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Public image of Narendra Modi

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

Personal life

Modi was born in a Gujarati Hindu family and is a vegetarian.[1][2]He has two older brothers and three younger brothers.[3]He is married, but acknowledged the marriage only in April 2014, shortly before the national elections that swept him to power. His spouse is Jashodaben, a retired school teacher. The couple has remained married, but estranged for more than fifty years.[4] He is a lifelong member of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its political arm, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).[a] Modi became a 'Pracharak'[b] (missionary worker) of the RSS in early 1970s. Since becoming a prachark, Modi has either cut down or reduced ties to his family per the RSS rules. [12][13][14]

Perception through the years

Journalist Ashis Nandy, who is also a trained psychologist, was one of the first to interview Modi when the latter was an RSS pracharak at the height of the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign in the early 1990s. At that time in Modi, he found "a classic, clinical case of a fascist".[15]

Soon after becoming the chief minister of Gujarat, the state was convulsed by sectarian riots in 2002.The complicity of Modi's government in the pogrom against the Muslim minorities made Modi a pariah for many years.[16] The United States and many European countries imposed visa bans on Modi after the riots. These remained in force for many years and were lifted shortly before he became prime minister in 2014[17]

Soon after the Gujarat riots, Modi embarked on a strategy to make the state a friendly place to set up business and rebrand his image from being a Hindu hardliner to a development oriented leader. This led to him being dubbed as Vikaspurush (Development man).[18] This was the main theme during his successful campaign in 2014.[19]

Communication strategies

Modi has used multiple strategies to build up his image. These include use of Social media, government media outlets, and a distinct attire. The machinery for this works also includes ad makers, speechwriters and assorted spinners managing Modi's image and campaigns.

Social media

One of the main strategies used by Narendra Modi and his government has been the extensive use of Social media to directly communicate with the public. In September 2014 Modi became the second-most-followed leader in the world with 5 million Twitter subscribers.[20][21] Modi's 31 August 2012 post on Google Hangouts made him the first Indian politician to interact with netizens on live chat.[22][23] Modi was the second-most-followed leader in the world (with over 30 million followers on Twitter, as of June 2017[24] behind only Barack Obama.[20] For the 2014 elections, The BJP's National Digital Operations Centre (NDOC) led a group of volunteers for the social media campaign. The volunteers were charged with trolling and attacking mainstream journalists considered unfavorable to Modi. The group was headed by Arvind Gupta.[25] Gupta joined the team in 2009 and for 2014 election campaign, he was in charge of websites, uploading videos of rallies and meetings, distributing them to media houses, and posting comments and releases and trolling opponents online.[26]

There has been concern over misinformation and fake news being spread on social media platforms, particularly Whatsapp, by Modi's BJP. [27] [28][29]

Mann ki Baat

Modi's use of social media has been at the expense of traditional media such as Television and print media. He rarely gives interviews or holds a press conference.[30] Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has also been hosting a monthly monologue called Mann Ki Baat on the government owned All India radio and Doordarshan.[31][32][33]His supporters applaud the use of an old fashioned medium like radio to promote positive social causes while his detractors call it another propaganda tactic by Modi to reach out to millions of people untouched by the internet. [34]

Media intimidation

Modi has been called a controversial, polarising and divisive figure by many media sources. [35][36][37] There are reports that Modi and his government are highly anxious to avoid negative media attention. Journalists and public figures have lost their jobs following criticism of Modi.[38]

Optics and Attire

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[39][40]

Modi has been called a fashion leader in India, and his clothing choices have been discussed internationally.[41][42] Recognition of his sartorial style is a major part of his public image.[39] The type of vest regularly worn by Modi have become popular, and called as Modi Jackets.[43]

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.[44] Modi claimed that the suit was gifted to him.[45] 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.[46] Other commentators said that in choosing this suit Modi was being a parvenu,[47] at the height of vanity,[46] going to a ridiculous extreme,[48] and political opposition party leader Jairam Ramesh said that he was a megalomaniac.[45] A month later the suit was auctioned for US$695,000 and amount was which was directly donated to Clean Ganga Mission. 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".[46] What was noticeable was that though Modi had not paid a penny for the suit material and also the making which was done free of cost by Jade Blue, he still managed to auction the suit for US$695,000 and contributed the entire amount for Clean Ganga project.[citation needed]

