The massive electoral mandate of the BJP stands in stark contrast to an almost broken and dysfunctional state that it inherits. Lawful governance structures stand dismantled, with bureaucratic behaviour conditioned by unquestioning allegiance to the governing party. Deep institutional decay, substitution of policy by patronage, a near collapse of administrative machinery, and social discourses manipulated to preserve a self-serving status-quo define a failing state decayed almost beyond repairs, at least in the short term. To revive it from the abyss of despair it has sunk into would be no easy task for any government, and people should not expect miracles.

The historic mandate has imposed a daunting responsibility to reverse this descent which will demand far more than mere resolve ~ it must revive a dysfunctional administration, restore the rule of law by neutralising entrenched criminalised political networks that have flourished under overt state protection, and rebuild institutional credibility from scratch. It must also revive investor confidence, fix a broken and intensely politicised educational eco-system and lay the foundations for economic renewal, modernise industry, agriculture, and infrastructure to generate employment.

It would be more than a Herculean task to achieve all these and a pragmatic policy for the government would be to identify and carefully plan its tasks in the short, medium and the long term to ultimately transform the state into an engine of growth and rejuvenation. It is important that the government must resist the temptation to dissipate its energies in ideological triumphalism or by confrontationist paralysis. Of course, those who have abused power and plundered the state during the last 15 years must face the full force of law, but governance should not be consumed by vindictiveness ~ it came with the promise of Badlao, not Badla.

A feasible roadmap could be short-term stabilisation, medium-term institutional and economic restructuring, and long-term civilizational and developmental transformation. In the short term, the government must restore law and order, stabilise finances, reduce corruption, and reassure citizens that governance will be impartial and accountable. In the medium term, it must undertake structural reforms in industry, agriculture, education, healthcare, and urban governance. Long term goals should be to restore Bengal’s civilisational and intellectual and economic vitality so that it can again earn the respect of India. Electoral legitimacy does not automatically confer moral legitimacy which comes only through fairness and transparency.

The immediate challenge would be to restore administrative neutrality and supremacy of law. Public confidence and trust have been eroded completely through the culture of........

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