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Public image of Narendra Modi

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Narendra Modi
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Narendra Modi's signature

Media related to Narendra Modi at Wikimedia Commons

Narendra Modi, the 14th Prime Minister of India, has elicited a number of public perceptions regarding his personality and background.

Personal life

A vegetarian,[1] Modi has a frugal lifestyle and is a workaholic and an introvert.[2] Modi is Hindu and as a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party.

As a communicator

Adept at using social media, in September 2014 Modi became the second-most-followed leader in the world with 5 million Twitter subscribers.[3][4] Modi's 31 August 2012 post on Google Hangouts made him the first Indian politician to interact with netizens on live chat.[5][6] Modi is the second-most-followed leader in the world (with over 30 million followers on Twitter as of June 2017[7] behind only Barack Obama.[3]

Although he has been called a controversial, polarising and divisive figure by media sources,[8][9][10] British economist Jim O'Neill (author of "Building Better Global Economic BRICs") blogged that Modi is "good on economics" – one of the things "India desperately needs in a leader".[11] In August 2013, financial analyst Chris Wood of CLSA wrote in his weekly "Greed & fear" report: "The Indian stock market's greatest hope is the emergence of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate".[11] Modi usually begins his speeches with the phrases "mere pyare deshwasiyon",[12][13] "Mitron" and "Bhaiyon aur Behno".[14][needs translation]

There are reports that Modi and his government are highly anxious to avoid negative media attention.[15] Journalists and public figures have lost their jobs following criticism of Modi.[15]

NRI Audience

Narendra Modi's visits abroad include address to people of Indian origins. First, in the list was his visit to United States Madison Square Garden. In the context, NDTV has reported

He thanked the crowd of about 18,000 Indian Americans who constantly chanted his name, for the rousing welcome.[16]

— NDTV

For his visit to UAE, Poonam Mahajan says

Mr. Modi spoke to almost 50,000 Indian expatriates at a grand public reception named "Marhaba (welcome) NaMo, which is being hailed as unprecedented in the history of the UAE, where for the first time a visiting head of state has been given a reception on such a grand scale.[17]

— Poonam Mahajan

Election campaigner

Since Modi has left the Gujarat state politics to hold the position of Prime Minister, he has won many state elections along with Amit Shah including the Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.[18] His party BJP also won elections in Uttarakhand,[19] Manipur,[20] Goa.[21] Though BJP lost elections in Punjab,[22] Bihar[23] and Delhi[24], the winning party of Bihar, Janata Dal (United), aligned with BJP in 2017.[25]

Fashion

God has gifted me the sense of mixing and matching colours. So I manage everything on my own. Since I’m God gifted I fit well in everything. I have no fashion designer but I’m happy to hear that I dress well.

Narendra Modi, in The Modi Effect by Lance Price[26][27]

Modi has been called a fashion leader in India, and his clothing choices have been discussed internationally.[28][29] Recognition of his style is a major part of his public image.[26]

In January 2015 while receiving United States President Barack Obama in a state visit at the Hyderabad House, Modi wore a suit with his name embroidered repeatedly in the pinstripes.[30] The suit costing ₹10 lakh (US$12,000) was gifted to him.[31] Modi's political opposition criticized his wearing the suit, complaining that he campaigns on an image of coming from a poor background and living without money while at the same time wearing luxury products such as this suit.[32] Other commentators said that in choosing this suit Modi was being a parvenu,[33] at the height of vanity,[32] going to a ridiculous extreme,[34] and political opposition party leader Jairam Ramesh said that he was a megalomaniac.[31] A month later the suit was auctioned for US$695,000.[32] Journalist Siddharth Varadarajan commented on the public support for the auction by saying "the manner in which Mr. Modi's leadership has been projected is extremely unhealthy in any democratic society".[32]