Modi's usual attire is a kurta and vest,[49] and his half-sleeve kurta is sometimes called the Modi Kurta.[50][51][52] The prime minister's clothes are made of silk or cotton, are crisply ironed and are handmade in Gujarat.[citation needed] When he was chief minister he wore bold, bright colours, changing to pastels as prime minister. For holidays, Modi wears a traditional turban from wherever he is.[49] Some of his clothing has been created by Bollywood fashion designer Troy Costa.[53][54]

In 2009, Modi's clothing was said to be Bollywoodesque and indicative of Gujarat's modernism.[55] 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." 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.[51] Responding to Tanna, another commentator said that Modi's fashion choice has no particular meaning and there is no need to interpret it.[56]

Modi also likes to don the orange (bhagwa) robes of a Hindu sanyasi for photo opportunities. At the end of the election campaign in May 2019, he travelled to a mountain cave in the Himalayas at Kedarnath for meditation.He was heavily mocked by national and international media for conducting his meditation (tapasya in Sanskrit) in a cave that had an attached toilet, a heater, a bathing area, an electric geyser, a telephone, WiFi, and a grand view. A cameraperson was allowed to record the session.[57]

Charity

Modi donates big chunk of amount for different government related schemes. He always auctions gifts received. He has raised Rs 89.96 crore by auctioning all gifts he received as Chief Minister of Gujarat and donated this to the Kanya Kelavani Fund. After becoming PM, he has contributing to public causes ranging from Girl Child Education to Clean Ganga to welfare of underprivileged. These donations have now exceeded 103 crores and most of that comes from auctions of the gift he has received and from his personal savings. [3] The ethics of his auctioning of gifts that he received as a government official has been subjected to criticism.[58]

Yoga

After promoting Yoga in his 2015 address to the UN, Modi has been holding the International Day of Yoga every year on Northern Summer solstice which falls on 21 June.[59]

Popularity and Influence

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%).[60]

In a nationwide survey concerning Indian Chief Ministers, Modi was named Best Chief Minister in 2007 by India Today.[61] In March 2012 Modi appeared on the cover of the Asian edition of Time, one of the few Indian politicians to have done so,[62] and made the 2014 Time 100 list of the world's most influential people.[63] He has become the most followed Asian leader on Twitter,[64] and in 2014 was ranked the 15th-most-powerful person in the world by Forbes.[65] 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.[66] In 2015, Modi was ranked 5th on Forbes magazine's list of 'World's Greatest Leaders'.[67]Modi was featured in a cover story by Time magazine titled India's divider in chief in May 2019.This was later followed by an article, in the same magazine, written by Modi advisor, Manoj Ladwa titled, "Modi united India like no PM in decades" in the May 2019 issue of Time magazine.[68]

Awards

Modi has received honours from countries such as Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.[69][70]

References

Notes

  1. ^ The RSS is an Indian right-wing,[5] Hindu nationalist,[6][7] all-male, paramilitary[8] volunteer[9] organisation.
  2. ^ Most Pracharak or missionaries of RSS dedicate themselves to lifelong celibacy, poverty and service to the Sangh.The pracharak system has several levels starting at local to increasing responsibility at Taluka, district and area level.[10] Many senior RSS pracharaks also occupy organizational positions in the BJP.[11]

