What's the similarities between Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha, my state back home in India and Joe Biden, the President of the United States ? Apart from both being politicians, there are plenty other similarities.
Both came to power as their previous incumbents screwed up governance, especially during calamity and pandemic in respective lands. The Congress government mishandled the killer Super Cyclone of Odisha in 1999 to pave the path for Naveen Patnaik to ascend into power. Trump's administration made a complete mess of Covid-19 which cost him his reelection for Biden to step in. Both Naveen and Biden are suave and soft spoke but men of silent actions who eventually get their job accomplished.
Both are firm implementators of schemes and projects in contrast to their respective right wing opponents (BJP for Naveen and Republicans for Biden) who are good in rhetorics but short at action. Unlike his predecessors, Naveen has ensured that his populist measures like KALIA JOJANA (Scheme) and several other measures directed to the women and the poor are properly implemented for the recipients get the benefits.
Unlike the Congress regimes prior to him when the intended beneficiaries rarely got the largesse, Naveen Patnaik's socialist doles have largely reached the doorsteps of the poor and downtrodden. It has helped immensely in enhancing his image with the larger section of the society as a go getter - a man who gets the job done, resulting in reaping durable political benefits.
On the other hand 10,000 miles away on the other side side of the globe, Joe Biden has started on a silent note unlike his loud mouth nincompoop predecessor Donald J Trump. No sooner he came to office, he hastened the roll out of Covid-19 vaccines which has resulted in 70% reduction in daily death and infection ever since he was inagurated as US President on January 20. Millions have already got vaccinated and Trillions of dollars as direct payments as part of the stimulus package are on way to jumpstart the moribund economy.
The steps taken by Naveen Patnaik in Odisha is simple and direct for the poor people to feel, understand and translate into votes. Politics is after all a game of perception. During my last India trip when I went my village, I talked to several people on ground. Most of them heaved paeans of praise on him for the free rice and other doles they actually received unlike during the Congress regimes when they received a fraction of it.
In America, Biden seems to have learned his lessons when he was the VP during Obama's Presidency. Obama did a fantastic job in salvaging the fledgling economy which was virtually on a free fall, handed over to him by an incompetent George W Bush. The recovery came slow for the commoners to recognize it on a mass scale, as the Republicans muddled the environment with Tea Party activism movement. But it is a different situation now during a bad economy when 70% of Americans including a large number of Republicans approve the $1.9 trillion stimulus package. Because it is the layman who is getting some real, tangible cash in hand to spend and sparkle a consumer driven economy. Most public, irrespective of political affiliation give a thumbs up to the rolling out of vaccines.
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