2024 Budget is a reflection of Narendra Modi’s vision of 2047: Dr Chandra

In his latest summation of the recent Union Budget, Dr Jagdeesh Chandra gives an in-depth analysis of the reasons behind a seemingly lacklustre Budget and terms that may not carry any excitement with them, but this is the exact Budget that the nation needs if we have to become a developed nation in the next 20 years. Dr Chandra also reveals how the alliance with Nitish and Naidu is going to continue for the next five years, how despite the duo’s demands for special status for their respective states, Modi did not bow down before them and kept towing his line, how Modi might have helped the Bihar BJP by giving such a major fiscal allocation for Bihar, and how he will come up as the hero of Andhra Pradesh’s new state capital. Excerpts…

• Budget 2024, the foundation stone of 2047. What does it mean?
  Dr Jagdeesh Chandra: It means, that this, Budget is a reflection of Narendra Modi’s vision for 2047. It is a picture of India’s tomorrow. It implies that Narendra Modi’s new avatar as an economist, his experiment as an economist, and his vision of the country, vision of 2047, vision of the next twenty years, what will be the level of education in India, how will the infrastructure be, how will urban development be, how will construction be, how will the railways be, how will IT be, how will farmers be, how will women empowerment be, how will youth empowerment be. What is India’s longterm thinking in all the connected sectors of the economy? What is Narendra Modi’s vision document for India, that is this budget? That is why it is said that the budget is for 2024 and the foundation stone is for 2047.

• It is estimated that a large section of society has been disappointed by this Budget. Do you also feel the same?
  Yes, you are right to some extent. Instead of disappointment, it should be said that there is no enthusiasm. There are many reasons for this. First, Narendra Modi’s glamour and thrill are not present in the budget. All that could not have happened because he is standing behind Nirmala Sitharaman, the Finance Minister. The second big thing in this is that this is not a Budget of dreams, it is a Budget to deal with reality. It was not a miracle. The third thing is that the Opposition has tainted the atmosphere. Overall, this is a clean and honest Budget based on financial prudence. It adheres to the rules and regulations of budget-making, with less politics and more economics. Therefore, there is not much thrill or excitement in it. Otherwise, there is no reason to be disappointed.

• So, can we say that the opportunity is lost for the BJP and perhaps the government?
  I think the BJP leadership itself must be feeling that the opportunity we got during Pulwama, or the way Narendra Modi turns events, and disasters into opportunities, encashes the events, changes the atmosphere, and creates a narrative, nothing like that could happen in this Budget because the possibility was less. There is no such thing as a hypothesis, possibility, or attraction in finance subject. Still, by and large, it can be said that the top leadership lost control over the Budget. ‘Losing control’ means, that they could not encash it out of proportion. There was a Budget, it came and went away.

• Some people even say that the government has paid the ‘price’ of support for power in the budget. Do you agree with this?
  Of course, it is a coalition government and therefore, it is a coalition economics and coalition budget, where an adjustment has to be made. There is a politics of ‘Give and Take.’ In other words, it is an act of recognition and thanks for the loyalty and friendship between Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar towards Narendra Modi. Here is one more thing that should be remembered: life is not a one-way traffic, you have to respond accordingly. So, when they have given support, you need to reciprocate in some way, go a little out of your way, and give them importance. Listen to them. Thus, you can say that this is not its price, but the ‘Give and Take’ politics is a fact. Work has been done in the budget as per life, there is nothing new. When someone supports you and stands with you in times of crisis or need, the priority you have for them is different from others, it is a little more. This is what has happened in this budget. Therefore, it should not be called a ‘support price,’ rather, it is a recognition of the support and loyalty shown by them, and it is a ‘return gift’ for that.

