Prime Minister Narendra Modi is never one to shy away from proclaiming his own greatness. He talks about himself in the third person. He often tells the world how he had some fabulous idea that stumped even the experts, like ordering the air strike on Balakot under cloud cover “to evade radar.”
But that’s nothing compared to his most recent claim to exalted status. Modi has stated, repeatedly and apparently with the utmost seriousness, that his birth and presence on Earth is not the result of a mere biological process, like the rest of us. He is “more and more convinced,” he said, especially after the death of his mother, that he was sent by the Almighty to accomplish some purpose on Earth. How else could he explain the kind of energy he has?
After saying this in a television interview with a fawning host, he has repeated it to others. Modi does not tell us, however, what the objectives of the Almighty are. Could they be making sure his business friends make more money than ever? That Muslims are turned into second class citizens? May India become a Hindu rashtra, with all its antediluvian accompaniments?
In any normal situation, such repeated claims of divine ordination would invite men wearing white straight jackets, but after all, he is the prime minister of a great country and that option is not available.
So how should Modi’s repeated claims of divinity be interpreted? How immaculately disappointing, given that elections are ongoing and you need to come up with something new to please voters all the time? But the elections are almost over, so this couldn’t just be a ploy to capture votes.
In recent days, Modi’s pronouncements have become increasingly bizarre: He suddenly mentioned Adani and Ambani, saying they had sent truckloads of cash to Rahul Gandhi, and then stopped talking about it, no doubt at the same time. realizing that this meant that his industrial friends had a lot of black money to give to politicians. Or when he said he never used the word ‘Muslim’ when talking about “those with many children” and then the next day attacked Muslims.
But cynics would be wrong to dismiss Modi’s illusions of divine grandeur as mere electoral rhetoric. In fact, there have been many hints over the last 10 years that Modi has begun to think of himself as someone different, someone far above any other human, who has been blessed with power far beyond the reach of a human. Ordinary.
In his electoral life, since becoming chief minister of Gujarat in 2001, Modi has never personally lost an election. He has always led his party to victory in the state and, since 2014, in the center. He is the emblematic figure of the BJP and it would not be incorrect to say that the public comes to his rallies to see him. If he disappeared from the scene, the BJP would probably crumble. No one in his party has the appeal to draw crowds or the clout to unite his own colleagues. Furthermore, no one in his own party can confront him and ask him questions; senior leaders are reduced to jelly in his presence. That kind of power can affect someone’s head.
Modi’s repeated visits to temples, participating in elaborate pujas and all the attention of television channels focused on him, also indicate his growing God complex. The secular nature of the Constitution and the fact that a prime minister should not spend so much time away from his desk have not prevented him from presiding over religious rituals.
Back in May 2019, he was photographed meditating in a cave in Kedarnath and how many times has he said that he left his home after getting married to wander in the mountains. There are no facts available, but clearly, his repeated claims that he is a ‘fakeer’, a mere mendicant, should tell us something: that Narendra Modi’s recent statements are the culmination of an elaborate, lifelong image-building exercise. And that, even if his party loses on June 4, he will not leave until he finishes his divine work.
Note: this is an article republished from “The Wire” through a cooperation agreement between both parties for the dissemination of journalistic content. original link.
Sidharth Bhatia is one of the founders and editor-in-charge of The Wire, an Indian news outlet.
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