BJP leader Narendra Modi (L) gestures to supporters as he sits with his mother Heeraben Modi
on her front porch after seeking her blessing on May 16, 2014 in Ahmedabad, India.

The costliest poll campaign in history is over. The BJP and NDA have won a comfortable majority. BJP leaders predicted the formation of a stable and purposeful government. In the year 2012 America conducted the most expensive election in its history. Candidates and parties spent around USD seven billion of which the Obama team and the Romney team accounted for two billion. In India’s recent election if one adds the unaccounted money spent the projected expenditure could exceed USD seven billion. The expenditure as well as the use of technology deployed in Mr. Narendra Modi’s personal campaign exceeded that of his American counterparts. This indicates how significant this election was in the eyes of the global community. The source of funding of all main parties may remain obscure. But the intervention during elections by foreign powers in the process was unprecedented and glaring. Never before had delegates from 45 nations openly endorsed a prime ministerial candidate as they did Mr. Narendra Modi. Never before had the President of a nation sought a meeting with an aspirant in the midst of the campaign as did the German President with Mr. Arvind Kejriwal. After global economy, get ready to welcome global politics. The trend is irreversible.

Media reports describe how foreign governments keenly watched the Indian poll and expressed hopes that Mr. Modi’s ascent to power would change India’s economy to make it a sorely needed investment destination for global capital. That explains the enormous aid extended to him through NRI conduits settled abroad. That is not to suggest that Mr. Modi’s success owes only to them or that foreign influence will necessarily be malevolent. Mr. Modi displayed phenomenal energy and put it to the best use of what he was capable. But these realities need to be recognized to assess prospects of the future. As of now poll results suggest the following changes that could alter the nature of politics and India’s destiny.

• First, the Congress is dead. I had earlier described Mr. Modi’s call for a Congress-Mukt Bharat meaningless. It was limited to the defeat of the UPA. The political role of the Indian National Congress should have been long over. Mahatma Gandhi had demanded this on his last day. The past must be reappraised and the role of the freedom struggle icons demystified to recognize their human errors. Only by recognizing the past might we formulate the present in order to chart the future. For the current Congress leaders, many of whom are talented, to remain politically active they must reinvent their party. Trends suggest the creation of an Indian Federal Congress as one possible option.

• Secondly, the role of the RSS will have to change. Mr. Modi’s agenda scripted by his global mentors is not compatible with declared RSS goals. The demands for a Uniform Civil Code, Article 370 in Kashmir and the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya are not primary issues on Mr. Modi’s plate. These would have to be resolved by the RSS itself through discussion with different stake holders. With RSS leaders like Mr. MM Vaidya offering a reasonable approach, success seems achievable. Mr. Mohan Bhagwat would have to alter the views of many of his members about Hindutva if the RSS is to play a relevant social role. The Supreme Court ruled that Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life. It is a way of life in which all communities participate and to which all communities have made some contribution. Therefore the Sangh Parivar will have to focus on promoting all Hindustanis and not just Hindus. This would go a long way to help Mr. Modi’s government forge new ties with Pakistan and Bangladesh and reclaim the cultural nationalism of ancient Hindustan in the avatar of a South Asian Union.
  
  More difficult to address will be the goals of the RSS backed Swadeshi Jagran Manch which are at odds with the economic agenda favoured by Mr. Modi and his global big business supporters. Both agendas may have their plus and minus features. The core concerns of both agendas would have to be addressed through give and take and through fusion of respective policies. It is a daunting task but achievable. Mr. Modi would need to resist big business pressures for quick and easy growth in place of slower growth that has more long term benefits.

• Thirdly, a big challenge facing the new government would be the need to defeat terrorism and stabilize relations with immediate neighboring countries. Global business interests would opt for economic growth that might even compromise India’s strategic and security interests. The new government would have to guard against that. The government must learn to chart its own course in foreign policy and influence the emerging world order by offering its own inputs. There is enormous potential for a great Indian role in shaping a new world order provided the government has the vision to think out of the box and the will to act. There is a huge new generation of young Indians with access to information as never before. It seeks change. It is willing to dare. It is for the political leadership to respond.

• Finally, India suffers not just from poor leadership but from a flawed political system. No leader under the prevalent system can deliver desired governance. India needs systemic reform. The government would need to revisit our original un-amended Constitution and reinterpret its provisions in the light of all the distortions that were allowed to creep in. Many spurious amendments would need scrapping. Many neglected Articles and Directive Principles of the Constitution would have to be vigorously implemented in order to introduce real democracy. All other aspects of policy become relevant only after a fit instrument for governance has been established.

The new government would have to accomplish all this. Much will depend on how Mr. Modi performs. He has indicated that he seeks reconciliation with political rivals and a new national consensus to achieve his goals. In 1977 India had opportunity to usher a democratic revolution. That opportunity was missed. 2014 offers another opportunity. Will Mr. Modi seize it?

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