'Regime changes in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal building cases of bad governance': Ajit Doval

Expanding on his argument on bad governance leading to regime changes, Doval said that economic failures, scarcity of food, water, inflation, oppressive taxes, and social interests become the cause of the state's failures.

"They are the old ones, but they still exist and continue to belittle the emerging societies," he said.

He noted that governance is central to a nation’s survival and growth, adding that institutional strength depends on the people who “build and nurture these institutions because these institutions provide governance.”

Addressing the challenges of governance, Doval said that “economic failures, scarcity of food, water, inflation, oppressive taxes, and social interests become the cause of the state's failures.” He observed that while these age-old problems persist, new and complex factors have also emerged in recent times. “One is the centrality of the common man. The common man has become more aware and aspirational, has higher expectations from the state, and the state has a vested interest in keeping him satisfied,” he stated.

Citing contemporary regional examples, Doval argued that “in the recent cases of change of regimes through non-constitutional methods in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and others were actually the building cases of bad governance. And that is how the governance matters.”

The NSA further identified key reasons behind state decline, noting that “authoritarianism, which is oppressive and has discriminatory laws, poor delivery of justice, a marginalised population, and human rights violations, contributes to the fall of this nation.” He went on to say that “institutional decay” also plays a major role—when “civil and military, security structures, their armies become corrupt or oppressive, or their internal security structures collapse, and bureaucracies become inept, slow, corrupt and insensitive. There is no accountability. People do not know why they are doing what they are doing... This is how the decay starts.”

Sharing what he called “a security man’s perspective on the process of governance,” Doval emphasized that governance holds “a very seminal role in the process of nation-building and in the process of securing a nation and making it achieve its goals and aspirations.”

He also drew inspiration from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s vision, saying, “It is indeed very befitting that in 2025, we should be reinventing Sardar Patel... His vision is required in India today more than ever before.” Doval described India as being in “a transition” and experiencing “an orbital shift from a certain type of governance and government structures, societal structures, and its place in the global order.”

“The world is also undergoing a great transformation,” he continued, asserting that in times of change, “the most important thing is clarity of vision; you are not getting awed by the noise and the threats. You are not getting subdued by the adversities and the possible threats. You have to prepare yourself and you have to equip yourself.”

Doval recalled Patel’s understanding to say that “converting the civilisation into a nation-state is a stupendous task. He knew that it could only be done through a very powerful governance mechanism. The government has got to think and do beyond what is normally expected.”