Ever since Narendra Modi has become the Prime Minister of India in 2014 and again in 2019, India has been ‘Modi’fied. Not a single political, economic, social, or military related discussion, editorial and opinion article can be published/presented without considering the impact of Modi government policies and decisions in the last 7+ years. We see there are millions of his ardent supporters, or as the liberal media mocks them as ‘bhakts’ of PM Modi, while so are many critics and opponents in all the other political parties and liberal media. Such has been a unique position of PM Modi, that you can praise or hate him, but you simply cannot avoid him.
Many of us are aware of the achievements of the Modi government in the last 7 years. Be it in the political sphere, where not only has BJP become the largest party in India under the leadership of PM Modi, but also has gained the largest number of seats in its party history. The abrogation of Article 370 and 35A has been a masterstroke in Indian political history after the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. In the social arena, with the policies of CAA, ban of Triple Talaq and increasing the marriage age of girls from 18 to 21 has ushered in a new era of social change especially for young women.
In the economic domain, though there has been mixed reviews on demonetisation and GST, but the impact has been positive as well which has lead to a more digital economy, with JAM accounts and with the launch of UPI, it has immensely helped to boost the economy and especially bring the rural and other weaker sections of society in the mainstream economy which were left out before. The government’s emphasis on digital technology, ease of governance and Make in India has paved the way for creating a startup hub in the last few years, and many of them have become unicorns as well!
But as per general opinion the most impact Modi and his policies have brought in is in the military and external affairs. Never had India been so much respected on the world stage before. Not only has India taken a tough stand against Pakistan in 2016 and 2019 by conducting surgical strikes, but also taken the leadership on several issues like countering terrorism, vaccine diplomacy and fighting climate change. India’s growing role in South Asia has led to partnership with the US, Japan and Australia, under the QUAD pact. At the same time, India under Modi’s leadership has been successful to foster good relations with Arab countries, Israel, and Russia without incurring any sanctions from the USA in spite of India having purchased the S-400 missile system from Russia.
Modi has been the first PM to receive several highest awards from Arab countries, which has been a fitting response to all those who falsely accused Modi for being anti-minority. Even though Pakistan continues to cry the Wolf by ranting about the archaic kashmir issue in the UN, India under Modi has convinced the world with its policies that the real culprit is Pakistan. No wonder, Pakistan finds itself being mocked, ridiculed, insulted at the world stage, and there are no signs of it getting rid of FATF restrictions in near future.
The reason to elaborate this was to ask the readers one simple question. Has there been any leader in recent history of India who has done so much in so little duration for India? The answer surely is a NO. Because after PM Nehru and to some extent Indira Gandhi, India never saw any strong leader like Modi. Not only Modi is a powerful leader, but he also enjoys the majority support of Indians, with the highest approval ratings. The Vajpayee government had the intention to implement many policies which the current Modi government implemented, but it did not have the majority. And the Congress led UPA government between 2004 and 2013 had the majority, but not the intention!
To win democratically in a country with a population of over 1 billion is not a simple feat. In fact, there is no country in the world as unique, and diverse as India. In a country which had been ruled by the Maharajas and Mughals for centuries, and later ruled violently by the British for more than 150 years, PM Modi stands out as a unique leader. Not just because he belongs to a party which boasts of being a patriotic/nationalistic, but because his ascendency to the highest position as someone coming from a non-political, non-royal, and even non-English speaking lineage is what makes him special and popular. PM Modi resonates with the majority of Indians, who also belong to the same section of society which had suffered for centuries under religious persecution by invaders, economic persecution under the British Raj and later political persecution under the pretext of pseudo-secularism by the Congress party. That’s why many voters who are in their 60’s and 70’s, after having experienced all the above, call his term since 2014 as an era of new India.
That’s why for this generation and even for the upcoming generations, PM Narendra Modi will stand out as the most unique Prime Minister India ever had.
The article is originally published here – https://indiangeopolitics.wordpress.com/2022/01/22/why-is-narendra-modi-a-unique-prime-minister-of-india/
The opinion expressed belongs to author’s personal views. Thank you for reading.
-Abhishek Karadkar