PM Narendra Modi Is Everywhere, All At Once

Later, while talking to the media, he said: 바카라�We are not against government schemes, but if a political party like the BJP is spending the state바카라�s money and officials are accompanying the chariot coloured like the party바카라�s flag ahead of the General Elections, then we must oppose it.바카라� This argument of Ramachandra soon found resonance in the nearby districts with people either stopping the chariot from entering villages or bombarding officials with questions. Some reports suggest that following many such consecutive incidents, a few central government employees had written to the respective district collectors seeking protection.

These demonstrations바카라�without the direct involvement of any political party바카라�were reported just a week after the BJP바카라�s massive victory in the Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections. The electoral success of the party was immediately attributed to 바카라�Modi guarantees바카라�바카라�a synonym for central government schemes that, as per the government, have had a positive impact on the lives of the poor and marginalised communities. The outcome of the election may have led the government to believe this, but a section of society has been repeatedly questioning why these central government schemes are named after the prime minister. Is this blurring of lines between the central government and the projected image of the nation and the prime minister a new phenomenon, or has this been a part of the Indian political tradition?

The answer would probably be both yes and no. While Indira Gandhi during her tenure became 바카라�India바카라�바카라�a popular slogan in those days was 바카라�Indira is India, India is Indira바카라�바카라�she couldn바카라�t manage to influence all the key institutions to blindly follow her diktat. For instance, though artist MF Hussain바카라�s works praising Gandhi바카라�s emergency could find space in exhibitions across Calcutta, Mumbai and Delhi, the National Gallery of Modern Art refused to exhibit them.

In her heyday, when Gandhi wanted to popularise her Twenty-point Programme, she asked renowned singer Kishore Kumar to compose and sing a song praising her vision. However, Kumar refused to comply. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting immediately banned his songs on All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan but couldn바카라�t force the gramophone companies to withdraw his records.

Such instances of resistance from different sections perhaps made it difficult for Gandhi to blur the line between India and Indira. Yet, when one looks back at her self-assertion after the 1971 Bangladesh war, one can understand the views of psychiatrist and author Jerrold Post바카라�who examined the minds of world leaders like Saddam Hussein and Kim Jong-II, among others바카라�on narcissism. Prior to the 1972 General Elections, when Newsweek magazine asked Gandhi about the primary issue in the election, she, in no uncertain terms, responded, 바카라�I am the issue바카라�.

Fifty-two years later바카라�a week before the inauguration of the Ram temple, PM Modi, while commencing the ritualistic fasting, said: 바카라�God has chosen me to represent the people of India for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony바카라�. The PM, who in 2015 was worshipped as a presiding deity in a temple in Rajkot, Gujarat, until it was disbanded due to his objection to such deification, evoked his name in 바카라�third person바카라� several times ahead of the consecration. The foundation of the concept of 바카라�Modi guarantees바카라� lies there.

In the electoral manifesto of Chhattisgarh, the BJP mentioned 20 바카라�Modi guarantees바카라�, including filling of job vacancies, housing schemes, an annual stipend of Rs 12,000 to married women, and free health services up to Rs 10 lakh for the poor. These declarations were followed by Modi바카라�s repetitive assurance: 바카라�Modi ki guarantee matlab har guarantee poori hone ki guarantee (It is a guarantee that Modi바카라�s every guarantee shall be fulfilled).바카라� While flagging off the Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, he said: 바카라�Where hope from others ends, Modi바카라�s guarantees begin from there. And that is why Modi바카라�s guarantees are popular.바카라�

The fundamental change that such guarantees bring in the Indian political scenario is the transformation of a right-based regime to a benevolence-dependent regime. 바카라�Modi guarantee replaces 바카라�right to welfare바카라� with the 바카라�benevolence of the ruler바카라�. It also personalises the idea of the state바카라�l바카라�etat c바카라�est moi (I am the state)바카라�as Louis XIV is supposed to have said. This extreme personalisation of state power is a significant transition,바카라� says Subir Sinha, a scholar and a faculty at SOAS, London.

