Just about a decade ago, India was a golden bird. The bird which never rested, the bird which was the world’s envy, the bird which would soon transform into the Eagle and dominate the world.

A decade later, we are the world’s misery. It seems like all the world’s problems find their home in India! From poverty to unemployment- you name it and we have it! And in these 10 years, just one thing has changed- The Government- and that has made all the difference.

The UPA has ruined India’s growth story. We started this decade with the slogan, ‘India Shining’ and we ended it with ‘India Whining’. Corruption, inflation, poverty and unemployment has plagued India and we are in the worst possible situation. From elections to economy and environment, every rule in the book called Constitution needs severe reforms. We once dominated the asian zone and the developing countries bloc. Today, our own “BRICS” are out of place.

Agriculture:

The UPA Government has failed India’s base industry, Agriculture. From the Green Revolution Status, the Agriculture sector has gone into the Need Revolution status. Irrigation services still remain a far fledged dream for most Indian farmers and most of our machines haven’t changed since 1947 (neither our government for most of the 66 years). As of 2013, the suicide rates amongst farmers are 47% higher than amongst the rest of the population. A farmer in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra 60% of the times will end his life by committing suicide. The agricultural sector is experiencing negative growth and has declined by 1.4%. These statistics are alarming for a country like India. And this comes during the UPA rule, which has campaigned since the 1980s with the slogan “Garibi Hatao ” (remove poverty) and has constantly appeased the farmers with their “free schemes”.

Industries: 

The roaring welcome given to Narendra Modi by India Inc. says a lot about the mood of the businessmen and entrepreneurs in India, they need change and certainly not from the Congress. In it’s bid to appease the farmers, the UPA has ruined India’s industries. The license raj has been replaced by red-tapism and the ease of doing business in India is as good as having peace between US and North Korea. Had it not been for the Tatas, the Birlas and the Ambanis, India would have probably been another nation in recession. The Land Acquisition Bill and other “land-mark” judgements have made it extremely difficult for entrepreneurs to acquire even a piece of land. In the Congress’ bid to make India Sonia ki chidiya, corruption has plagued India and our country sits just one step above Junk in the books of all rating agencies. Coal allocation has been halted by the Supreme Court after the Coalgate Scam and the ridiculous taxation policy of the government has crippled even the biggest players in India. 80% of the projects still need clearances and there is hardly any government support for Indian industries. Manmohan Singh, the man who shaped the 1991 reforms has put the country in a situation worse than that of 1991. We don’t even have any Gold to pledge now!

Foreign Policy: 

We were once the dominant Asian power! Our influence in the Asian Zone was unmatched. Today, we are not even in a situation to protect our own borders from China, Pakistan and even Bhutan! Salman Khurshid’s rant about diplomacy has crippled India’s influence. Our stealth military power has been gunned down by consistent corruption. From the helicopters to the submarines, nearly everything is falling apart. Relations with Sri Lanka, China and Pakistan have deteriorated to extremes. Anyone comes and kills our fishermen in our own backwaters and we are hapless. The US and Russia have played us down as an Asian power. China’s impressive growth story has impressed the world while India is still whining. Even countries like Nigeria blackmail India and the Biryani diplomacy with Pakistan has exhausted every common Indian’s patience. Due to the UPA’s needs of internal survival, the UPA has compromised on our external influence.

Middle Class and Youth:

The middle class and the youth are the most frustrated Indians. They bear the brunt of the taxes. I can literally imagine Manmohan Singh saying, “Tax bharke tumhe kya mila? Babji ka Thullu?”. The middle class Indian wonders whether the UPA is more dangerous or a Pakistani terrorist! His economic interests, hardwork, basic needs have been shattered by the UPA. Even two meals a day is a burden for this middle class man. Food inflation has hit a whooping 97% and buying a house in a city is close to impossible. Right from Education to Security, the government has failed his Indian at every level. Every now and then, a social crusader tries to unite all the middle class Indians for a protest, but this Indian just wants to work hard so he can meet his basic daily needs.

The Indian is yearning for change. He wonders where is the golden bird, where is the booming economy. He needs change. He is humming just one small prayer “NaMo Harihantaram”.

Thank you for reading.