Citations

  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. ^ Mahurkar, Uday (2016). "The other Modis". India Today. No. December 16 2016. Living Media India Limited. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  4. ^ CNN Library (12 September 2018), Narendra Modi: Fast Facts, CNN {{citation}}: |author= has generic name (help) Quote: "Marriage: Jashodaben (Chimanlal) Modi (1968-present, separated); Entered into an arranged marriage as a teenager to Jashodaben Chimanlal. When he filed his nomination for prime minister, he was forced to acknowledge the marriage after almost 50 years of claiming to be single."
  5. ^ Johnson, Matthew; Garnett, Mark; Walker, David M (2017), Conservatism and Ideology, Taylor & Francis, p. 77, ISBN 978-1-317-52899-9
  6. ^ Horowitz, Donald L. (2001). The Deadly Ethnic Riot. University of California Press. p. 244. ISBN 978-0520224476.
  7. ^ Jeff Haynes (2 September 2003). Democracy and Political Change in the Third World. Routledge. pp. 168–. ISBN 978-1-134-54184-3. Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  8. ^ McLeod, John (2002). The history of India. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 209–. ISBN 978-0-313-31459-9. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  9. ^ Andersen & Damle 1987, p. 111.
  10. ^ V.M. Sirsikar (Author); Maxine Berntsen (Editor) (1 January 1988). The Experience of Hinduism: Essays on Religion in Maharashtra. SUNY Press. pp. 196–197. ISBN 978-0-88706-662-7. {{cite book}}: |author1= has generic name (help)
  11. ^ Crawford Young; Professor Crawford Young (1993). The Rising Tide of Cultural Pluralism: The Nation-state at Bay?. Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-299-13884-4.
  12. ^ Mahurkar, Uday (2016). "The other Modis". India tToday. No. Dec 29 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  13. ^ Bodh, Anand (17 February 2014). "I am single, so best man to fight graft: Narendra Modi". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  14. ^ "Jashodaben is my wife, Narendra Modi admits under oath". The Times of India. 10 April 2014. Archived from the original on 10 April 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  15. ^ Nandy, A., 2002. Obituary of a Culture. Journal of Future Studies, 7(1), p.101.[1]
  16. ^ Muraleedharan, Sruthi (2019). Symbolic encounters: identity, performativity and democratic subjectivity in contemporary India (PDF). London, UK: (SOAS University of London). p. 103. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  17. ^ Sreeram Chaulia (10 October 2016). Modi Doctrine: The Foreign Policy of India's Prime Minister. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 13–. ISBN 978-93-86141-98-9.
  18. ^ Skoric, Marko M.; Parycek, Peter; Schossböck, Judith (9 October 2018). CeDEM Asia 2018: Proceedings of the International Conference for E-Democracy and Open Government ; Japan 2018. Edition Donau-Universität Krems. pp. 97–98. ISBN 978-3-903150-30-0.
  19. ^ Muraleedharan, Sruthi (2019). Symbolic encounters: identity, performativity and democratic subjectivity in contemporary India (PDF). London, UK: (SOAS University of London). p. 101-162. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  20. ^ a b Sharma, Swati (25 June 2014). "White House losing Twitter war to India's Narendra Modi". Washington Post. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  21. ^ "Modi's world second most followed politician on Twitter, Facebook". Times of India. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  22. ^ "Narendra Modi on Google Hangout, Ajay Devgun to host event". The Times of India. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  23. ^ "People ask, Narendra Modi answers on Google Plus Hangout". CNN-IBN. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  24. ^ "Megyn Kelly asked Narendra Modi if he uses Twitter. His 30 million followers responded". The Washington Post. 2 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  25. ^ Swati Chaturvedi (2016). I Am a Troll: Inside the Secret World of the BJP's Digital Army. Juggernaut Books. p. 57. ISBN 978-93-86228-09-3.
  26. ^ "All the Modi men". The Telegraph online. No. 5.04.14. Telegraph. 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  27. ^ Perrigo, Billy. "How Volunteers for India's Ruling Party Are Using WhatsApp to Fuel Fake News Ahead of Elections". time.com. Marc & Lynne Benioff. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  28. ^ Poonam, Snigdha; Bansal, Samarth (1 April 2019). "Misinformation Is Endangering India's Election". The Atlantic. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  29. ^ Ponniah, Kevin (5 April 2019). "WhatsApp: The 'black hole' of fake news in India's election". BBC. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  30. ^ Plagemann, J. and Destradi, S., 2019. Populism and foreign policy: The case of India. Foreign Policy Analysis, 15(2), pp.283-301.[2]
  31. ^ "PM's first radio address 'Mann ki baat': Top 10 quotes", Rediff.com
  32. ^ "Narendra Modi touches people through his Mann Ki Baat, leaves opposition squirming", Daily News and Analysis, 4 October 2014