Invoking PM바카라�s name everywhere to trade hope and aspirations has become the central condition for the BJP바카라�s success. In November 2022, ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections, at a public rally, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said: 바카라�We see your (Modi바카라�s) face in corporation elections, MLA elections or MP elections, everywhere. I바카라�ve been seeing that votes are sought in the name of Modiji, be it municipality elections, corporation elections or Assembly elections.바카라�

Referring to the tendency of using Modi바카라�s appeal in all elections, Sinha notes: 바카라�Modi says 바카라�don바카라�t think about the candidate, assume that each vote for them strengthens my hand바카라�. The BJP tries to project each election, including the local ones, as plebiscites on Modi. This will have long-term implications for the BJP in the phase after Modi바카라�who else has a broad appeal like him?바카라�

Political scientist Ronojoy Sen says: 바카라�This new trend points to a broader tendency of the outsize influence of PM Modi both within the BJP and outside and his critical role in ensuring the BJP바카라�s electoral victories. It also points to the centralisation within the government and the BJP around the PM which many have noted since 2014.바카라�

The usage of Modi바카라�s photo in the G20 posters has also been criticised by the Opposition parties and political observers. But the latest in the row is the West Bengal government바카라�s scuffle with the Centre over putting up Modi바카라�s image that led to the alleged freezing of central funds amounting to Rs 7,000 crore. As per media reports, the Mamata Banerjee government didn바카라�t follow two branding standards of the National Food Security Act바카라�putting up a banner carrying the photo of Modi in each ration shop; and the printing of the NFSA logo on the acknowledgement note.

Another major effort to popularise the image of Modi among the youth was the instruction from the University Grants Commission (UGC) to universities asking them to install selfie points with the PM across campuses. Though the circular had later been withdrawn and the UGC is now reconsidering the designs, such selfie points are very common across railway stations.

In response to a Right to Information (RTI) query filed by social activist Ajay Bose, the Central Railways informed that it had invested Rs 6.25 lakh in each 3D selfie point. There are 20 permanent selfie points under the ambit of Central Railways, besides 32 바카라�temporary booths바카라�. The cost incurred by the Central Railways to create each of the temporary booths was reportedly Rs 1.25 lakh. Notably, within days of the publication of the RTI response, Shivraj Manaspure, the chief publication officer of the Central Railways, was transferred바카라�allegedly without any explanation.

The question arises바카라�why is such an image being created? At what point does the distinctive line between the central government and the PM start getting blurred? Political scientist and author Mujibur Rehman says: 바카라�Maybe because Modi is a bit sceptical about people바카라�s memory, he wants to constantly remind them that he is doing things, he is working hard, and that he is the most competent. It mainly comes out of insecurity among the political class.바카라�

Unlike Indira Gandhi, who was also the daughter of a legendary leader, Modi has no other identity. Also, he is ideological; he wants his legacy to continue. For this, it is imperative that the voters keep supporting him and hence he keeps reiterating what he has done and what he is doing, adds Rehman, the author of Saffron Power: Reflections on Indian Politics.  Sen, on the other hand, believes that even Gandhi did not have the kind of impact on Congress that Modi has had on the BJP바카라�s electoral fortunes. This also applies to Modi바카라�s sustained popularity vis-a-vis Mrs Gandhi, he adds.

The General Election following the Bangladesh war was literally termed as the 바카라�referendum on Indira바카라�s leadership바카라�. Will 2024 be a repetition of the history that the BJP itself derides? Will it lead to unabated success? Rehman says: 바카라�In the end, it does not work. It did not work in the Soviet Union. It did not work for the Congress party, which named airports to streets to hospitals to city squares after the Gandhis. Look at its decline and see how people have turned against the party. So, while it is understan­dable why politicians indulge in naming schemes or roads or parks or hospitals바카라�the truth is, it does not work in the end.바카라�

(This appeared in the print as 'Everywhere, All At Once')