January 29, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi , although being suitably humble and thanking the people of the country and the BJP workers for the memorable victory, took the opportunity to remind political pundits and social scientists to take note of the ‘new’ India and change their old thinking about secularism and casteism. He said that the BJP had won a historic mandate because this ‘new’ India has rejected all old theories about caste and secularism.

The Prime Minister said that henceforth, all caste calculations will fail in India as there would remain just two castes in the country – the poor and those who work for their upliftment. This is an excellent premise. One feels that Modi had been (unnecessarily, if one might say) thrown off track in his first term by Rahul Gandhi’s “suit-boot ki sarkar” charge. He could not go all out to support industrialists, businessmen and investors as feared that the Congress will brand him anti-poor. He was further hampered by the flight of Vijay Mallya, Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi. In the process, the economy suffered and his pet scheme, Make in India, could not achieve its full potential.

But now he has chosen the right track. The Congress and Rahul Gandhi have been trying to paint all businessmen as crooks. That is an obnoxious thing to do. To paint a whole class with the same brush for the wrongdoings of a few is not done. Investors, industrialists and businessmen create infrastructure and build enterprises that make products or offer services. The government can provide only a limited number of jobs. It is the private sector that generates infinitely more jobs and business opportunities (which generate more jobs) for others, thereby providing a source of livelihood to a large number of people. They are the real builders of the nation. Modi has done the right thing to call them a caste that will alleviate poverty.