Early 2023
She looked back at the movement that had transformed the political landscape of India. Just eighteen months ago, it did not even exist. There was no face, no leader, no organisation. Just an idea in the hearts and minds of many that the country was not headed in the right direction. It wasn’t the doing of a single government or party. Each one, through the years and decades, had built on the missteps of the other. With a world battered first by the pandemic and then the war, the twin scourges of inflation and recession had made life increasingly difficult. Jobs were hard to come by, especially for new graduates. The government was ill-equipped to address these challenges. Their point-solution approach only made the problems worse. The young, women and poor were the hardest hit. The hope that tomorrow would be better than today started ebbing away. With economic troubles came the increasing political rabble-rousing. While a vocal minority lapped it up and amplified it via their social networks, the silent majority started realising that this was not going to create jobs and opportunities for them or their families.
It was against this backdrop that the Nayi Disha app was launched. It came with a simple premise: if you were not aligned with any political party, you should join the “United Voters of India” movement. Any change in India had to be brought about by the voters. With two-thirds of Indians either non-aligned or not voting, a “vote as one” approach could bring about real change. Not much action was needed; just download the app and join the online community. When the membership reached 10% of the eligible voters, the next phase of Nayi Disha would be made public. Of course, there was an economic incentive: Dhan Vapasi. Signing up for Nayi Disha also made one eligible for the wealth return program should a government be formed. Signing up more people advanced the annual date for the wealth return. This drove word-of-mouth virality. In the early stages. It was just like buying a lottery ticket with the possibility of a big future payoff. Who could say No?
In normal circumstances, the app would probably not have got any traction. But these were getting to be extraordinary times. People were looking for alternatives, but unable to articulate what they wanted. Nayi Disha offered such a hope, a light at the end of the tunnel. And so, the app spread. Person-to-person. It took about six months to reach the 10% threshold for the next phase: the unveiling of the five-point Nayi Disha agenda. Dhan Vapasi, tax cuts, freedom for businesses, speedy justice, and non-discrimination. Each one of these ideas was contrary to the direction: a hapless government was increasing taxes and taking away hard-earned wealth, interventions were making it harder to do business, the law and order system was being compromised at many different levels, and discrimination continued to be rife as political parties played games to stay in power.
It wasn’t long before the 10% user base for Nayi Disha rose to 20%. The curiosity levels in people were increasing. What would come next?