Modi's usual attire is a kurta and vest,[35] and his unusual half-sleeve kurta is known as the Modi Kurta.[36][37][38] The prime minister's clothes are made of silk or cotton,[35] are crisply ironed [35] and are handmade in Gujarat.[35] Modi has favored certain brands, wearing a Movado watch and Bulgari glasses.[35] When he was chief minister he wore bold, bright colors, changing to pastels as prime minister.[35] For holidays, Modi wears a traditional turban from wherever he is.[35]

He said in 2012 that his clothing was made by Kanhaiya Ji Chauhan, who said he has been making similarly-styled attire for Modi since 1974.[39] Some of his clothing has been created by Bollywood fashion designer Troy Costa.[40][41]

In 2009, Modi's clothing was said to be Bollywoodesque and indicative of Gujarat's modernism.[42] In the same way that the clothing choices of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were discussed in India and internationally, so also is Modi's fashion continually noted.[43] According to Vogue India editor Priya Tanna in a New York Times blog, "Never before has there been such a strong convergence between what a politician in India stands for and his clothing."[37] Tanna called his clothing choice "100% India": democratic, supportive of Indian industry (separating him from politicians in Western suits), emblematic of his humble birth, clean and hygienic.[37] Responding to Tanna, another commentator said that Modi's fashion choice has no particular meaning and there is no need to interpret it.[44]

Criticism

Modi has often times been labelled as the butcher of Gujarat including by Bilawal Bhutto[45] and Mamata Banerjee's party[46] for not doing enough to prevent the 2002 Gujarat violence.[47][48]

Awards and recognitions

Modi received the Gujarat Ratna award at the Ganesh Kala Krida Manch Shri Poona Gujarati Bandhu Samaj centenary celebration[49] and the e-Ratna Award from the Computer Society of India.[50] He was named Best Chief Minister in a 2007 nationwide survey by India Today,[51] and won the Asian 2009 fDi Personality of the Year award from FDi magazine.[52] In March 2012 Modi appeared on the cover of the Asian edition of Time, one of the few Indian politicians to have done so,[53] and made the 2014 Time 100 list of the world's most influential people.[54] He has become the most followed Asian leader on Twitter,[55] and in 2014 was ranked the 15th-most-powerful person in the world by Forbes.[56] In 2015, Modi was one of Time's "30 most influential people on the internet" as the second-most-followed politician on Twitter and Facebook.[57] In 2015, Modi was ranked 5th on Forbes magazine's list of 'World's Greatest Leaders'.[58]

Modi has received following international state honours:

Rankings

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was placed No 2, behind Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a list of 30 top-performing world leaders by a Japanese market research firm.[61]

Ratings

The poll by InstaVaani in February 2016 showed that 74% of the respondents (769) approved of Modi’s performance as prime minister—unchanged from the finding of an end-November 2015 survey, conducted after the ruling coalition’s loss in the crucial Bihar poll.[62]

In November 2017, a survey of Pew Research Center showed Modi to be the "by far" most popular figure in Indian politics. In this survey Modi at 88% was ahead of Rahul Gandhi (58%), Sonia Gandhi (57%) and Arvind Kejriwal (39%).[63]

World records

Narendra Modi and his initiatives have multiple entries in Guinness Book of World Records. Some of them are

