New Delhi: Beating of dhols and nagadas and bhangra dances to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi back from the US at Delhi’s Palam airport Sunday signalled a renewed attempt by the BJP to project him as a “global leader” from whom the entire world seeks “guidance”, as party president J.P. Nadda put it.
Multiple BJP leaders ThePrint spoke to conceded that showcasing Modi’s global stature is expected to counter the negative sentiments that may have arisen due to economic hardships and “perception” of pandemic mismanagement.
It also comes at a time when Modi’s popularity ratings have been falling. India Today’s ‘Mood of the Nation’ survey showed a dip in his popularity rating from 66 per cent in 2020 to 24 per cent in 2021. Another survey by American data intelligence firm Morning Consult said Modi’s approval rating was 63 per cent in May this year, down from 84 per cent a year back.
Consequently, Nadda, who had reached the airport along with other senior party leaders, sought to project Modi in league with powerful global leaders.
In his speech at the airport, the party president referred to Modi’s friendship with US President Joe Biden and also noted that India has emerged as a global player under the PM.
According to BJP leaders, Modi’s foreign visits have always been crucial to his overall image building.
“PM Modi’s politics is a mix of his persona and his brand value. His foreign visit plays a crucial role in building his overall image. Whether it was the ‘Howdy Modi!’ event or the Madison Square one, it helped the BJP send a message that the PM is protecting India’s interest and that India is no longer seen as a weak nation but has a strong voice of its own,” said a senior BJP leader.
“Perception is important and such events help in creating a positive perception about the government and especially the PM,” the leader told ThePrint.
More than 15,000 people — both BJP workers and the general public — had gathered outside the Palam airport for the felicitation ceremony.
“It was almost a 2 km long queue and PM Modi thanked everyone who had come. There were around 10-12 different musical groups, including bhangra, some were playing shehnai, while others played dhol to greet PM Modi,” Harshdeep Malhotra, Delhi BJP general secretary, told ThePrint.
“The entire route had hoardings of ‘Global leader Modi ji ka Abhinandan’ and pushp varsha (tossing of flower petals) was carried out continuously,” said Malhotra, who attended the programme.
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Modi’s image building via foreign visits
This is not the first time that the BJP has used Modi’s US visit to reach out to the domestic audience and to show how India is viewed as a strong nation under Modi.
A similar felicitation programme was held after his 2019 US visit as well. However, another senior BJP leader noted that the Sunday ceremony held greater significance because such foreign visits had not taken place for the past two years because of Covid.
Furthermore, he added, the prime minister’s popularity had also started to wane amid the Covid pandemic and the sluggish economy.
Such events also provide a much needed “breather” to the government and the party, which is facing criticism for Covid “management”, increasing unemployment and the economy, said a BJP leader, who wished to remain unnamed.
“This visit was the best opportunity to rebuild the PM’s image before the domestic constituency. The US visit will help us regain the trust of the audience once again especially with elections just round the corner as it is not easy to tackle inflation or create jobs immediately but such events help the people in realising that one needs a strong PM and other things become secondary,” he said.
“It was the PM ‘s first face-to-face meeting with the new dispensation in America. The PM’s UN address was on two challenges — Pakistan and Afghanistan — which has gone well in the domestic audience. It needs to be lauded as the new Democrat government (in the US) lauded India’s effort to fight global pandemic as well as our vaccination efforts,” the leader added.
At the event Sunday as well, Nadda reflected on India’s significant contribution to global development and also Modi’s “frank” meetings with Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris.
“PM Modi and US president Joe Biden’s relationship is not of today but is an old friendship. And the US President has also made a mention of this friendship in his statement in clear words. Which is why we were all able to see that the talks between the two leaders showed frankness and intimacy when they discussed the relation between the two countries and global issues. This too shows how India’s perception has changed for the better,” he said.
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BJP uses foreign visits to deflect attention: Experts
Political experts, meanwhile, noted that BJP has always made it a point to use opportunities like this to highlight PM Modi and deflect attention from their shortcomings.
“BJP is a party in permanent campaign mode, they don’t leave any opportunity that can highlight the PM or the government. Such events are also used to deflect issues where the performance of the government has been sub-par, and use meetings with world leaders or international forums to trump up as significant achievement,” said Rahul Verma, Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) in New Delhi.
“At the same time, I feel, a certain level of personality cult and hero worship has developed within the BJP, which may prove counterproductive for the party in the medium-run. PM Modi must understand the dangers of this precedent and reign in such elements. But having said that, the party will use every possible opportunity to beef up the PM’s image in some way or the other,” Verma told ThePrint.
These kind of events are also crucial for the role they play in image politics for both the domestic base as well as diaspora, according to experts.
“Such events are significant for the BJP and PM Modi as both have been conscious of creating a strong and respectful image internationally. This is crucial not only for the domestic audience but NRIs too as they take pride in a strong India and strong PM,” said political expert Badri Narayan, professor at Govind Ballabh Pant Social Science Institute in Allahabad.
“These events play a crucial role in image politics and the BJP is quite conscious of that. It helps in creating a change in perception not only in India but as well as outside too. Those living outside the country want an India which is strong and makes them feel significant,” Narayan told ThePrint.
(With inputs from Shankar Arnimesh)
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