Brand Image Of Modi And Upcoming Poll

Whenever India goes to the polls, the world, especially South Asia, watches keenly. The last Indian general elections were held in 2019 when India’s “surgical strikes” against Pakistan, which Indian politicians accused of terrorism against their country, provided grounds for the ruling party to get a sweeping victory. Although no such emotional story is on the cards now, the upcoming general election of India to be held early 2024 gives strong evidence that the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government is slated to get one more victory. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known to create an electoral magic potion - a mixture of demagoguery and ideological rhetoric - to win over the votes of his electorates. Modi is known to have emerged as a BJP brand that excels in winning support by exciting the emotions of ordinary people which many a times could override moral values. 

In the recently-completed five-state elections in India, three were won by the BJP, giving them the prime position to win the 2024 general elections. The legislative elections in the five states – Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram – were the last set of polls before the general elections scheduled for April 2024. BJP won in the three Hindi-speaking states of North India including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The initial victory over state elections is expected to have a psychological impact on the political parties and the voters. 

General fear

In the upcoming Indian general elections, Modi is seeking to win his third term as premier. The indication of BJP winning three out of the five states is seen as an indication that Modi is heading towards a “hat-trick.” Although BJP is a mainstream political party which has had visionary leaders in the past, currently most of the major party decisions are known to be taken mainly by a handful of leaders including Modi and his home minister Amit Shah. A general slogan of “Modi guarantees” is popularised all over the country with hoarding boards showing that he ensures services to the poor and the marginalised people like the tribals and women. Many development sector workers and rights activists are very sceptical of this branding which they feel is not projecting the real scenario within the country. Also, there is a general fear of religious minorities mainly the Muslims of India being marginalised and deprived of power and resources to live a dignified life.

While the brand image of Modi is growing more and more popular and BJP is growing as the strongest political force in India, a subtle fear and anger seems to be brewing up all over the country, especially among human rights activists and stalwart democrats. In the past, the general citizens of India have demonstrated their ability of fighting for freedom and democracy. They have shown leadership in leading mass social and political movements to establish and institutionalise democratic value systems in a country that probably has the most diverse population and states in a federal republic. They have often been seen as the symbol of democracy in the region.

However, slowly a culture of silencing seems to be enforced, which stops the mass rallies protests and demonstrations that India is used to hosting. Without much notice, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) and private sector entities that raise voices against injustice are being harassed. When they go for renewal of their organisations, and their accounts associated to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) there are chances of them being refused without notice. Several NGOs who work on human rights issues are now struggling to renew their FCRA account. When they request for reasons for not renewing the FCRA account, they are often not given proper reasons and many hesitate to file court cases in fear of being targeted. 

In a democratic country like India, there seems to be a lack of a strong opposition. The Indian Congress party has failed to pose a strong opposition or to garner support from the people. This is mainly attributed to the weak leadership of Rahul Gandhi- the portrayal of the Gandhi dynasty that controls the Congress party. Rahul Gandhi stands no chance of outriding the brand image and charisma that Modi seems to flaunt. There are several doubts about Gandhi’s ability to lead the party to an electoral success in 2024.  

Saffronisation drive  

Although the victory of the three states before the upcoming 2024 general elections does not guarantee BJP a victory, it definitely has given them a head start. With the rise of BJP and indications of it heading towards forming a third government in India, there is also a saffronisation movement not only inside the country but also in the region. The influences of Modi and the Rastriya Swayam Sewak (RSS) of India are very much felt across the open borders in Nepal. The right-wing political parties in Nepal have outrightly promoted slogans like “bring the king back and reinstate the Hindu state.” This is not only harmful for Nepal but for democratic values in the region itself. 

Nepal has shown that the people’s movement can overturn absolute monarchy and set up a federal republic system in the country to uplift her citizens keeping in mind the diverse religious and ethnic communities living in the country. A reverse trend of going back to a secular state and monarchy will be retrogressive and not possible. Demonstrations of interest to bring fundamentalist systems back will have a negative impact on the mindsets of the people who are slowly trying to move ahead and progress in establishing a sustainable system of livelihood and move out of poverty, especially from the adverse impacts imposed by harsh climate changes and the COVID-19 pandemic. A right winged wave flowing in from the South is not desired in Nepal. Therefore, caution needs to be applied as BJP marches ahead with indications of a victory with its alliances once more. 

(Sharma is a senior journalist and women rights advocate namrata1964@yahoo.com Twitter handle: @NamrataSharmaP)