Write Mind | Empowering, Not Redistributing: PM Modi in Favour of Life, Liberty and Property

PM Modi rejects the concept of ‘mai-baap sarkar’. His approach centres on empowering every section of society cohesively and putting them in charge of their destiny. During his 2014 Lok Sabha campaign, he expressed his belief in ‘minimum government, maximum governance’

Amongst the myriad topics that remained current in the discussions and discourse during the 2024 poll season, a prominent one was the ‘wealth redistribution’ promise made by the Congress in its manifesto and the nefarious expounding by its de facto leader, Rahul Gandhi. Such promises are neither new nor surprising from the Congress camp. After all, this is a party that has successfully navigated through numerous elections since the 1970s, riding on slogans such as ‘Gareebi Hatao’.

From the very first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to his daughter Indira Gandhi and all those who came after them in the tradition of Congress, such populist slogans of eradicating poverty remained a staple of their campaign narratives. Although how much of it is actually translated into action may be a matter of debate. Despite all the pomp and circumstance, the Congress’s 2014 defeat left over 21 per cent of the country impoverished.

This time, however, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unusual yet bold reaction to the entire “redistribution debate" was significant. In a country like India, which until very recently was perceived as being socialist-leaning and where a large population could be described as being ‘economically backward’, the prime minister’s reaction was unexpected, if not astonishing.

A person such as the Prime Minister of India is unlikely to firmly oppose a populist idea like that proposed by the Congress, which aims to reduce the wealth gap between the rich and the poor. That too, amidst the peak of the election........

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