By K Raveendran
In asserting his ‘indestructability’, Narendra Modi has taken a leaf out of the books of Arab rulers, who assiduously promote the idea that rulers are God’s representatives on Earth. This belief has been historically used by Arab monarchs to legitimize their rule and suppress dissent.
In what is seen as a most unexpected twist in his election campaign, Modi the other day introduced a certain divinity in his quest for a third term. “Until my mother was alive, I used to think I was born biologically. After her demise, when I look at my experiences, I am convinced that I was sent by God. This strength is not from my body. It has been given to me by God. That’s why God also gave me the ability, strength, pure-heartedness, and inspiration to do this. I’m nothing but an instrument that God has sent,” he said in an interview to NDTV.
The prime minister, who has religiously avoided talking to the media for much of his two terms, has suddenly turned media-friendly, granting interviews to even the most innocuous television channels and other media outlets. He has been widely criticised for mixing his spiritual orientations with statecraft or political conduct, raising eyebrows about his commitment to the secularist values enshrined in the constitution.
In the series of media interactions, Modi has claimed that he had been sent by God to fulfill certain duties, an argument that resonates with the concept familiar in the Arab world. The belief that rulers are God’s representatives has been historically used by Arab monarchs to legitimize their rule and suppress dissent. While the Islamic doctrine emphasizes the oneness and transcendence of God and traditionally forbids any form of representation or imagery of God, Arab rulers unabashedly employ this to perpetrate their often illegitimate and oppressive regimes. Modi, who acknowledges many of the Arab rulers as his ‘brothers’, has resorted to a shared strategy of invoking higher powers to fortify political authority.
The audacity of such a claim reverberated across the nation. Was this a genuine revelation or a calculated political manoeuvre? Critics questioned whether Modi’s newfound divine connection was a ploy to bolster his image or an earnest belief. But it was Rahul Gandhi, who seized the moment to deliver a scathing response.
“If somebody comes up to you and says such things, what will you say? You will say forgive me, brother, you do your work, let me do mine. But his lapdogs are praising the PM and saying he was sent by God. He asked people to clap during the pandemic. When people were taking their last breath outside hospitals, not inside, the Prime Minister – no, not the Prime Minister, but he who was sent by God – was asking people to turn on their mobile phone flashlights,” Rahul retorted at a campaign rally.
Rahul Gandhi’s sarcasm cut through the sanctimonious aura surrounding Modi’s pronouncement. He highlighted the absurdity of a leader invoking divine intervention while citizens grappled with real-world challenges. The juxtaposition of bodies piling up on the banks of the Ganges and Modi’s call for flashlight solidarity during the pandemic was stark. In that moment, Rahul painted Modi as the ‘messenger of God’ more concerned with symbolism than substance.
Fellow citizens got a taste of what would have been an American-style direct debate between Modi and Rahul, which, despite the best efforts of a few retired judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts along with journalist N Ram, did not materialise.
The initiative invited the two leaders to a public debate to ‘meaningfully’ respond to each other on the various charges thrown from campaign podiums. It noted that both sides had also questioned each other on their respective manifestos as well as their stand on the ‘constitutionally protected scheme of social justice’. Rahul Gandhi had expressed his willingness to take part in such a debate along with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, but the BJP rejected it asking whether Rahul Gandhi was the Congress party’s prime ministerial candidate.
This wasn’t the first time Modi and Rahul clashed. A few days prior to this, Modi had accused Rahul Gandhi of avoiding discussions about industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, claiming the Congress leaders had ‘stopped’ talking about them. The challenge prompted Rahul to raise the issue for multiple times in the subsequent election rallies.
In this high-stakes political theatre, both leaders wielded language as a weapon. Modi’s divine claim and Gandhi’s witty ripostes revealed the underlying tension between faith and pragmatism. Whether Modi truly believed in his divine mission or merely played the divine card remains a mystery. But one thing was certain: the battle for India’s soul is raging on. (IPA Service)
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