Another NAC clone
BJP criticised National Advisory Council when it was in the Opposition, but its experiments with policymaking now aren't very different from what the previous regime did with NAC
When the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was in the opposition, it criticized the National Advisory Council (NAC) routinely. Now, in power, BJP is trying experiments in policymaking not very different from what the previous regime did with NAC.
Reports suggest the government is keen to coordinate with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its affiliated organizations. How, then, is the BJP government different from its predecessor? Saying the BJP will not repeat the mistakes made by implementing NAC-type of populist policies cuts no ice: call it by any name, an extra-constitutional arrangement is just that.
There is plenty of expertise that can be found in the civil servants of any government and if more is needed, the government can hire consultants, but this cannot extend to policymaking. That should be the preserve of the cabinet alone.
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