New Delhi: Asserting that India needs a stable, strong and decisive government for the next decade, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Thursday said that populist measures hamper the country’s progress.
The NSA pointed out that that India is now on the threshold of a great journey and the country needs a decisive government while stressing that ‘weak coalitions will be bad’ for the country.
“Fragmented polity will make it impossible for India to realise its will because weak governments are unable to take hard decisions. For taking India ahead, it will be necessary to take hard decisions, which are good for the people but are not necessarily populist,” Mr Doval said.
Stating that weak coalitions will be bad for the country Mr Doval said “India will need a strong, stable and decisive government for the next 10 years, let there be no doubt about it, to achieve our national, political, economic and strategic objectives.”
Speaking at the Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture he also cited the example of Brazil that was doing well at the global level but political instability hampered its growth. “India cannot go for unstable coalitions. Till 2030, India needs a decisive government and decisive leadership,” he added.
“In the last 4 years the collective will of the nation has been aroused and the result is there for all to see. India has started realizing its strength and potential. History tells us that nations have failed not because they have failed to do the right thing but because they have done negative things,” he said.
Outlining his strategy for India’s strategic growth Mr Doval said “India cannot afford to be a soft power for the next few years because it will be compelled to take hard decisions.” “People’s representatives do not govern us. We are governed by the laws made by them, therefore the rule of law is extremely important for the country,” he added.
“India’s economy is one of the biggest economies in the world. The international community recognises India as one of the fastest growing economies,” the NSA said.
“The populist measures shouldn’t take precedence over national requirements. It is a temptation that you take a thing or you refrain from doing the thing which is in national interest. But probably for a short time they may cause some pain to the people,” Mr Doval added.
Drawing parallels from history he said that nations like Germany, Italy, Japan, and even our own neighbor had all made one mistake to take them down. He also put a word of caution that the biggest strength of a nation can turn out to be its biggest vulnerability.
So we need to guard our strengths like democracy, pluralism, demographic dividends etc. so that these do not turn out to be our weaknesses. He emphasised that we need strong government which can zealously guard and protect these and espouse rule of law.
Talking about what the country needs to become a major power in the world, Mr Doval said, “Our economy has to be big and competitive globally. It can only happen if we become technologically advanced. All defence hardware must be 100 per cent transfer of technology. ”
