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HomeOpinionStrong 'bhakti' cult, ticket-winning nationalism — why 78% people rated Modi 'outstanding'

Strong ‘bhakti’ cult, ticket-winning nationalism — why 78% people rated Modi ‘outstanding’

In episode 544 of #CutTheClutter, Shekhar Gupta looks at the India Today 'Mood of the Nation' survey and analyses why Modi continues to be viewed favourably.

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New Delhi: The India Today’s ‘Mood Of The Nation’ (MOTN) survey has revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoys a strong bhakti cult, where no matter what happens in the country the loyalists of the prime minister will stick with him, said ThePrint’s Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta in episode 544 of ‘Cut The Clutter’.

A high 78 per cent of the people surveyed found the performance of PM Modi ‘outstanding or good’, while only while 17 per cent considered it ‘average’ and a 5 per cent termed it as ‘poor’.

The ‘Bhakti cult’ is evident across many populist leaders around the world — from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and even US President Donald Trump, whose affirmative rating is still more or less 40 per cent.

However, the survey also revealed that more than religion, nationalism is BJP’s strong point and their winning ticket. With the China crisis now looming large, people don’t want political binaries.

This is why 59 per cent respondents stated that India should go to war with its eastern neighbour over the Ladakh standoff. When asked how India’s military capabilities compare with China’s, 72 per cent said they believe India could win in a war against China.

People like to believe it’s only issues like the Ram Mandir that Modi is winning on. But the poll shows that the biggest success of the Modi government is the revocation of Article 370 — that also gets just 16 per cent. Only 13 per cent believe that the Ram Temple is the government’s most significant achievement.

This tells you that nationalism is a much stronger impulse for Indians than even religion.

The Opposition and others sometimes make a big mistake by thinking that Modi’s success or BJP’s success is all about religion and Hindutva. They underestimate the power of nationalism and national security.


Also read: Narendra Modi is India’s best PM, Yogi Adityanath the best CM, finds India Today survey


Modi’s personality cast in titanium

Another very important reason behind Modi’s popularity is trust, Gupta said.

Modi won the elections on the strength of his personality. It’s like when people are sick, they go to a hospital. They trust the doctor. Later, they may say the doctor messed up and something happened. But when you are in a hospital, you trust those men and women in white.

Similarly, you trust a leader, particularly if it’s a leader who you hold generally in high regard. And in Modi’s case, some of this trust comes from the belief that he is selfless, that he’s trying his best.

People say Modi is Teflon-coated. However, Teflon coating can reduce over time with usage. But this is a personality, which is like it’s cast in titanium, Gupta said.

Finally, it’s an instinctive point that when in adversity, people stick to the tried and tested. So now with the coronavirus pandemic, the whole world facing an economic crisis and the Chinese at our borders — people think it is better to stick with the ones in power.

It’s once again like if you were in trouble in a hospital. As a patient, you really don’t want to change hospitals just because somebody tells you another hospital will be better because you have your tubes and you feel secure where you are.

Watch the latest episode of CTC here:


Also read: Modi redefined secularism with Ram Mandir as Hindu voters were fed up of Sonia-Left version


 

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19 COMMENTS

  1. It’s too simple, only one logic for his follow for which he is popular.
    It’s the maxim, the enemy of your of your enemy is your friend.
    Primarily, all Muslim haters love modi , no other logic.
    Try it out, if from tomorrow Modi tells that Muslim brethen are equal to Hindu lots, not a single follower will vote for him.
    The pity is all Muslim haters strongly made to believe that with history classes since last 10 yrs all Muslims will leave India for Hindus only n it will be a Hindu nation.
    With their own Chief economist telling that it’s the worst economy in last 70 yrs n all good brains leaving or left the govt, 30 crores unemployed roaming around, education at it’s lowest standard and not to talk of health. even God can help me
    Only I can request the India today to select few people who have at least basic knowledge on these.
    When my own child with b tech qualification struggling to get a 6 k/ month salary, n I am happy with playing the cheerleader role for Hindu caused or hell bent to revenge 300 yrs old faults then not

  2. Supporting Modi and Opposing Modi has become PERSONAL for almost all citizens. No matter what, Modi has waded into personal area of every person and family. From here on, if Modi appears to be sincere in his effort , he will be supported to the hilt by his support family members and those who oppose him, will oppose him like he is a threat to their family since all his efforts are perilous directly according to them. So the results are immaterial anymore. The means serve the purpose for all his supporters and opponents and since Modi’s supporters outnumber by many fold, it would only swell in the coming days unless until Modi makes a mistake of gargantuan level, which seems to be unlikely at the moment.

