Half way through his maiden innings at the Centre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to be working hard at digging his party's grave. With a new self-promotional antic each day, Modi is fast making progress at turning away even his ardent supporters.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's defence of the use of Modi's picture on the Khadi and Village Industries Commission calendar was weak, and once again showed the party's feeble-kneed state that makes it speak in favour of one man's smugness. By calling the criticism about the replacement of the iconic picture of Mahatma Gandhi using the spinning wheel with that of Modi in a similar pose "unwarranted" and one that "reflects the Opposition's bankruptcy of issues against the government," the ruling party exposed that it had no valid argument to support the move.
And even as people were trying to brush off the decision as yet another narcissistic act of the PM, came the news that the Madhya Pradesh government has directed all government buildings, including state-run schools, to display portraits of Modi on their premises. The MP government, of course, also included President Pranab Mukherjee's name in the directive. But knowing Modi's love for publicity, the inclusion is more likely to be seen as a result of fear of backlash rather than a genuine feeling to focus on the head of state of the country.
While the prime minister's supporters have time and again been trying to draw people's attention to his agenda of development, his failure to display a humble side of him will only create a dent in their efforts. Modi, like United States' president-elect Donald Trump, had come to power riding against a huge populace of critics.
Against the heaps of accusations hurled at Modi, the only argument that his supporters had to back him was their gut feeling about his genuine wish to see India progress. Now, the PM, by going on an overdrive with his image-bolstering campaigns, is letting those millions down as well. Their elected leader is in the eye of a storm every few weeks, and not because of his nationalist views.
They have overlooked his ego trips enough number of times already. Few among his most die-hard fans would have recovered from the striped monogrammed suit he wore during US President Barack Obama's visit to India in January 2015 — a far cry from the principle of minimalism that Gandhi advocated.
While the suit, speckled with his name on the pinstripes, invited ridicule from most quarters, Modi's followers were more forgiving. They attributed the vain behaviour as a newbie's one-time error in judgement.
Later that year, during the launch of Digital India programme in Silicon Valley to connect villages in the country to the internet, he was said to have pushed Mark Zuckerburg aside to make space for himself for a photo-op. Writer Pankaj Mishra later wrote about the incident in a column in Guardian: "One of his most fervent cheerleaders in India now complains that the prime minister is like a new bride remaking herself for her powerful and wealthy in-laws."
Modi even took the epithet of being India's face abroad too seriously when it was decided to make him the mascot of the country's tourism campaign in November 2016. Minister of State for Tourism Mahesh Sharma had endorsed Modi for the role, calling him the "best face" to promote the Incredible India campaign. Tourism ministry officials were then quoted as saying that no Bollywood actor will be engaged for the publicity, and that video footage of Modi during his stint as the PM in which he is seen talking about tourism in India and abroad, will be used for the campaign.
While the decision to introduce a fresh look to jaded posters may have its merits, many argue against Modi being the best replacement in pictures of public idols. Not for film stars. And certainly not for Mahatma Gandhi.
