100 days of Modi 3.0 vs Modi 2.0: Why C is for contrast

The C stands for contrast between the first 100 days of Modi 2.0 to the first 100 days of Modi 3.0. If there were big-bang reforms in the first 100 days of Modi 2.0, the first 100 days of Modi 3.0 are marked by big announcements and compromises.
Though hobbled by numbers, the BJP-led NDA government hasn’t dithered from taking big decisions. The government has brought all citizens 70 and above under Ayushman Bharat medical insurance cover, introduced the United Pension Scheme and brought the Waqf Bill.
However, as the Modi government, in its third term, marks the first 100 days on Tuesday, the contrast with its second term is glaring.
If it passes a law banning triple talaq in 2019, it will have to send the Waqf Bill in 2024 to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). If Modi 2.0 abrogated Article 370, Modi 3.0 had to eat humble pie on lateral entry of professionals into the bureaucracy.
That is what a difference of 63 Lok Sabha seats can result in.
In 2019, the BJP returned to power with 303 seats, and Narendra Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister on May 31. The government marked its 100 days on September 7, 2019, with much fanfare.
TRIPLE TALAQ: Within 60 days of returning to power, the BJP got a law banning the practice of triple talaq. The law, which declared triple talaq as illegal and made it a punishable act, was notified on July 3, 2019.
ARTICLE 370: On August 5, the Modi government abrogated Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir and was considered an impediment in the integration of Kashmiris. This was one of the ideological promises of the BJP.
UAPA ANTI-TEROR LAW: Just three days later, on August 8, the Modi 2.0 government notified a stringent anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2019. The amended law allows the central government to designate individuals as terrorists without following a formal judicial process. This earlier law of 1967, only allowed organisations to be declared terrorists.
MERGER OF BANKS: On August 30, the government announced the merger of 10 public sector banks (PSBs) into four. That was a big reform step to help PSBs cut bad loans and manage capital more efficiently.
While Modi created history in 2024 by getting elected for a third term, the BJP, with 240 seats, was way short of the 272 majority mark. The government, which is now dependent on its NDA partners, is marking the first 100 days on a low-key note.
Modi 2.0 also had big-bang reforms to show in its first 100 days, while Modi 3.0 has a mixed bag. It has made big announcements, but at times had to make climbdowns in the same period.
WAQF BILL: The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, which will give the government a big say in regulating Islamic waqf properties, was tabled on August 8. It was the first major legislation introduced by the Modi 3.0 government and saw massive protests by opposition parties and Muslim organisations. Seeing the protests, the government referred the Waqf Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
LATERAL ENTRY, COLLATERAL DAMAGE: Days after the Union Public Service Commission released an advertisement to fill 45 positions in central ministries with professionals from the private sector, protests by opposition parties and some NDA partners made the government scrap the invite. The U-turn was made on August 20 after controversy that the recruitment scheme didn’t have caste-based reservation.
UNIFIED PENSION SCHEME: After being on the back foot over the New Pension Scheme (NPS), the government on August 24 announced a Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) for government employees. The UPS provides for an assured income, which was missing in the NPS, which the Congress campaigned against.
AYUSHMAN BHARAT FOR ALL OVER 70: In one of its biggest welfare decisions, the Modi 3.0 on September 11 approved a Rs 5 lakh free medical insurance benefit for citizens aged 70 and above under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). It will need no premium to be paid and provide cover irrespective of income.
FOCUS ON INFRA: Infrastructure projects worth Rs 3 Lakh crore have been approved in the first 100 days of Modi 3.0. Highlights include eight high-speed road corridors spanning 900 kilometers, the ₹76,200 crore Wadhavan Mega Port in Maharashtra, set to be one of the world’s top 10 ports, and the foundation of the Shinkhun-La Tunnel, which will link Ladakh with Himachal Pradesh.
CLIMBDOWNS ON INDEXATION, BROADCAST BILL: The government was forced to withdraw the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill on August 12. The Bill, — criticised for potential overreach, censorship, privacy concerns, was kept aside for consultations. The government also had to restore indexation benefits on sale of property purchased before the Budget after its move to scrap it faced massive backlash.
Though the BJP knows that its hands are tied as it has to depend on NDA partners to get key legislation passed, PM Modi has, however, shown its resolve for reforms. Sources have said that the government planned a bill on one nation, one election in its current term. The government was also on course to get the decadal Census, delayed due to Covid, conducted, and was said to be open to getting caste information during the exercise.
Though c might be for contrast in the number of big-bang reforms between Modi 2.0 and Modi 3.0 in the first 100 days, the c also stands for compromise, which is needed in politics. Because politics is all about taking a step back to move two steps forward and sometimes to do the reverse as well.