Prime Minister Narendra Modi has coined a new slogan to give impetus to his ambitious plan for a developed India by 2047: “We will do it”.
To mark the occasion, he dwelt on the past, summarised the present, and came up with a catch phrase for the future. In its first tenure, the Modi government set itself the task of weeding out outdated laws, meeting deadlines for infrastructure development, and ushering in economic and social reforms. He even relied on slogans and catchphrases to introduce and implement policy decisions. Difficult political decisions that led to disagreements and disruptions in Parliament and sharpened the divisions between the political class were also padded with slogans.
On Wednesday, he completed 25 years in public service and as head of government, first as the chief minister of Gujarat and since 2014, as the premier of India.
After he was named as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s prime ministerial candidate in 2013, his political journey from the state to the national capital was pivoted on the catchy “Abki baar Modi sarkar” (this time, a Modi government) and the hope-inducing “Acche din aane wale hain” (good days are coming) slogans. Modi then came up with the slogan of “Sabka saath, sabka vikas” (together with all, development for all), which sought to instill a sense of confidence that the government would be egalitarian and non-discriminatory. He added “vishwas” (trust) to the slogan when he returned to power for his second term in office in 2019, winning with a bigger margin and number. For this, it chose the slogan of “Minimum government, maximum governance”. Take for instance, the “Swachh Bharat abhiyan”, to drive home the need for cleanliness and sanitation or the “Make in India” tagline for giving impetus to indigenous manufacturing. To check the country’s gender imbalance and prevent female foeticide, the PM came up with the “Beti bachao, beti padhao” (Save the daughter, educate the daughter) campaign. A case in point being the proposal to synchronise Lok Sabha and assembly elections, popularly known as “One Nation, One Election”.
