బీజేపీలో మోదీ యుగం: 2014 నుంచి కీలక నిర్ణయాలు

The Modi era of the BJP: Key decisions since 2014

Narendra Modi was sworn in as the 15th Prime Minister of the country on May 26, 2014. Since then, the BJP-led NDA has come to power in three consecutive Lok Sabha elections. Let us look at the key decisions taken during this period and the discussions that took place on them in a chronological and balanced manner.

2014–2016: Financial inclusion, cleanliness

• Jan Dhan Yojana (2014): Zero balance bank accounts for crores of people. This later became the foundation for the "DBT" system, which transfers government subsidies directly into accounts.

• Swachh Bharat (2014): Construction of crores of toilets to eliminate open defecation.

• Ujjwala (2016): Free gas connections for poor women. However, there were reports that some people returned to wood-burning stoves due to high refill prices.

2016: Demonetization

On the night of November 8, 2016, the Prime Minister announced the demonetization of ₹500 and ₹1000 notes. The government said the aim was to curb black money, fake notes and terror funding. Long queues at banks and the impact on small businesses led to severe criticism. The Reserve Bank later revealed that almost all of the demonetized notes had been returned to banks. However, the pace of digital payments has increased.

2017: GST

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) came into effect on July 1, 2017. It was a major reform towards a single tax system across the country. However, initially there were discussions on issues like technical issues, multiple tax slabs, and compensation for states.

2018–2019: Health and Safety

• Ayushman Bharat (2018): Health insurance for hospital treatment for poor families.

• Surgical Strikes (2016), Balakot Airstrikes (2019): Military actions across the border in response to terrorist attacks.

• 2019 elections: BJP returned stronger with 303 seats on its own.

2019: Article 370, CAA

On August 5, 2019, Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated and the state was bifurcated into two Union Territories. The Supreme Court later upheld the decision. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that same year led to nationwide protests.

2020–2021: COVID, agricultural laws

During the Covid pandemic, the nationwide lockdown, the plight of migrant workers, and the second wave of tragedy shook the country. Then a massive vaccination campaign was undertaken. Farmers protested for more than a year on the borders of Delhi against three agricultural laws brought in in 2020. The government withdrew those laws in November 2021.

2023–2024: World Forum, Ayodhya

India chaired the G20 in 2023. The success of Chandrayaan-3 made the country proud. The Prana Pratishtha was held at the Ayodhya Ram Temple on 22 January 2024. The law providing 33% reservation for women in the legislatures was passed in 2023 (to be implemented after census and delimitation).

2024: The coalition era returns

In the 2024 elections, the BJP won 240 seats — short of its own majority. With the support of allies like the TDP and JDU, Modi became the Prime Minister for the third time. He is the first leader after Nehru to serve three consecutive terms as Prime Minister. The increasing importance of coalition partners has given bargaining power to states like Andhra Pradesh.

Arguments on both sides

Supporters: Infrastructure expansion, Digital India, direct transfer of welfare schemes, strong leadership, increasing India's prestige in the world. Critics: Unemployment, rising prices, questions on the independence of constitutional institutions, religious certification, rights of states in a federal system.

Conclusion

The Modi era has made the BJP the centerpiece of Indian politics. The decisions of this decade will affect the country for a long time. It is up to each citizen to decide how to view them. History will give its verdict in due course.

Photo: Narendra Modi / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)