Well begun is half done

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started his innings very well. The swearing-in ceremony of his 45-member Council of Ministers is over. He has taken charge and is well aware that now it is time for action. His ministry bears his stamp, and no sign of any intereference in the formation of his Cabinet by the BJP’s doting parent Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) has been seen. By nature Prime Minister Narendra Modi never likes to be guided or dictated by anyone. He takes his own decision and once taken, he puts everything into it to implement successfully. So, it is none but PM Modi’s way in the formation of his government. The two most senior BJP leaders L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, who were the faces of the Vajpayee-led NDA government, had been deliberately sidelined for the time being on the ground of their being over-aged as RSS issued instruction that leaders above 80s would not be taken into government and they would work as mentor or guide of the party. On account of the seniority of these two leaders, it would be very difficult for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring them to account for the lapses in their ministries. Their exclusion of from any role in the government clearly shows that Prime Minister Modi has got free hand to run his government. It is also clear from the massive mandate that Modi got that no leader of the party can show tantrums to him nor any alliance partner can do any bargaining. Though this is the first day of Prime Minister Modi in his office, he is a man of action. So on the first day itself he will show his grit and decision making capacity in his first Cabinet meeting, which is scheduled to be held today at 5.30 PM. The economic condition is going from bad to worse and the inflation is unbridled. Prime Minister Modi knows it well. The people, who have given him massive mandate to alleviate their pain and sufferings caused by sky-rocketing price and unchecked corruption, have very high expectation of him. To confront with the problem of economic crisis like situation successfully must be the main task of the new government. The hope of the people from this government is very high and it is also correct to say they run out of patience very soon at least on the issue of price rise. So Prime Minister Narendra Modi must act withoult any delay to bring down the prices of essential commodities and food items so that the message could among the public that this is the government that acts. As far as the presensence of heads of governments of Saarc nations at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony at his invitation is concerned, it is noble attempt to improve relations with all neighbours in South Asia. It also shows the statesmanship of our new Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Every one knows that talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his visiting Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Shaif will give no result, but the start has to be made that Modi did successfully. By cutting the size of his Council of Ministers considerably in comparison to the previous government's huge and heavy one, PM Modi has given first signal that he is going to do in the same way as he promised to do while election campaignings. Minimum government and maximum governance was his slogan in the election campaigning. So, his Council of Ministers reflects it amply. It will not only cut down the expenditure of the government in this very tight position but also streamline its functioning.