Austerity or Stupidity ?
I continue to believe that India currently has no stronger national political alternative than BJP under PM Modi. However, many citizens are increasingly fatigued by symbolic appeals and performative austerity messaging — whether it is thali-bajana, diya-jalao campaigns, or repeated calls for personal sacrifice — especially when governments across India continue expanding large-scale welfare schemes funded by taxpayers.
There is a growing contradiction that deserves honest discussion.
On one hand, citizens are urged to reduce consumption, avoid unnecessary travel, conserve fuel, and embrace austerity. On the other hand, governments openly compete in offering free ration, free electricity, free transport, cash-transfer schemes, subsidies, and other politically attractive giveaways.
A serious government should have the courage to address this imbalance structurally, even if it carries electoral risks.
India is still a developing country where a vast majority of people already live cost-sensitive lives. Petrol is not a luxury indulgence for most Indians; people generally travel because they need to, not because they enjoy burning fuel. Similarly, appeals to avoid foreign travel sound disconnected in a country where the overwhelming majority of citizens have never travelled abroad in the first place.
Public messaging from leadership matters. After more than a decade in power, people expect communication that is practical, economically coherent, and grounded in the realities of how ordinary Indians already live.
Constructive criticism is not opposition. Democracies improve when supporters also ask difficult questions.