  3. It seems we, including some of The Print team, who can earn while still working from home, tend to sit in judgement of those Indians out there. Sitting in comfort of our drawing rooms, we may have failed to realise that running a country, whose economy was already in down turn, during a mysterious (today, nobody yet knows how it will behave) pandemic is not as easy as passing some criticisms. In the circumstance the best that could be done, possibly, was to bolster the spirits of all countryman and ensure as far as possible, nobody goes hungry – so that the Nation survives to fight another day.
    Pessimism and negativity has never helped anything any time.

    Those Indians out there probably know their country better than some of us with preconceived notions of governence

    • Col KL Viswanathan: You pontificate:

      “.. the best that could be done, possibly, was to bolster the spirits of all countryman and ensure as far as possible, nobody goes hungry ..”

      But is that happening today in the Modistan / Lynchistan that people like you have turned India into? Has the hunger you refer to been banished because the nation was glued to the images of a flawed man with a pogrom under his belt performing pooja at Ayodhya? Stunts performed at temples with electoral gains in mind do not solve the chronic problems that the BJP government has created in the country.

      And I write this as the Hindu son of a military man who saw action in 1962. My octogenarian father, who too had BJP leanings started questioning them after he received a call form his Muslim soldier friend from 1962 asking my father if we would offer sanctuary and refuge to his family should there be attacks on Muslims in his UP village. Needless to say, one soldier does not ditch another and religion never intervenes in that brotherhood of men. And my father would have always protected that soldier’s Muslim family, or for that matter anyone fleeing the thuggish mobs of the BJP. That is the India that has been ushered in by this philosophy of hate.

      It is though a pity that military men like you do not think like that and allow yourselves to be led like lemmings. And marching to the tunes set by a Hindutva demagogue instead of upholding democratic ideals. Truly sad that military men do not fathom that the only institution that was untainted by parochail politics is today succumbing to this philosophy of hate. Indirectly abetted by men like you.

      Deeply disappointing Colonel !

      • You will be disappointed for a very very long time. Do Baba Ramdev’s yoga, it will help your troubled soul. Bring your muslim friend also.

        • Thanks for the concern about my soul. Your ludicrous rant shows that I am not the one who sorely needs to see a shrink.

          Baba Ramdev is a fraudster and a living example of a crony capitalist benefiting from proximity to the Chief Gujarathi. I will not go anywhere near this crook, tax dodger and wheeler-dealer. Of course, if you want to be his lota boy, you are welcome to be that !

      • Dear KJ,
        Thank you for your views.
        But may I point out, that implicating my profession in your views in itself reveals the weakness of your arguments. I would request that in your discussions everywhere, henceforth, you talk your point and not the virtues or otherwise of the writer / commentator.
        Regards

        • Col KL Viswanathan: Thank you very much for your response.

          Clearly, if you had not indicated your profession in front of your name, my comment might have taken a different path. Besides claiming that my arguments are weak, you still seem unable to mount a coherent rebuttal to the concerns I raise in my original post. Why are they weak Colonel avargale? Care to explain Sir ?

          • Dear KJ,
            It is not right for us to believe we know more than the 78% directly affected. It is not right for us to decide for them, sitting far away from these people.
            I am yet to hear about people dying in droves because of hunger, now in India.
            I put out who I am (You may not be aware that the earned Military rank (given by the President of India) and academic “Professor” are the only positions that can be mentioned with your name even after retirement as per the Indian constitution ), as I do not want to hide who I am when I put out my views. But, may I submit, that does not give you freedom to denigrate it.
            That you use of sarcasm to further your point is also a decided indication of a weak position.

            Warm Regards

  4. Jt seems we, including some of The Print team, who can earn while still working from home, tend to sit in judgement of those Indians out there. Sitting in comfort of our drawing rooms, we may have failed to realise that running a country, whose economy was already in down turn, during a mysterious (today, nobody knows how of will behave) pandemic is not as easy as passing some criticisms. In the circumstance the best that could be done, possibly, was to bolster the spirits of all countryman and ensure as far as possible, nobody goes hungry – so that the Nation survives to fight another day.
    Pessimism and negativity has never helped anything any time.

  5. It is not clear whether Shekhar is indifferent to or upset or elated about the survey results. Rajdeep was definitely in severe pains while discussing it on India Today. However, with whatever its limitations, there is no choice but to take it as it is as of now, given that it is self attested professional survey but hope for better sickular sense to prevail even in the carefully selected random sample, next time around! In the meanwhile, acceptance of Modi bhakti is the only way of the piquant situation, lest your readers accuse of being biased.

    • Mr Radhakrishnan Pattabiraman: Well, when you say :

      “.. Nation puts its faith on this TRUSTED AND TRUE LEADER of the Nation ..”

      I suppose you mean those who didn’t perish during the violent pogroms that “trusted and true leader” unleashed upon “termites” right?

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