Yash Goyal, a third-year student of law at National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, says he is worried about shrinking job opportunities in the country. His views:
I have fairly low expectations from Modi 3.0 as I believe that it will largely be business-as-usual for the Government. Based on the speeches I have heard and their manifesto, I feel that the Government will largely stick to its previous policies, which I disagree with.
As someone who will be joining the workforce in the coming few years, I am particularly concerned about employment aspects and the economic downturn in recent years. Despite studying at a premier law school that prides itself on, among other things, a stellar employment record, I see my seniors struggling to find jobs, with the unanimous response from employers being – the market is bad. My friends from other sectors have received similar responses generally. There is large-scale anxiety among young persons, especially those who do not have the resources to study abroad, regarding the economy.
This is not limited only to employment, as the wealth gap is slowly worsening as well. While the country reels from a heatwave, the ultra-rich are having pre-wedding celebrations in Italy. There is significant work that needs to be done to ensure that constructive employment is available to people in the rural areas and to the urban poor but the current government seems to not assign much priority to the same. I doubt that much can change without a major shift from its existing policies, but I still hope that some serious work is undertaken on that front.
Furthermore, as a young person who has their political opinions, I fear the shrinking space for dissent in this country. Ever since 2014, political minorities have been on the receiving end of violence, hatred and threats from the majority. This is especially evident in university spaces and the media. Furthermore, the rising hate against queer persons, is concerning.
ALSO READ: ‘Modi 3.0 Must Move Beyond Temple, Vista, Statues’
The instances of violence and open hostility in everything ranging from housing to employment to general social media discourse creates an environment of hostility for anyone who disagrees with the Government or its homogenising identity of Hindutva. I see no reason or signs that the present Government will deviate from this agenda considering the vast support the Hindu right-wing enjoys throughout the country.
However, I also feel that there is hope in Modi 3.0, except not from the Government itself. Given the split mandate which gave a significant boost to the Opposition and third parties at the cost of the BJP, I expect a return to form for the Parliament and its institutions. Over the past ten years, the Parliament had seen high productivity at the cost of low deliberations. Owing to the BJP numbers, the Lok Sabha had been reduced to a rubber stamp while the Opposition had failed to show its presence. Now, with a stronger presence in the Parliament, I hope that the Opposition is able to force debates on issues of importance and use Parliamentary safeguards to ensure that the Government is not able to get away with whatever it wants to push. With the proposed introductions of a Population Control Bill and a nation-wide Uniform Civil Code, the role of the Opposition becomes all the more important and I hope that they do a strong job in ensuring that Indian democracy remains representative and deliberative.
As told to Deepa Gupta
For more details visit us: https://lokmarg.com/