UNBIASED Writings on India

Book excerpt: The second decade (2010-2019) of the new millennium was significant for India. Her rise in a multipolar world had its fitting moments. Powered by a rapidly expanding economy and a favorable demographic trend, India charted its own course to success with a few assertive steps for an optimistic future. Change was more glaring in India during this period when it came to politics. From several surprising debuts to quite a few shocking election wins, the last decade witnessed a massive change in the political situation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power with a thumping victory in 2014 and was re-elected for a second term in 2019 with an even bigger margin. The Congress, on the other hand, was reduced to nothing. Whether it was the revocation of Article 370 or the Ram Mandir verdict, the politico-religious landscape changed a lot in these ten years. These mutable dynamics with shifting of the political narrative from liberal to the right meant one thing: the government would be decisive in action and would not hesitate from taking radical steps if something was in the national interest. Imposing the GST, demonetization were the radical steps taken which had its share of miseries as well. This book is a throwback to those episodic events – economic, social, political, and developmental plus a sundry lot.