Notes

  1. ^ Harding, Luke (18 August 2013). "Profile: Narendra Modi". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  2. ^ "The Hawk in Flight". Outlook India. 24 December 2007. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  3. ^ a b Sharma, Swati (25 June 2014). "White House losing Twitter war to India's Narendra Modi". Washington Post. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  4. ^ "Modi's world second most followed politician on Twitter, Facebook". Times of India. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ "Narendra Modi on Google Hangout, Ajay Devgn to host event". The Times of India. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  6. ^ "People ask, Narendra Modi answers on Google Plus Hangout". CNN-IBN. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  7. ^ "Megyn Kelly asked Narendra Modi if he uses Twitter. His 30 million followers responded". The Washington Post. 2 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  8. ^ Ramaseshan, Radhika (2 July 2013). "Boomerang warning in article on 'polarising' Modi". The Telegraph. Kolkata. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  9. ^ Malik, Ashok (8 November 2012). "Popular but polarising: can Narendra Modi be PM?". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ Bajaj, Vikas (22 December 2012). "In India, a Dangerous and Divisive Technocrat". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  11. ^ a b "NaMo, Ram the new mantra on Dalal Street!". The Economic Times. 15 September 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  12. ^ https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/8pm-nov-8-2017-phew-184698
  13. ^ https://www.ndtv.com/opinion/modi-rings-in-2017-with-new-set-of-falsehoods-1644099
  14. ^ https://www.indiatimes.com/news/here-s-what-pm-modi-may-announce-before-you-begin-your-new-year-party-tonight-268469.html
  15. ^ a b "India's prime minister focuses too much on appearances". The Economist. 2 November 2007.
  16. ^ PM Modi Speaks At Madison Square Garden: Highlights
  17. ^ What Modi Managed in 48 Hours in UAE
  18. ^ "Election Results 2017: Modi's Hindutva politics seems to have swayed Varanasi, rest of UP", Business Standard, 11 March 2017
  19. ^ http://www.thehindu.com/elections/uttarakhand-2017/bjps-victory-in-uttarakhand-a-revolutionary-change-shayam-jaju/article17448917.ece
  20. ^ www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/280517/bjp-victory-in-manipur-modi-vows-to-fulfil-aspirations-of-northeast.html
  21. ^ http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bjp-bags-both-seats-in-goa-by-polls-closes-gap-with-congress-in-assembly/story-uli7tziFPGrcJkJZGm2MQL.html
  22. ^ http://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/why-the-modi-magic-failed-in-punjab/story-PCpI9YF8Qpp5AKwi5zn4NI.html
  23. ^ https://reuters.com/article/india-bihar-election-result-jdu-bjp-modi/pm-modi-suffers-defeat-in-bihar-election-idINKCN0SX04P20151108
  24. ^ http://www.firstpost.com/politics/delhi-election-failed-to-gauge-popular-mood-accept-massive-defeat-says-bjp-2091703.html
  25. ^ http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/big-pump-narendra-modi-amit-shahs-political-muscle-nitish-kumars-jd-u-formally-joins-bjp-led-nda/815023/
  26. ^ a b Wall Street Journal Staff (17 March 2015). "Modi Says His Fashion Sense Is a Gift From God". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  27. ^ Price, Lance (24 March 2015). The Modi Effect: Inside Narendra Modi's Campaign to Transform India. London: Quercus. ISBN 978-1623659387.
  28. ^ Bhattacharya, Suryatapa; Seervai, Shanoor (8 August 2014). "Is Modi India's Best-Dressed Prime Minister Ever?". blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  29. ^ Jenkins, P. Nash (6 June 2014). "India's New Prime Minister Is the Country's Latest Fashion Icon". time.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  30. ^ Bhattacharya, Suryatapa (26 January 2015). "Narendra Modi's Suit and Its Message to Obama - India Real Time". blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  31. ^ a b staff (29 January 2015). "India PM Narendra Modi's '1m-rupee name suit' criticised". bbc.com. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  32. ^ a b c d McCarthy, Julie (20 February 2015). "Modi's Fancy Pinstripe Suit Lands $694,000 At Auction". npr.org. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  33. ^ Nandy, Chandan (27 January 2015). "Modi's monogrammed suit: Rise of the narcissistic parvenu?". indiatimes.com. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  34. ^ Zezima, Katie (26 January 2015). "Prime Minister Modi wore a suit that takes personalization to a ridiculous extreme". The Washington Post. Washington DC: WPC. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  35. ^ a b c d e f g Sharma, Swati (6 June 2014). "Here's what Narendra Modi's fashion says about his politics – The Washington Post". The Washington Post. Washington DC: WPC. