A Month In Office....

Narendra Modi declared that he was firmly in control of his government despite having spent just a month in office, but noted that he has failed to convince a “select group“ of people “both within and outside the government system“ about his commitment to bring about a positive change. Blogging his experience of the first month in high office, the PM wrote: “When we took over a month ago, I kept thinking that I am new to this place and some people believed that I would take at least a year or even two to learn the intricacies of the working of the Central Government. Fortunately , a month later that thought does not exist any longer in my mind. My confidence and determination has increased tremendously“.
Modi noted he was not given the allowance that new regimes have traditionally enjoyed, but acknowledged this was because of the failure to impress upon the “select group“ his sincere intent to bring in positive change. Every new Government has some thing that friends in the media like to call a `honeymoon period'. Previous governments had the luxury of extending this `honeymoon period' up to a hundred days and even beyond. Not unexpectedly I don't have any such luxury .
Forget hundred days, the series of allegations began in less than a hundred hours. I feel there are areas where we surely need to improve.“
However, Narendra Modi seemed to acknowledge that the application of a different yardstick in his case could also be because of a communication failure.
“There have been some instances in the last month with which our government had nothing to do, yet these controversies have persisted. I do not blame anybody . But I surely feel that we need to strengthen systems whereby the right things are communicated to the right people at the right time. Hopefully , things will change then,“ he wrote.
Though the PM did not elaborate on the instances, there is a sense of hurt in the government over the accusation that it tried to impose Hindi. Sources in the government have pointed out that the circular that sparked the allegation was a mere reiteration of an order issued by the UPA government in March, and was simply meant to stress that in Hindi speaking states, Hindi should be the preferred medium for official communication through social media.
Government leaders have also emphasized that the hike in rail fares marked an implementation of the decision taken by the UPA in February, and regretted what they call the inadequate appreciation of “economic mess“ they inherited from the UPA.
However, the blog was marked by an upbeat tone. “But when one is working with the sole aim of serving the nation determinately , these things do not matter. That is why I keep working and that is most satisfying“, Modi wrote, as he complained about the use of different standards to judge him. He continued: “The support and affection of the people has has been overwhelming and inspires us to work even harder.
Every decision we took has been guided solely by national interest“.
Indeed, Modi started by saying that he has been off to a good pace. “Sixty-seven years of previous governments is nothing compared to 1 month, but I do want to say that in the last month, our entire team has devoted every single moment for the welfare of the people. Every decision we took has been guided solely by national interest.“
He also dwelt upon the coincidence of the completion of one month of his government and the anniversary of Emergency: a defining experience for him.“26th of June is an important date for me. It marks the completion of one month of our journey to fulfil the aspirations of the people. This day is also another landmark day , when in 1975 I witnessed an important phase that taught me the significance of a vibrant democracy . 26th June was the day when the Emergency started, having been imposed an evening earlier,“ wrote Modi.