Indian bureaucracy a curse on Indian democracy

Ayn Rand famously said,

“If a businessman makes a mistake, he suffers. If a bureaucrat makes a mistake, you suffer.”

A businessman cannot force you to buy his product. If he makes a mistake or incurs a loss, he suffers the consequences. However, if a bureaucrat makes a mistake, taxpayers suffer. In business, the customer is the ultimate boss. In government, sadly the taxpayer is not.

One month into Narendra Modi’s new term with the NDA-led government, the flaws of his previous tenure are now apparent. The past month has been challenging for the Modi government. Two weeks after the 2024 Lok Sabha election results, two trains collided in North Bengal. Shortly after, medical students made nationwide protests against irregularities in the NEET examinations.

The worst news was on the infrastructure side. Modi’s claims of infrastructure development were mocked by the monsoon season. Airports in Guwahati, Jabalpur and Rajkot reported roofing issues or canopy collapses, and a person was killed due to a canopy collapse at Delhi airport.

But the story doesn’t end here. In the last one month, as many as 15 bridges collapsed in Bihar, ruled by the BJP and its ally JDU. According to government data, 8,756 people died between 2018 and 2022 due to public infrastructure failures.

Modi has sought to tether his image as a nation- builder. Despite Modi’s $100 billion annual infrastructure spending over the past three years,the reality of these projects is now apparent.

Certainly, a bigger issue was completely ignored by Modi in the last 10 years: systematic reforms.

Modi’s focus on presenting a grand image of himself and India has been overshadowed by substantial achievements. Terms like AmritKaal (Immortality Period) and VishwaGuru