Both the UPA and the NDA have their own share of wins and losses. A comparison can thus be drawn on the basis of schemes, growth and the administration’s attempt to maintain harmony in the country.
While the annual growth rate during UPA was 6.25%, it was around 7.6% during NDA’s tenure. It is also notable that the UPA stirred the economy through the global 2008 financial crisis. The UPA implemented a number of measures for the betterment of the country. The Right to Information Act (RTI) was increasing transparency in the administration’s working. On the front for the upliftment of women and children, the Domestic Violence Act, 2005 was passed and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences i.e. POCSO Act, 2013 was passed.
NDA’S efforts to better the plight of women don’t quite match up to that of UPA’s. Despite its flagship scheme ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’, it falters with its regressive stand on issues like Sabarimala and Triple Talak, as the latter cages women rather than emancipating them. Furthermore, on the corruption front, while the Lokpal Act was passed during UPA’s tenure, it was on the incumbent government to constitute a Lokpal Committee which it hasn’t been able to do inspite of being in power for over four years.
The tenure of UPA also marked the introduction of MNREGA and the launch of direct benefit transfer. While both the UPA and the NDA claim to be strong proponents of social welfare, their inability to understand the fact that a large number of Indians lack financial literacy and don’t have bank accounts is a major drawback. While the NDA too has its own share of welfare schemes such as the Ujjawala Scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the Jan Dhan Yojana and the Atal Pension Yojana, it, like its counterpart, has failed to adequately address farm distress in the country.
Populist measures such as loan waivers and a hike in MSP when loan waivers don’t cover the large number of farmers who loan money from informal sources and only 6% of farmers sell their produce at MSP, does little to address the problem.
When it comes to upholding the unity of the country, the UPA government has done better than the NDA government. The UPA managed to constitute a National Integration Commission as well as kept sectarian violence in check, where as the NDA increased sectarian divide by way of its communal speeches. Take for instance the BJP’s second in command Amit Shah justifying riots at a rally in Muzaffarnagar.
To dig a little deeper on the corruption front, the UPA’s tenure was rife with corruption with scams ranging from Coalgate to 2G to the Cash for Vote Scam. The 2G scam itself cost the exchequer 1,76,000 crore. The NDA isn’t far behind with the Rafale deal, where it faltered on its own initiative Make In India by handing out the contract to Dassault instead of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to build aircraft.
To sum up, while the UPA was rife with corruption the NDA has failed to deliver on its set of promises such as increasing employment and doubling farmers income by end of its term, while playing petty politics such as making religious appeals to the voters in the name of Ram Mandir and increasing sectarian divide in the country.
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