• How did Naidu and Nitish give up the demand for special status for their states? How did this miracle happen?
  It should be said that this is Narendra Modi’s charisma, Amit Shah’s strategy, and ‘Brand Modi.’ And the second thing is that Nitish Kumar and Naidu are intelligent people. They know what is the point of special status, after all, it is money. Now, they have got more than ‘special status.’ Just think, Rs 59,000 crore for Bihar, the map of Bihar will change. In the coming elections, everyone will take a dip in the Ganga. On the other hand, what has happened is, that Rs 15,000 crore has been given for building the capital in Andhra. This is another big project sanctioned. And the biggest thing is that Narendra Modi is away from Chandrababu Naidu. Someone had thought that before the elections, they could call Modi whenever they desired, talk to him, visit Delhi, and give their ‘wish- list’ to Narendra Modi. But see the miracle of time. Naidu came, stayed in Delhi for 2-3 days, gave his ‘wish-list’, and everything, more or less, was accepted by the Prime Minister, one reason for which was that Naidu talks logic.

• Do you think that after the Budget, Modi, Nitish, and Naidu have become partners for life?
  At least for the next five years, or until it suits Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, whichever comes first. Until then, the partnership is confirmed. However, given the current circumstances, it is likely to last longer; there are no indications of an imminent change. The most important thing to remember while moving forward is that Narendra Modi never lacks options. If someone tries to show his displeasure, the partnership can also break. Narendra Modi cannot be pressured into anything. I have heard that Naidu previously requested to be made the convenor of the NDA, similar to the UPA, but Modi did not agree. He also proposed that there should be a common minimum agenda, but Modi did not agree to that either. So, whatever work is being done is what Narendra Modi wants, and what Amit Shah wants, and it will continue in the same way in the future as well. Regarding the issue of companionship, it seems safe for the next five years. Politics is a game of possibilities, and nothing is permanent in politics. While horoscopes play a significant role, today’s horoscope suggests that the companionship will last for the next five years.

• Bihar has been allocated more Budget than Andhra Pradesh. In such a situation, how will Modi balance Chandrababu Naidu?
  The concept of balance doesn’t exist in Narendra Modi’s life. Similarly, words like agreement, negotiation, and compromise are not found in his dictionary. Whatever happens, happens on his terms and according to Amit Shah’s strategy. Therefore, there is no need for balance. He understands that he has been given more MPs than he previously had. Moreover, the agendas for Andhra and Bihar are different. The BJP has its own interests in Bihar, there is no need to balance anywhere. This extra amount given to Bihar is not a favour to Nitish Kumar, rather Narendra Modi has also favoured the BJP of Bihar because elections have to be fought and the hero of Bihar’s development for fighting the elections will be Narendra Modi, not Nitish Kumar. When Rs 58,000 crore is spent, the credit will go to Narendra Modi, not Nitish Kumar. This reflects a long-term strategy and long-term thinking.

• Some people say that Nitish and Naidu should thank Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. What does this mean?
  This means that if they had neither lost in Rajasthan nor in Uttar Pradesh and had not needed them, then probably both of them would have been smiling in their hearts. So it is true that there is a conspiracy of circumstances and both of them would be grateful for the circumstances that have come in their lives. It is also a matter of chance that they got such a good alliance wherein, Narendra Modi is there. For a moment, assume that the Indian Alliance had come and if they had any work to do, then for six months, they would not have had any meetings, the agenda would not have been prepared, budget is a different matter altogether. So they are lucky. And the BJP leadership had to make its own adjustments and they did that. But I think between the three - Narendra Modi, Nitish and Naidu, the people are more lucky than Narendra Modi and Amit Shah combined.

• So have Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan been punished for their poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections?
  Of course, this is what it looks like, this is the political message. The message is that you are not relevant now. You are not important, you are not indispensable to us, you are now sidelined and this is true. This is not the loss of BJP alone, this is the loss of Narendra Modi’s imagination. This is a blow to Narendra Modi’s selfconfidence and a reduction in his trust. But what can one do, the reality of life cannot be denied. And I believe that Narendra Modi would not have accepted this defeat mentally to date. At 2 o’clock in the night, when he would be walking on the long road of the Prime Minister’s residence after finishing his work, he would be thinking what happened and how it happened. And this pain in his mind, I think, will remain till 2029, if he does not hoist the flag of 300- 350. This is my belief.

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