'Consolidation of Modi's hold on BJP may lead to absence of dissent'

BJP's landslide electoral win in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand validates Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity but consolidation of his hold over the party may lead to the total absence of dissent within party ranks, official Chinese media commented on Sunday.

"The Prime Minister's popularity has been validated throughout this election, in which he made himself and his actions the main issue in many public speeches. The ability of Modi to deliver landslide victory results like in UP consolidates his position within the party," an article in the state-run Global Times said.

"This also means that more policies like demonetisation, which was conceived with little political consultation inside the party, can be anticipated. Modi genuinely believes he can deliver the best solutions to many problems in India," it said.

This is the second article in the daily after the UP polls.

The article on March 16 said the victory brightened Modi's prospects of return to power in 2019 and has "implications" for India-China ties as it may embolden him to follow a "hardline" approach towards China.

Today's article said free hand to Modi in the BJP may lead to absence of dissent in the party.

"Generally speaking, a decisive and aggressive leader will also make mistakes. The lack of restraint from the party will probably result in Modi having a free hand to make decisions on more crucial issues. The total absence of dissent in the BJP, unusual for a ruling party in India, is the result of everyone submitting to the authority," the article said.

"But, the BJP-led coalition is unlikely to get a full majority in the 245-seat Rajya Sabha until mid-2019, which is sometimes crucial for the passage of bills in the parliament," it noted.

Massive wins for the BJP have already prompted investors to bet on a comeback for the BJP-led government in 2019 Lok Sabha elections and continuation of its policies aimed at economic reforms, the article said.

"People are now looking forward to witnessing further economic reforms such as rollout of the goods and services tax, faster infrastructure development and job creation. The market is also expecting that in the 2019 election, the BJP will have a majority in Rajya Sabha, facilitating even faster liberalisation," it said.

However, based on the current situation, the market may find this goal hard to achieve, it added.

"The BJP has achieved dominance but will India be stable? That depends on the performance of the party. It is still uncertain if the BJP can prevail in 2019," the article opined.

"As some Indian analysts questioned, will the BJP, beyond occasional inclusive rhetoric, be willing to experiment with less polarisation and forge a larger coalition through expansive spending, a gentler approach to minorities and

judicious patron-client processes that could be politically profitable too? We need to wait and see," it said.