourth budget of her regime, a sense of betrayal, disbelief and despair had replaced expectations. Her son Rajiv Gandhi won the most decisive mandate ever in Indian electoral history. Indians expected much of him; perhaps too much. The fourth budget of his regime was presented by the now notorious N. D. Tiwari. But Bofors, Shah Bano and Ram Mandir had virtually derailed his regime by 1988. Arun Jaitley has presented the fourth budget of the Modi regime. Will Modi face what Indira and Rajiv faced or has Jaitley pulled enough rabbits out of his hat?

The demonetisation decision showed that Modi is capable of taking risky gambles. The billion dollar question after that has been: Will Modi become a Margaret Thatcher or re-invent Indira Gandhi? The latest budget makes it very clear he has opted for the later, with a wink towards the former.

“Garibi Hatao” is indeed back with a vengeance. Indira Gandhi had a 20 point programme. In his budget speech, Jaitley unveiled a