New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's journey in office began with a spectacular victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. He took over at a time when India faced many challenges. From spiralling price rise to key Bills stalled in Parliament, the Modi government faced many hurdles.
One of the major issues concerning the middle class has always been price rise and the latest petrol hike was not of much help either. On May 15, petrol price was hiked by Rs 3.13 a litre and diesel by Rs 2.71 per litre, the second straight steep increase in rates in May.
Even though the government made tall claims of make India becoming a business-friendly nation, things did not go as per the NDA government's plan in the recently concluded Budget session of Parliament as key reform Bills - Land Acquisition Amendment Bill, Goods and Service Tax Bill- are still hanging.
The Land Bill, the GST Bill and Real Estate Bill are stalled because of either poor strategy or differences within the government. with Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi leading the opposition charge on a host of issues, the Congress is in no mood to relent. With Land Bill generating a lot of heat, Modi's foreign trips have also come under attack.
Taking a dig at Modi's foreign trips, Rahul said, "The Prime Minister has the right to travel but it is his duty to visit farmers first."
Adding to NDA's challenges is the dearth of talent within the government. With many first timers, ministers like Smriti Irani, who handles the HRD portfolio, have stumbled from one controversy to another. Moreover, there is no one in the Cabinet who has come up with an idea that can be a game changer, which has resulted in Modi depending on expertise of government servants.
Another major roadblock for the BJP are its allies- the Shiromani Akali Dal, Shiv Sena and Peoples Democratic Party. The SAD constantly whines about the Modi government taking decision unilaterally and the Shiv Sena has been time and again been openly critical. Strains are already visible in the PDP-BJP marriage in Jammu and Kashmir.
Last but not the least, the Modi government is also fighting the perception battle about being pro-rich and anti-poor.
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