As the NDA government completed four years in power, Union minister Arun Jaitley contended that an aspirational India will reject the “anarchist” formation of “disparate political parties” in the name of Opposition unity to beat Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2019 polls.
Jaitley dismissed the optimism in the Opposition ranks following the gathering of Opposition leaders in Bengaluru when the JD(S)-Congress government was sworn in.
Jaitley said “to rule a large country like India through coalitions is possible, but the nucleus of a coalition has to be stable. It must have a large size, an ideologically defined position and a vested interest in honest governance.”
The latest Opposition front, he said in a Facebook post, is a “fictional alternative”, which would be rejected by an aspirational India. “Aspirational societies with vibrant democracies do not invite anarchy. A strong nation and the requirements of good governance abhor anarchy,” he posted.
Jaitley said, “Some of their (Opposition) leaders are temperamental, the others occasionally change ideological positions. With many of them, such as TMC, DMK, TDP, BSP and the JD(S), the BJP has had an opportunity to share power. They frequently change political position and that stable politics is far from their political track record.”
Therefore, the political agenda for the debate this year appropriately will be “Modi versus an anarchist combination,”Jaitley said.
He said the Congress “is in desperation without the perks of office. Its best hope lies in becoming a supporter of regional political parties... From the dominant party of Indian politics, it is moving towards the ‘fringe’, its political positions are not of a mainstream party, but one usually adopted by ‘fringe’ organisations. Fringe organisations can never hope to come to power,” he said.
Under Modi, Jaitley held that good governance and good economics have been blended with good politics. India had transformed from being a part of the “fragile five” to the “bright spot” on the global economic scene under this regime, and had established a scam-free governance.
“The preceding 10 years of the UPA rule had unquestionably witnessed the most corrupt government since Independence,” he said.
Jaitley, who underwent a successful kidney transplant at AIIMS on May 14, was shifted out of the Intensive Care Unit on Friday. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has been given the additional charge of the finance ministry until Jaitley recovers.
