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Why Arun Shourie is only half right ...

First of all, I am a huge fan of Arun Shourie. His work as a journalist and as an author has shaped much of my 'right wing' thinking.

Having read much of Arun's work and having followed him at literature fests, I am not at all surprised  by Arun's interview. Arun represents the 'right of right' and is impatience reflects those on the extreme right of the political spectrum.

For those who follow Arun's work and the politics of the BJP, Arun's disappointment and criticism is solely directed at one person - Arun Jaitley.

It is a well known fact that Arun Shourie was supposed to take oath as the finance minister of India and Arun Jaitley as the defence minister.  Arun Shourie being Arun Shourie spoke to Rajdeep Sardeasai on the 'minimum govt, maximum governance' structure of the cabinet ahead of the swearing in and lost the confidence of the party parliamentary board. He was then dropped and Jaitley got both Finance & Defence.  Coming back to the interview ...

Where Arun Shourie got it right ...
  • Lack of 'intent & intensity' of the Finance Minister - The determination and drive visible in the other ministries of the Narendra Modi government is surprising lacking in the Finance Ministry.  While the Finance Ministry has stabilised the economy - growth is back, infection and deficit are under control, executed PM's Jan Dhan Yojana well, there is still no evidence of out of box creative thinking. Jaitley performance may be better than the Finance Ministers of the UPA regime but dulls in comparison to the other NDA ministries.
  • Narendra Modi's China policy is bang on, Pakistan policy needs a re-think, maybe its best to ignore Pakistan at the moment.
  • Land Acquisition Bill - While India needs the LARR 2015 Bill to create jobs, it would be best to leave the decision to the states. BJP ruled states will anyway follow the central policy and get investments... other states will have to follow or be left behind. Land is a state subject and controversial issues should be best left to the states.  
Where Arun Shourie got it wrong ....
  • Ghar Wapsi - One of the best books by Arun Shourie is 'Harvesting our Souls'. The book highlights how the Church is using conversion as a tool to undermine Indian interests.'Harvesting our Souls' is the bible for many people who are fighting against conversion by the Church. For Arun to now talk against Ghar Wapsi smacks of intellectual dishonesty. 
  • Impatience - The economy has been in the critical state since the last 3-4 years. Arun needs to be patient with the Finance Minister. Trying too many things in an un-stable economy is not the best strategy ...
  • Mocking the Spectrum/Coal Auctions - The spectrum and coal actions were an important step in policy making. It showed how natural resources can be monetised in a fair transparent manner. Its the biggest proof point of the 'anti corruption' drive of the government. Mocking it on a technicality that some payments will come over time is unbecoming of a senior leader.
  • Agressively growing the party - Arun suggested that the BJP should not try to setup a base or grow in stated like West Bengal as it needs the votes of the TMC. This is what the BJP followed from 2004 to 2009 resulting in a weak party which faced an eventual defeat. 
As the interview came to an end , I asked myself ... Is India better off than it was one year ago ? 

For me the answer is yes , if not anything the Narendra Modi government has inspired us to dream again .... 

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