New Delhi: The results of the recent Assembly elections have sent out loud and clear messages that “Good governance with clever politics will make you win an election; bad governance will certainly make you lose,†Mr. Arun Jaitley, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said here on December 21.
Arun Jaitley was addressing the 86th AGM of FICCI at New Delhi
Giving a Special Address at the Luncheon Session of the 86th AGM of FICCI, Mr. Jaitley said, “the political developments have demolished the myth that good governance and credible decision-making won’t get you the votes; that ‘yojanas’ or schemes will.†It clearly demonstrates that if the objective is to return to a higher growth path, relying merely on populism won’t work, he pointed out.
He said a key message is that the image of the country depends on how it is governed. “When the image of a political party is one where decision-making is seen as corrupt, no amount of jingoism will help. Citing examples, he said, the government had the option of stopping the allocation of spectrum. It chose not to and the spiral effect of this inaction was the cancellation of licences, confiscation of investment and arrest of minister. The same story was repeated in coal allocation,†he added.
On the issue of Goods & Services Tax (GST), Mr. Jaitley said a consensus was eluding the government as the States feel that the Centre is unfair to them. “If you are looking for political confrontation, morning and evening, you cannot build a consensus on economic issues,†he said.
Mr. Jaitley emphasized the need for credibility in decision-making process to revive the investment cycle and growth.