  33. ^ "Modi goes on AIR". The Hindu. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  34. ^ Dholakia, Amit (2018). "How 'Mann Ki Baat' is an effective soft propaganda". Ahmedabad Mirror. No. Nov 21, 2018. India Times. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  35. ^ Ramaseshan, Radhika (2 July 2013). "Boomerang warning in article on 'polarising' Modi". The Telegraph. Kolkata. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  36. ^ 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.
  37. ^ Bajaj, Vikas (22 December 2012). "In India, a Dangerous and Divisive Technocrat". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  38. ^ "India's prime minister focuses too much on appearances". The Economist. 2 November 2007.
  39. ^ 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.
  40. ^ Price, Lance (24 March 2015). The Modi Effect: Inside Narendra Modi's Campaign to Transform India. London: Quercus. ISBN 978-1623659387.
  41. ^ Bhattacharya, Suryatapa; Seervai, Shanoor (8 August 2014). "Is Modi India's Best-Dressed Prime Minister Ever?". blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  42. ^ Jenkins, P. Nash (6 June 2014). "India's New Prime Minister Is the Country's Latest Fashion Icon". time.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  43. ^ https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/three-years-and-counting-modi-jackets-remain-hot-favourites-with-consumers-2358289.html
  44. ^ Bhattacharya, Suryatapa (26 January 2015). "Narendra Modi's Suit and Its Message to Obama – India Real Time". blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  45. ^ a b staff (29 January 2015). "India PM Narendra Modi's '1m-rupee name suit' criticised". bbc.com. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  46. ^ a b c McCarthy, Julie (20 February 2015). "Modi's Fancy Pinstripe Suit Lands $694,000 At Auction". npr.org. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  47. ^ Nandy, Chandan (27 January 2015). "Modi's monogrammed suit: Rise of the narcissistic parvenu?". indiatimes.com. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  48. ^ 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.
  49. ^ a b 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.
  50. ^ Kidwai, Rasheed; Ramaseshan, Radhika (12 October 2009). "Nothing casual about it". telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  51. ^ a b 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.
  52. ^ staff (26 September 2014). "Row over 'Modi kurta' label ends". indiatimes.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  53. ^ Ahuja, Snigdha (1 August 2014). "Troy Costa: Meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new designer". hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  54. ^ 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.
  55. ^ "Modi dons denims keeping pace with Gujarat – The Hindu". thehindu.com. 7 December 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  56. ^ staff (10 June 2014). "Modi is what he wears: NYT's absurd interpretation of the PM's kurta". firstpost.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  57. ^ Sampath, G (May 2019). "Luxury meditation: A cave with a view". The Hindu. No. May 26, 2019. The Hindu. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  58. ^ "Congress asks PM Modi to explain gift Ethics". Times of India. No. February 18 2015. Times of India. 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  59. ^ "'Yoga brings people together': PM Modi on International Yoga Day". Hindustan Times. 21 June 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  60. ^ "PM Narendra Modi 'By Far' Most Popular Figure In Indian Politics: Pew Survey". Ndtv.com. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  61. ^ "Making Up For Lost Time". India Today. 12 February 2007. Archived from the original on 13 February 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2007.
  62. ^ "Why Narendra Modi is India's Most Loved and Loathed Politician". Time. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  63. ^ Zakaria, Fareed (23 April 2014). "The 100 Most Influential People: Narendra Modi". Time. US. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  64. ^ "Modi is Asia's most followed leader on Twitter". 11 July 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  65. ^ "The World's Most Powerful People". Forbes. November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  66. ^ "The 30 Most Influential People on the Internet". Time. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  67. ^ "Narendra Modi and Kailash Satyarthi are world's greatest leaders, says Fortune Magazine". Business Insider. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  68. ^ "Narendra Modi: After 'India's divider in chief', Time magazine now says 'Modi has united India'". The Economic Times. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  69. ^ "PM honoured with Ghazi Amanullah Khan medal".
  70. ^ "Modi conferred highest Saudi civilian honour". Hindustan times. Retrieved 3 April 2016.

References

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