One Take | Checkmate INDIA? Ram Mandir Done, BJP Reignites Development Debate With UPA White Paper

As the government prepares to present a white paper, comparing the 10 years of UPA with those of the NDA, contrary to perception and belief — especially of the Opposition — it will be development more than Ram Mandir which will be the basis of the BJP’s election strategy.

The point that the prime minister and BJP wanted to prove on faith and ‘Aastha’ has been done with the unveiling of the Ram Mandir and kick-starting work on building and developing other temples.

It’s clear that BJP wants a redux of the 2014 moment to make the point that the last 10 years have been the golden phase of India’s economic growth story.

In fact, the cue comes in from the fact that post the Ram Mandir inauguration, wherever PM Modi has travelled, emphasis has been on inaugurating development projects. This sends across the message that this government means business when it comes to improving and touching lives of the citizens.

After getting access to some points of the white paper, it’s clear that BJP plans to reach out to people through their state units to not just show how good this government has been for them but how bad the UPA years were.

The paper will present segment-wise pointers to make this out to show how every sectoral growth has been compromised under the Manmohan Singh government. There has been a fall in fiscal earnings, while subsidies on oil increased by about Rs 35,000 crore.

Even as the North vs South altercation plays out, with southern chief ministers accusing the government of step-motherly treatment, the white paper will also show how planned expenditure and outlays to states have reduced over the years, while under the NDA, capital expenditure had increased. Under NDA, basic infrastructural development has also taken place like more toilets, houses for poor and BPL, and women empowerment.

The paper will also throw light on how, under the Jawaharlal Nehru-Indira Gandhi legacy, borrowing increased and this put pressure on banks and the insurance sector, making India vulnerable to global pressure.

The white paper is being seen as a calculated and smart move to ensure that the BJP talks numbers and does not allow the Opposition to walk away with the narrative that there has been no growth under this government and BJP is using religion as a diversionary tactic to draw attention away from the real issues.

The INDIA front, which is planning to attack the government on this, may now be compelled to redraw its plan.