It is not difficult to understand the rationale behind Dr Shashi Tharoor’s verdict in “Modi’s first year in office leaves India disappointed” (May 21), that the Bharatiya Janata Party government has underachieved.
He is a member of the opposition party that had ruled India for more than 50 years. His party sees a risk of becoming insignificant in national politics if Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promises are fulfilled in five years.
But an important takeaway from his commentary is the level of impatience some intellectuals and netizens have shown in their expectations of a year-old government.
It seems some people want results as soon as possible, whether from a country’s new Prime Minister or a company’s new chief executive officer.
Building a nation of India’s size takes time. We should give Mr Modi a few years, if not a decade, before giving our verdicts. Even a Google search gives a concrete list of his achievements in office so far. But the writer fails to acknowledge any of them.
He is not the only one. He represents a critical mass of people who look for instant results. They become sceptical of things around them in no time, which is an obstacle to building a nation that needs support and reasonable patience from its citizens.
Media plays an important role in influencing our views. Generally, Indian media is known for highlighting more negative news than positive ones. It must change now and can learn something from Singaporean media companies. Indian media needs to help build better citizens and a better nation.
