‘New government in every 5 years’ has become a trend in modern Rajasthan. Since the demise of veteran leaders like Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (from BJP) and Mohan Lal Sukhadia (from Congress), the population of Rajasthan has made it a habit to rotate terms between two big political parties in Rajasthan that is BJP and Congress. Considering that Rajasthan is the biggest state of India, we need to put an end to this practice.
It’s a known-fact that Rajasthan harbours 12 climatic zones, 36 social communities and convoluted socio-economic and political structure, which makes it difficult for any government to set long-term policies for social, economic and agricultural development.
Things become exceedingly difficult when the succeeding government discontinues a visionary policy, Bhamashah being a current example. It proved as a blessing in disguise post demonetisation, with the current government attempting to add free medical treatment, accidental insurance, scholarships, loan, cashless transaction and other facilities to the Bhamashah card. However, the policy couldn’t produce as effective results, as predicted since it was discontinued in between.
If we check Rajasthan’s political timeline, Sukhadia and Shekhawat were the only two chief ministers with long tenures in office. Shekhawat ruled for 1017 and 1821 days in succession whereas, Sukhadia was incumbent for 4503 (nearly a decade). It clearly denotes the kind of support, honour and affection that the two leaders enjoyed in state. Not to mention, under their tenure Rajasthan made considerable progress in social, agricultural, educational sectors and foreign policies.
How has Permanent Governance Proven Beneficial for Rajasthan in Past?
Shekhawat enjoyed permanent and successful tenure in Rajasthan in the late 1990s. His Antyoday Yojna, which earned him the title of ‘Rockefeller of India’ by World Bank chairman Robert McNamara was a social success. The Antyoday scheme uplifted the condition of social and economically backward classes in Rajasthan. Moreover, his involvement in Rajasthan politics gave a kick-start to literacy rates, industrialization and tourism industry, with particular focus on villages, historical heritage and wildlife of Rajasthan.
Likewise, Sukhadia, who ruled for nearly two decades was successful in abolishing the zamindari system and reforming labour laws, fundamental rights to owning property and a uniform system of revenue administration. During Sukhadia’s tenure, ignorance and diseases plagued Rajasthan. But his policies brought about a dramatic reversal of conditions in health and education sectors, despite facing a shaky budgetary condition. Consequently, the state outlays in these sectors were significantly higher than other north Indian states in 1960s.
How is Rajasthan Faring Compared to Other States with Repetitive Governments?
- Pawan Kumar Chamling was perhaps the longest ruling CM of an independent Indian state. He was in office from 1994 (five successive terms). Under his rule, Sikkim has achieved some major landmarks, such as 100% sanitation, first organic mission, significant increase in GDP, 40% reservation for women, better tourism economy and free annual health checkups.
- Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the CM of Madhya Pradesh, was elected for three times in a row. His tenure saw a whooping growth of 24% in agriculture, state-owned VC fund for entrepreneurship, time bound delivery of services act, reformatory schemes for tourism, manufacturing and social security. The apex court praised him for his e-governance and successful investigation of recruitment frauds.
- Narendra Modi, the most talked prime minister of India was once the CM of Gujarat for nearly a decade. Aside from the Godhra incident of 2002, his rule saw unparallel development of Gujarat in terms of infrastructure, ground water level reclamation, dam construction, industrialization and distribution of resources to various classes.
- Late J. Jayalalithaa, fondly known as Amma was the most successful chief minister of Tamil Nadu. She was known for her heavily subsidized schemes that were beneficial for the poor. During her 15-year rule, she introduced some visionary schemes that ensured all-round development of the state. Perhaps this is why she was known as the ‘People’s chief minister’.
In present-day scenario, a lot needs to be done in Rajasthan, in terms of employment, industrialization, novel agriculture methods. Besides, schemes like Jal Swavlamban, GRAM and Resurgent require constant vigilance and government support. To ensure proper implementation of long-term policies, stability of funds and concrete results, Rajasthan needs to elect a permanent government that could deliver long-term results.
