The NDA Government, 2014-19

At a Glance

• 2014 result BJP 282 seats; Congress 44
• NITI Aayog Announced 1 January 2015
• Demonetisation 8 November 2016
• 2019 result NDA 353 seats; BJP 303; Congress 52
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: India After Nehru

Where Does It Fit?

This is the twelfth and last topic of the category on India after Nehru. The previous topic covered the UPA years. This topic covers the NDA government of 2014 to 2019. The next category is the quick reference for revision, beginning with the Governors-General and Viceroys. Previous topic: The UPA Years, 2004-14.

How Did the 2014 Election Go?

The 2014 election was fought in many ways as a presidential contest. The Congress fielded Rahul Gandhi, who had been vice-president of the party since January 2013, and Manmohan Singh declined to be Prime Minister again. The BJP chose Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, as its prime ministerial candidate, made development its main plank, used social media extensively, and fought as part of the NDA with regional allies, with the RSS cadre helping. In April-May 2014 the BJP won 282 seats, a majority on its own, and the Congress 44, its worst result. The BJP’s vote share rose from about 19 per cent to about 31 per cent. The exceptions to its success were West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The background is in The UPA Years, 2004-14.

The NDA formed the government on 26 May 2014. President Pranab Mukherjee administered the oath to Modi and others in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, and for the first time all SAARC heads were invited and attended. A single party had a full majority after a long gap. The government declared the aim of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, with less government and more governance and cooperative federalism.

What Were the Main Institutional and Economic Steps?

The older planning model is in Planning for Economic Development and Progress in Science and Technology, and the earlier liberalisation is in The Narasimha Rao Years: Economic Reform and Panchayati Raj. As an analytical point, the period combined programmes that built on earlier ideas, such as Aadhaar and GST, with new steps, such as demonetisation and the Insolvency Code, and the common theme was formal-sector digital and tax systems, while jobs and farm distress remained the weak points that remained.

What Security Events Marked the Term?

The Maoist threat was reduced in many regions after a National Policy and Action Plan of 2015, but attacks continued in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, including the Gadchiroli blast of May 2019. In Jammu and Kashmir the PDP emerged as the largest party in the elections of November-December 2014, and in March 2015 it formed a coalition with the BJP, with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as Chief Minister; after his death in January 2016 Mehbooba Mufti became Chief Minister in April 2016, the first woman to hold the post. Protests followed the killing of the Hizbul commander Burhan Wani in July 2016, with curfew, stone throwing and the use of pellet guns. The coalition ended in June 2018 when the BJP withdrew over the Ramzan ceasefire, and the state came under Governor’s rule. The earlier phases are in The Rajiv Gandhi Years, 1984-89 and V.P. Singh, Mandal Commission and the Chandra Shekhar Government.

Airspace was closed by both sides and Pakistan’s airspace reopened in July 2019.

How Did Foreign Policy Develop?

Foreign policy did not shift drastically but changed subtly. Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale observed that India had moved on from its non-aligned past and was aligned on issues. Sushma Swaraj was the first woman to hold independent charge of external affairs. A neighbourhood approach improved relations with Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and in 2015 Parliament ratified a land boundary exchange with Bangladesh. In 2017 India and China were in a stand-off at Doklam, a plateau near the junction of India, Bhutan and China, close to the Siliguri Corridor, when Indian troops objected at the request of Bhutan to Chinese road building; India also had reservations about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor under the Belt and Road Initiative. The earlier relations are in Panchsheel agreement 1954 Asylum Dalai Lama…">India and China, 1947-62 and India and Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

With the United States, Modi invited President Obama, and the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement was signed in 2016 and COMCASA in 2018; India joined the quadrilateral with the US, Japan and Australia. The Look East policy became Act East. India was invited to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation for the first time, reached out to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, joined the Missile Technology Control Regime in 2016, the Wassenaar Arrangement in 2017 and the Australia Group, while its bid for the Nuclear Suppliers Group was blocked by China, and it co-founded the International Solar Alliance with France. The earlier look-east policy is in The Narasimha Rao Years: Economic Reform and Panchayati Raj.

What Did the Courts and Society Show?

The Supreme Court upheld the right to privacy in August 2017, and in 2018 it decriminalised homosexual conduct under Article 377, overturning its stance of 2013. In the Sabarimala case it allowed women of all ages to enter the temple, which led to protests in Kerala, and it held the practice of triple talaq invalid, after which the government used an ordinance. The Court directed the government to act against lynching and gave guidelines, in response to attacks on individuals over alleged cow slaughter and other charges, which spread through social media, and violence against women continued despite stricter laws; the government introduced the death penalty for rape of girls below 12 and fast-tracked cases under the POCSO Act. Large communal riots were few in these years, while the activities of right-wing organisations increased and caused concern, and that the question of job creation was not met, with unemployment high and the Make in India aim of manufacturing jobs unmet. The earlier social reforms are in Social Developments and Education Under Nehru.

What Was the Result of the 2019 Election?

The 17th Lok Sabha was elected in seven phases in April-May 2019, with counting on 23 May. The NDA won 353 seats, the BJP alone 303, a majority on its own, and the BJP made inroads in West Bengal. The Congress won 52 seats and its UPA allies 33. The largest number of women candidates stood and the largest number won. It was the first time a non-Congress government that had completed a full term returned with a majority for a second consecutive term, and Modi was the first BJP leader to be elected a second time after a full term, a feat before him only of Nehru and Indira Gandhi among Prime Ministers elected with a majority. He took the oath on 30 May 2019, with S. Jaishankar as foreign minister and Amit Shah as home minister, and added Sabka Vishwas to the slogan. Factors given for the win were the BJP cadre and organisation under Amit Shah, the lack of a common alternative leader among the opposition, the welfare schemes and the campaign.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Economic reforms GST, IBC and demonetisation are frequent GS Paper 3 themes
• Security and foreign events Dates of Uri, Pulwama, Balakot and Doklam
• Election results Seat figures are standard facts

What Came Next?

The next category is the quick reference for revision, beginning with the Governors-General and Viceroys of India. Next topic: Governors-General and Viceroys of India: Significant Events in Their Rule.

Key People and Terms

• NITI Aayog Body that replaced the Planning Commission
• JAM Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile
• GST Council Body of central and state finance ministers
• IBC Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016
• Doklam 2017 India-China stand-off
• Balakot Air strike of 26 February 2019

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions ask about the economic reforms and their effects. These points add depth.

• Institutions NITI Aayog and GST Council
• Reforms IBC, GST, demonetisation
• Security Cross-border responses