100-day agenda not just a BJP show as NDA allies want tweaks

The latest plan is to discuss the 100-day agenda with all coalition partners, said senior leaders of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Janata Dal (United), two key partners of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Modi. Other NDA allies, including the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and the Shiv Sena, would also give inputs for the agenda.

"We were not part of the discussions while the previous government was finalizing the 100-day agenda of the new dispensation after elections. We would like the new government to review and reshape it taking our inputs into consideration," JDU spokesperson and senior party leader K.C. Tyagi said.

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The 100-day agenda

The existing 100-day agenda has five key elements—infrastructure, manufacturing, semiconductors, renewable energy and housing. It was finalized with inputs from ministries on key initiatives that could be announced and implemented in the first 100 days of the new government. The exercise brought out hundreds of suggestions, which were filtered to include a few dozen key quickly implementable programmes. Political formations outside the NDA were not consulted for the agenda.

"We have our own set of priorities and our own manifesto, which has been approved by our alliance partner, the BJP. Therefore, any 100-day agenda must align with our manifesto," said Jyothsna Tirunagari, national spokesperson for the TDP.

"We will review the growth-oriented 100-day agenda of the new government, not to stall the exercise, but to further strengthen it to bring growth with equity," another NDA leader said on the condition of anonymity.

A BJP spokesperson did not respond to queries.

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Common minimum programme

A common minimum programme (CMP) could be one of the demands by Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), News18 reported on Wednesday. The CMP would decide the governance roadmap, and accommodate the demands of some of the NDA-ruled states such as special financial packages, grant of special status and government representation.

Sachchidanand Shukla, group chief economist at Larsen & Toubro Ltd said, “India should be able to deliver a growth rate of about 7% sustainably. There could be some course correction on policies to accommodate the views of alliance partners, but I believe the new government will continue with its investment-led growth agenda. The priorities can get slightly adjusted but will political expediency trump economic logic? I do not think so. The broader economic trajectory remains the same. Some modifications, yes, but no U-turn is likely to happen."

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Experts believe the government’s revenue spending may receive a boost because of the changed political reality. Emkay Global Financial Services Ltd said in an analysis on Tuesday that an altered power equation and possible political compulsions could lead to a policy rethink, though no material change in the broad macro backdrop is expected. There may be some skew in the spending mix in favour of revenue expenditure over capital expenditure compared to the FY25 interim budget, the analysis said. It also said there is no merit in the government cutting its FY25 fiscal target using the RBI fiscal bonanza and that the election result increased the probability of it being spent instead, implying fiscal deficit could stay at 5.1% in line with interim budget projections.

Just a political statement 

Political observers, however, do not read too much into the 100-day programme. “Today is a new day. We don't know how power will be shared. We can't predict the policy plans of the new government yet," said Manisha Priyam, a political analyst. According to her, the 100-day plan was nothing but a political statement by a cabinet at the end of its term, many of whose members have lost their seats.

One of the highlights of the 100-day agenda in its current form is to strengthen 'Make in India' efforts in key infrastructure sectors. The agenda had proposed a slew of production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes specifically tailored for manufacturing import substitution products, and components and large-scale manufacturing of high-end trains and metros, ships and a locally built passenger aircraft. Changes in the legal framework of BIS Act and Consumer Protection Act to strengthen market surveillance for certain products and measures to redress consumer grievances before they reach courts are also expected to be included in the agenda.

Also Read: Economic reforms may slow down as ruling BJP fails to get majority on its own

A pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide health security to the elderly was also part of the 100-day agenda. Modi had earlier promised that the scope of Ayushman Bharat Heath would be expanded to everyone above 75. The agenda also entails a Viksit Bharat Vision 2047 blueprint that would provide direction to reforms in various sectors to transform India into a developed economy by 2047.

“The new government should prioritize primary care services in both rural areas. These should be comprehensive, community-connected, combine acute and chronic care, provide assured continuity of care and be directionally linked to secondary and tertiary care facilities through tele-health and emergency transport services. Free drugs and diagnostics, from an essentials list, should be provided at all public healthcare facilities," said K. Srinath Reddy, former president, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI).

Priyanka Sharma, Puja Das and Rhik Kundu in New Delhi contributed to this story.