The man, the policies: What makes Modi special

Till a few weeks ago, 17 September was being seen not just as his birthday but also a kind of D-Day in a political suspense thriller. The question was: will Modi resign? Those waiting with bated breath got their answer on 28 August.

On that day, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said, “I never said I will retire or someone else should retire.” Returning the favour, the prime minister in an article on 11 September wished Bhagwat on his 75th birthday.

Across the political world, many prominent leaders like Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Pinarayi Vijayan and Sharad Pawar have continued to hold power well into their late 70s and 80s. However, the BJP’s L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were relegated to a “margdarshak mandal” once they crossed 75, likely since they lacked Modi’s popularity and fitness.

Narendra Modi has often tried to turn politics into a social movement. Some of these include issues such as cleanliness and women empowerment through swachh bharat abhiyan, beti bachao beti padhao, implementation and relaxation of GST, abrogation of Article 370 and triple talaq. Under Modi’s leadership, the government has also provided free ration to 800 million people and worked on infrastructure development, besides adding fresh vigour to the bureaucracy.

In Gandhinagar, he once asked senior bureaucrats what would be their response to a 70-year-old lady if she asked which government schemes she could avail of. He asked for a complete list and the number of forms that had to be filled up for them. Most failed this flash test.

Once, at a minority gathering, people tried to put a cap on his head, which Modi politely refused. He stopped iftar parties at the prime minister’s residence. His detractors labelled him a majoritarian. But is it true?

While addressing a gathering at BJP headquarters after the party’s poll victory in three North-eastern states, in 2018, he heard the azan and stopped his speech till that ended. Yet, it took him a decade in Delhi to prove his credentials.

This year he faced a fresh challenge from Pakistan, and retaliated with ‘Operation Sindoor’, setting a new normal: from now every terror attack would be considered an attack on India.

Modi has also persevered in dealing with the challenges coming from the US. He knows the stakes are high and the situation is perilous.

On the surface it seems like a “tariff terror” unleashed by the US but the script is far more complex. The global economic order emanating from Bretton Woods in 1944 after negotiating many ups and downs has finally entered its decisive stage.

A new economic order is in the works and the prime minister wants India’s strong presence in the emerging new global system. Last week, his meeting with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping is a testament to this fact.

US President Donald Trump, who till the other day was breathing fire, is sending conciliatory signals. Modi cleverly ignored Trump’s outrageous allegations and reacted positively towards his friendship overtures.

It’s clear an economic deal with the US will be thrashed out, but the world is gravitating towards another Cold War, and we would need to rebrand our non-aligned approach.

Modi first rose to power in Gujarat under challenging circumstances. When a massive earthquake devastated Bhuj in 2001, the state’s government, led by Keshubhai Patel, failed to manage the crisis. In response, senior BJP leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Advani chose Modi to take over as chief minister.

Modi, who had no previous administrative experience, successfully oversaw the rebuilding of Bhuj. This recovery was famously more effective than the one following the Latur earthquake eight years earlier, highlighting Modi’s success and setting the stage for his future political career.

This is what separates Narendra Modi from the rest. Would you like to wish him on his birthday?

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. Views are personal.