Indian media: Modi's 100 days in power

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-29026072

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Media in India are analysing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's performance as he nears 100 days in power.

Mr Modi took oath as prime minister on 26 May after his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the general elections, defeating the Congress party.

In a fierce political campaign, Mr Modi had promised "achche din" or "good days" if he were to come to power.

As the government completes 100 days, newspapers are discussing if the "good days" have really arrived in India.

"Has Narendra Modi's campaign promise of "achche din aane waale hain" (Good days are about to come) been realised?" The Times of India asks.

According to a survey conducted by the paper, the verdict has been "mixed but on the whole positive".

In a poll conducted across eight big cities, "45% said the government had delivered as promised, 31% felt it was too early to judge and a relatively small 20%…expressed the view that the promise was overrated or empty".

Newspapers are also discussing if Mr Modi has managed to bring an end to the "policy paralysis" that afflicted the previous government.

Experts refer to previous Congress-led government's inability to carry out key economic reforms due to coalition constrains as "policy paralysis".

The new government's economic policies appear business-friendly and have strengthened investor-confidence in the country, a report in The Times of India says.

"While a change in business sentiment and investor mood was only expected after Modi government was sworn in, the initial measures taken by the government seem to have indeed created the perception that doing business in India is now easier and the country has caught the attention of investors," the paper says.

The Mint newspaper, similarly, feels that "Mr Modi is truly business-friendly and wants to send out a strong message that his government doesn't indulge in crony capitalism".

'Hard taskmaster'

Economic policies aside, Mr Modi has been praised for bringing a change in the work culture of India's bureaucracy.

Under the watch of a "hard taskmaster" in Mr Modi, ministers and officials are reporting to work on time, papers say.

"It isn't just the rush hour that has changed, but the attitude to work, ever since Mr Modi met all secretaries in a first-of its-kind initiative that came within a fortnight of taking charge," The Times of India says.

Newspapers are also discussing Mr Modi's foreign policy initiatives, especially his engagement with India's immediate neighbours.

"Through the election campaign, Modi's foreign policy credentials were seen as his weakest suit; but he has proved sure-footed in this regard," the Hindustan Times says.

"Mr Modi's foreign policy over the past three months has been marked by three distinctive traits - warmth and close engagement with smaller South Asian neighbours; reconciliation followed by a tougher stance vis-a-vis Pakistan; and multi-layered engagement with the big powers," the paper adds.

'Pleasing the boss'

The leadership style of Mr Modi, meanwhile, has drawn some criticism.

"The new NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government is as flat an organisation as it gets. There is one leader and that's it," the Mint newspaper says.

"The lack of governance experience also means some ministers are working on the basis of their understanding of what will please the boss - not exactly the best way to go about nation-building," the paper adds.

Vinod Sharma, political editor with the Hindustan Times, points out that ministers have "little elbow room" in the new government dominated by Mr Modi.

"His style is in questions within the party and outside. Ministers having little elbow room to experiment with their own ideas, and the decision making has become centralised in the PMO [Prime Minister's Office], I think this formula cannot work in a huge country like India," Mr Sharma writes.

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