(MENAFN- NewsIn.Asia) ). In the majority-Christian state of Meghalaya it promised free pilgrimages to Jerusalem. In Tripura, a state that suffered a separatist insurgency until 2004, the BJP has set aside its nationalist credentials to ally with a party that had backed the independence movement.
In 2014 business leaders were among Mr Modi's most enthusiastic supporters. Many still praise such achievements as the introduction of the GST, a bankruptcy law and streamlined government procedures. Yet some of the BJP's economic moves raise questions about its commitment to reform. Earlier this month, for instance, Mr Modi's government quietly abandoned plans to relax a 'licence Raj' rule that obliges any firm with more than 100 employees to seek government permission to fire any staff. Speaking in Davos in January, Mr Modi repeatedly declared India's commitment to open competition in a globalised world. A week later his finance minister unveiled a budget that sharply hikes tariffs on a broad range of goods. Duty on imported sugar is now 100%.
Following a series of apparent recent setbacks, Indian pundits are also growing increasingly critical of Mr Modi's foreign policy. Having promised a more robust and active stance, the prime minister has delivered mostly bluster. India's biggest rival, China, continues to make strategic inroads into India's traditional sphere of influence. Iron-fist tactics to squelch unrest in the state of Jammu and Kashmir seem only to have deepened local alienation.
So far, all this has done the BJP little harm. It still dominates politics, despite a slight dip in the polls. But Congress has benefited from a commensurate uptick and its leader, Rahul Gandhi, has cut Mr Modi's lead as preferred prime minister from 35 percentage points to 17. Perhaps even as the BJP succumbs to some of Congress's foibles, Congress is learning new tricks from the BJP.
(The featured image at the top shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigning in an election in Eastern India. This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline "All hat and cattle")
MENAFN2402201801910000ID1096509940
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.