BLUFFMASTER and His Gang: Deny First, Deliver Later.

~Sumon Mukhopadhyay.

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In India’s political theatre, few things are more predictable than the government’s ritual of denial. A report emerges in the media — citing “sources” from within ministries, regulators, or the corridors of North Block. Within hours, an official statement is issued: “This is completely baseless, speculative, and misleading.”

And yet, weeks or months later, the very same proposal — earlier dismissed with a stern face — quietly takes shape as official policy. The script is so repetitive that citizens have begun to wonder: is this governance, or a long-running soap opera?

Yes, the NDA government doesn’t govern—it performs. Its signature act? Deny a policy move with righteous indignation, let the media circus die down, then smugly roll it out. 

This “bluffmaster” strategy isn’t just political theater; it’s a calculated fraud that toys with stakeholders, erodes trust, and makes India’s policy landscape a global laughingstock. 

Here are a few well-documented instances where the NDA government initially publicly denied or downplayed an issue, but later proceeded with the very move it had dismissed. The damning examples, backed by precise dates and outcomes, expose the NDA government’s chronic deceit.

🧨Vodafone Idea Stake Bump (April 2025):

• Denial: On April 23, 2025, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia publicly ruled out increasing the government’s stake in Vodafone Idea beyond the existing limit, warning it would morph Vi into a public-sector zombie.
• Implementation: Just earlier—on April 8, 2025—Vi’s board approved converting ₹36,950 crore in spectrum dues into equity, pushing the government’s stake to 48.99%, effectively rescuing the company. It was a covert bailout masquerading as fiscal discipline.
• Source: Vi’s board announcement and Scindia’s statement, reported in telecom media.

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🧨Farm Laws — Not Repealed, Nope (2021):

• Initial Stance: Throughout the 2020–2021 period, the NDA government insisted repeatedly that the three new farm laws were necessary reforms and not up for rollback—dismissing media and protester claims of imminent repeal.
• Reality: In a surprise televised address on November 19, 2021, PM Modi announced the repeal of all three farm laws. Parliament rubber-stamped the Farm Laws Repeal Bill on November 29, 2021.
• Source: PM’s address and parliamentary records.

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🧨Demonetisation — No Ban, Yes Ban (November 2016):

• Rumors Denied: In the days leading up to November 8, 2016, reports or rumors about scrapping ₹500/₹1,000 banknotes were denied or ignored by government officials—creating a false sense of continuity.
• Shock Rollout: On November 8, 2016, PM Modi announced demonetisation, invalidating 86% of India’s currency overnight. The denial turned into one of the boldest jaw-dropping policy ambush in modern Indian history.
• Source: PM’s televised address and RBI notifications.

🧨GST Rate Hikes (2019–2020):

• Denial: In mid-2019, Finance Ministry officials rebuffed media reports of GST rate hikes on essential goods, insisting the tax regime was stable.
• Implementation: By December 2019 and into 2020, the GST Council quietly raised rates on items like footwear and textiles, with some slabs jumping from 5% to 12%. The hikes were confirmed in GST Council meetings, buried under “rationalization” rhetoric.
• Source: GST Council meeting minutes and economic reports.

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🧨Global Fallout: A Policy Dumpster Fire:

For global investors, Vi’s crisis is a klaxon warning of India’s regulatory anarchy. The NDA government’s 49% stake in Vi screams commitment to competition, but its deny-now-do-later circus screams bad faith. 

A Jio-Airtel duopoly would spike prices, kill innovation, and trash Vi’s spectrum assets, leaving the government with worthless dues. 

International telecom players will see India as a policy swamp—where “Digital India” is a cruel joke masking a government too timid to act. Vi’s collapse would be a textbook case of killing a sector through lies and indecision.

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Final Thoughts:

The NDA government’s deny-now-do-later SCAM isn’t a policy hiccup—it’s a deliberate con. They are calculated  political maneuvers—a cycle of deny, delay, deliver. 

By obfuscating in public and sneaking through backdoors, the government dodges scrutiny while keeping investors, citizens, and markets in the dark.

For the public, the immediate denials may offer reassurance, but the eventual implementation makes them wary—like being caught in a masterful bluff.

For global observers, this pattern screams unreliability: a regime that lies about its playbook can’t be trusted to deliver stable governance. The NDA government’s bluffmaster antics may win applause in political rallies, but they’re a death knell for India’s credibility on the world stage.