When it comes to messaging big stuff, like the Citizen Amendment Act or the three farm laws or, right now, the Agnipath scheme, the government seems to have not done its homework diligently enough
A mob set ablaze a train at Lakhisarai Junction in Bihar on 17 June, 2022. ANI
Why is the Narendra Modi government so poor in the communication of its policy intents and impacts? It is quite amazing, really, given that Modi is one of the most effective communicators that post-Independence India has known, with his masterful felicity with similes, metaphors, play on words and an unending supply of easy acronyms.
But when it comes to messaging big stuff, like the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) or the three farm laws or, right now, the Agnipath scheme, the government seems to have not done its homework diligently enough. Explain what you are doing. And build it up. But, no, we do not see any of that.
By now, the Modi government should know that the Opposition political parties will protest against any big policy announcement, and they have decided that street violence is the only way to do it. India has always had an undercurrent of free-floating anger — just rage against the sarkar, even if you have no clue about the issue you have been told to rage about — but now it has reached the status of being a feature, not a bug.
Before we come to Agnipath, consider the CAA and the farm laws. People sit on a well-paid and well-fed dharna for some months, causing enormous inconvenience and loss of income to common citizens. The government then surrenders. The farm laws are withdrawn, possibly in the hope that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will now do well in the Punjab Assembly elections. Of course, it did not. And this, when a Supreme Court-appointed expert panel found that nearly 86 per cent of Indian farmers supported the new farm laws.
Here’s a simple suggestion. Suppose CAA was called Refugee Rights Act? Could that have changed how things turned out? As Elon Musk could have told us, this is not rocket science.
The CAA had nothing at all to threaten Indian Muslim citizens, but it is very unlikely that it will ever be put into effect. The government had no answer to a few hundred rabble-rousers who used social media and protested — in assured comfort. These protesters — whether on the Delhi border for the farm laws or at Shaheen Bagh for CAA — were very well looked after. If I had the time and inclination, I would have joined them for the free food and drinks.
Let’s come to Agnipath. People are blocking highways and rail tracks and burning trains. Yet, there are enough TV interviews that indicate that the protesters do not have a clue what exactly they are protesting about. Now let’s check what exactly Agnipath is.
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This has been coming for a long time. The Government of India set up a review committee in 1999, a few days after the Kargil war with Pakistan ended. The aim was to “examine the sequence of events and make recommendations for the future”. The report made far-reaching recommendations, and perhaps the most important was that the average age of the Indian Army should be brought down — we need younger and fitter men.
The panel advised reducing the current 17 years of service to 7-10 years. Officers and men relieved from the army should then have an option to join the para-military forces. Bottomline: We have a big problem staring us in the face and we need to tackle that on an emergency basis. About 54 per cent of India’s defence budget is spent on salaries and pensions. This is a state of affairs that cannot be sustained. We need much higher capital and long-term investment. Agnipath addresses this issue in an innovative manner.
A young man who is sitting for his higher secondary board exams gets into the army and gets a salary, free board and lodging, excellent training in various fields, is assured of a graduate degree and at least Rs 11 lakh and his saved salary money even if, four years down the line, he does not make the cut. I have worked all my life in the Indian private sector, and I have seen dozens of ex-defence forces people — both men and women — who are prized in human resources, administration and project management departments. I have close friends and relatives who have worked in the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, who have had flourishing careers once they chose to leave.
In fact, I cannot think of anyone who has failed.
But let’s drill down to the basics. The government is paying you and training you for four years — four years! — and then giving you money if you flunk. What can be better than that? I will not even talk of big national issues like skill development. The Indian defence force recruitment is not an employment guarantee scheme. It never has been and it should not ever be.
Yet, we have street protests and damage to public property. One, these same men will come and apply to get training under the Agnipath scheme. There should be stringent video analysis that makes sure that not a single one of them is hired. They should be blacklisted for defence jobs for life. People who burn trans will not be allowed to defend our country.
Two, the government should really think why it cannot communicate simple benefits. That requires deep thought.
The writer is a former editor of ‘Financial Express’, and founder-editor of ‘Open’ and ‘Swarajya’ magazines. Views expressed are personal.
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