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  36. ^ Kidwai, Rasheed; Ramaseshan, Radhika (12 October 2009). "Nothing casual about it". telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  37. ^ a b c Friedman, Vanessa (3 June 2014). "Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India: A Leader Who Is What He Wears". runway.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  38. ^ staff (26 September 2014). "Row over 'Modi kurta' label ends". indiatimes.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  39. ^ Swaroop, Vijay (9 April 2014). "Modi uncut: tailor who stitches for BJP leader". hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  40. ^ Ahuja, Snigdha (1 August 2014). "Troy Costa: Meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new designer". hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  41. ^ Agence France-Presse (27 September 2014). "US gets an eyeful of new India as dapper Modi struts his stuff – The Nation". nationmultimedia.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  42. ^ "Modi dons denims keeping pace with Gujarat – The Hindu". thehindu.com. 7 December 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  43. ^ Kak, Ushi (15 April 2015). "Modish Designs". Outlook. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  44. ^ staff (10 June 2014). "Modi is what he wears: NYT's absurd interpretation of the PM's kurta". firstpost.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  45. ^ "Modi is the Butcher of Gujarat and Kashmir: Bilawal Bhutto". Outlook India. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  46. ^ "Mamata Banerjee's party calls Narendra Modi 'butcher of Gujarat'". NDTV. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  47. ^ Shibli, Murtaza (18 March 2017). "The fascist takeover of India". The News International. Retrieved 10 January 2018. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a direct beneficiary of this anti-Muslim rhetoric and violence. He shot to national prominence following his active role in instigating and abetting the anti-Muslim Gujarat riots that killed over 2,000 Muslims and displaced more than half a million, earning him the sobriquet of the 'Butcher of Gujarat'.
  48. ^ Baig, Muhammad Ali (2 August 2017). "America's new Plaything". Pakistan Today. Retrieved 10 January 2018. The Butcher of Gujarat' was banned from stepping on American soil before being elected the Prime Minister of India in 2014.
  49. ^ "Narendra Modi to be presented 'Gujarat Ratna' today". The Times of India. 18 March 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  50. ^ "Twitter's Modi Express steams past 600,000 followers". One India. 1 May 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  51. ^ "Making Up For Lost Time". India Today. 12 February 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2007.
  52. ^ "Modi wins fDi personality of the year award". Sify. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  53. ^ "Why Narendra Modi is India's Most Loved and Loathed Politician". Time. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  54. ^ Zakaria, Fareed (23 April 2014). "The 100 Most Influential People: Narendra Modi". Time. US. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  55. ^ "Modi is Asia's most followed leader on Twitter". 11 July 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  56. ^ "The World's Most Powerful People". Forbes. November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  57. ^ "The 30 Most Influential People on the Internet". Time. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  58. ^ "Narendra Modi and Kailash Satyarthi are world's greatest leaders, says Fortune Magazine". Business Insider. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  59. ^ "PM honoured with Ghazi Amanullah Khan medal".
  60. ^ "Modi conferred highest Saudi civilian honour". Hindustan times. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  61. ^ Narendra Modi second in list of 30 top-performing world leaders
  62. ^ "Narendra Modi's approval ratings stay high at 74%", Live Mint, 11 March 2016
  63. ^ https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pm-modi-by-far-most-popular-figure-in-indian-politics-says-survey-by-american-think-tank-pew-1776032
  64. ^ Narendra Modi’s Jan Dhan Yojana enters Guinness Book of World Records
  65. ^ Prime Minister Modi helps India stretch its way to world records during International Day of Yoga
  66. ^ Two New Guinness World Records; PM Modi joins in, Rajpath bends into ‘Yogpath’
  67. ^ Narendra Modi creates Guinness World Records
  68. ^ Narendra Modi's Bhopal rally is a Guinness world record
  69. ^ Extremely happy to know PAHAL scheme has set Guinness world record: PM of India

References

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