Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personality is an exquisite conglomeration of ascetic and fatherly softness with toughness associated with a decisive ruler. These qualities have swayed people across castes, creeds and genders towards his image.
Modi as A Decisive Leader
The successful carrying out of “Operation Sindoor” – precision attacks on terrorist camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir with optimum damage to terrorist infrastructure and lives alongside maximum care not to do damage to any Pakistani civilian infrastructure and civilian lives has palpably testified to Modi’s multifaceted personality and spiked his popularity. It fed into the narrative that was earlier formed following the unexpected surgical strike launched on the Pakistani side of the border by his government on September 28, 2016, that it is he who can put the threat of cross-border terrorism at bay. Still fresh in memory, Modi’s abrupt demonetization strategy in November 2016, although it failed to uproot corruption, however, could engender a perception that it is only Modi who could take surprisingly bold and quick decisions.
Modi has been able to engender a sustained perception that a government under his leadership can effectively counter the aggressive behaviour of Pakistan and China by engaging in tough military projection of power. India’s tough military posture during the Doklam standoff of 2017 with China forced the latter to withdraw from construction activities, hardening such perceptions among many Indians. The 2019 Balakot airstrike carried out by India to conduct bombing raid operations in the Pakistani territory as a preemptive strategy to destroy one of the biggest camps of Jaish-e-Mohammed on 26 February was marked as one of the successes of Modi’s adventurist foreign policy. According to a CSDS Lokniti Survey, many Indians gave credit to Modi for the Balakot air strikes, and among them, a very large majority wanted Modi to continue as the Prime Minister and therefore voted for the BJP in the 2019 elections.
While less number of Indians would like to know about greater details of India’s foreign policy, they take note of the country’s foreign policy measures during critical junctures, especially vis-a-vis Pakistan and China. Much in a similar vein, the abrogation of Article 370 and integration of the province of Jammu and Kashmir as a union territory in August 2019 by the BJP government under Modi’s leadership corroborated the perceptions that Modi can take decisions based on India’s national interests while refusing to be cowed into the sinister designs of the intransigent neighbours.
Modi as A Spiritual and Committed Nation-Builder
Modi tried to appropriate and internalize a form of eastern masculinity in him which is characterized by spiritual strength derived from self-control over bodily desires and necessities. His flamboyant display of abstention from food and practices of yoga and meditation were instrumental to attracting people towards him unlike western masculinity which is based more on physical strength.
Modi’s spiritual qualities were represented by his control over sensual appetite and ability to rise above family attachments and work for common masses. He displayed his control over his sensual appetite when he demonstrated necessary stamina and endurance to go on a fasting for 11 days prior to Pran Pratishtha in Lord Ram in the newly constructed Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
His ability to rise above family life was perceptible in the public domain by the fact that he left his wife and family ties behind, whereas his active participation in the public life was clearly noticeable. This engendered an enduring perception that Modi was destined to serve the nation without any desire for private property. His call against corruption during the UPA II government gathered steam primarily because he was personally viewed as a man untouched by the shadows of corruption.
Modi’s commitment to the nation and its poor masses was corroborated by the fact that he was born to a family belonging to “backward” caste (OBC) community and his father was a railway station chai-wallah (tea seller) and he also worked as a chai-wallah himself in his youth resonated with the masses of many parts of India that it is he who understood what it is like to live in poverty.
Modi as a Solver of Personal and Psychological Issues
Modi was perceived to have transcended a political image as people began to believe in him as a fatherly figure who could be their problem-solver even in their social, cultural and religious realms of their lives. His continuous engagements with the public through programmes like Mann ki Baat (literally Heart-Talk) and Pariksha Pe Charcha (Modi’s interaction with students, teachers and parents on the ways to approach examinations from a strong psychological and moral foundation), his presence at religious and spiritual sites have further helped him gain such trust. Modi’s popularity, to a great extent, hinged on his ability to connect directly with the voters, usually via social media platforms, defining his populist communication style.
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