Prime Minister Modi moved into his official residence after just a coat of paint had been applied to the premises. He did not ask for luxury furniture etc and he has set the tone for a modest lifestyle in Government. What a contrast with the Rolls Royce mentality with personalized registration plates. The priority for PM Modi is to track black money and to win the battle against corruption. The Congress-led Government lost popular appeal as there was a general sentiment that Congress was a party riddled with nepotism, corruption and abuse of power. Congress had to go and the people made sure it did.

In this “plaisir’’ country of ours, the Leader of the opposition is desperate about sealing an alliance with the Labour Party of the Prime Minister and he keeps repeating that such a deal is necessary as he intends (i) to clean up the country, (ii) to consolidate democracy and (iii) to set the economy on a growth path. If at all the self-appointed defender of the Government who doubles up as the leader of the opposition means what he says, then his burning desire for an alliance with the very party that has caused all the ‘pourriture’ in the country smacks of the crassest hypocrisy.

But there must be other reasons why the Prime Minister is able to silence all his opponents in the official opposition and all his ministers and MLAs. Even a few who have been treated with contempt by the Prime Minister and many who did not obtain electoral tickets after having been ministers dare not say anything about anything. And God knows how many things are happening and have happened which cry out for condemnation from all those who profess to have the interests of the country at heart. This fear sits badly with the freedom of expression which is guaranteed to all Mauritians.

There is a growing sentiment that the Prime Minister has ‘dossiers’ on many of his ministers and others. This provides him with a security that no one will challenge him and his position is safe. Have we not heard of top ministers being subjected to humiliating remarks and returning to their office to nurse their hurt feelings and cry. They all bear it all presumably because the national interest prevails. But the blunt reality is that no one has the courage to leave as leaving and telling might land them in trouble.

Any right-thinking person finds it increasingly difficult to accept the contorsions of the leader of the opposition and the sudden love the Prime Minister has for him when not so long ago he was hurling all sorts of abuse against Berenger. Such conduct at the highest levels is demeaning and speaks volumes about their real motives for their languishing for each other.

It is too much to hope that these people are interested in taking note of the Modi style of clean and principled Governance. Their only interest is their self-interest. When the time comes in the not too distant future the people will be told how two persons hijacked democracy and condoned all the scandals that bedeviled the country in the not too distant past.

It is evident that the unit that exists to dig dirt has done a wonderful job in the compilation of dossiers.