Policy paralysis – UPA vs NDA
“Policy paralysis” of the preceding Dr Manmohan Singh led UPA government was one of the main planks of PM Modi’s election campaign in 2013-2014. The business community, middle classes, and poor, all were convinced that the UPA government suffers from a severe degree of inertia in policymaking and is therefore responsible for the poor growth of the Indian economy. It was alleged that large-scale and blatant corruption, nepotism (lack of meritocracy), and weak leadership are the primary reasons for the “policy paralysis” and poor execution. The campaign against the incumbent government was so effective that it swayed the big industrialists and SMEs which directly benefited from the government’s developmental efforts; the poor who benefited tremendously from the transformative social initiatives; and the middle classes who were protected from any potential collateral damage from the global financial crisis and events in its aftermath, against the government. In their disappointment wi...