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Author: Polly Hatfield

Source: www.ibtimes.co.uk
Source: www.ibtimes.co.uk

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s renown as a self-publicist has won him admiration and disdain in equal measure over the course of his political career. The charismatic leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) obtained power in 2014 following an expertly managed PR campaign that promoted ‘brand Modi’ in some of the most remote regions of the country alongside its urban centres. Modi’s recent visit to the UK, culminating in a high-profile appearance in front of some 60,000 people in Wembley stadium, offered ample opportunity for positive press coverage in both national and international publications.

It is however worth asking whether Modi’s rapturous reception at Friday night’s rally belies not only a distancing in the relationship between the UK and India but also decreased popular support back home.

Modi’s Domestic Decline

Source: www.huffingtonpost.in
Source: www.huffingtonpost.in

The Prime Minister’s arrival in London follows his recent defeat in state elections in the province of Bihar. Modi’s defeat in India’s third most populous state is significant for both its scale and timing. The BJP won only 58 of 243 possible seats, a result that will prove as symbolically damaging as it is practically problematic for the party. Amongst the many reasons floated for the BJP’s defeat in Bihar is the perception that the party is somehow elitist, particularly in the context of recent price rises in basic household goods. It is also notable that Modi himself played a prominent and visible role in the BJP campaign. The party sought to exploit the image and gravitas of the prime-ministerial brand that has been so favourably received in the past, and their loss consequently appears to be a rejection not only of the party but also of Modi as an individual.

The election loss will further detract from Modi’s ability to control parliament and implement change in future. He has already had to renounce some of the economic reforms he promised during his election campaign. In August of this year he abandoned proposals to introduce changes to the process of land acquisition in India, aimed at making it easier to purchase privately owned land for development. The current law is hugely unpopular with large corporations and industry, which complain that the outdated legislation is an obstacle to growth. Yet, in the face of immense pressure from rural farming communities, the Prime Minister was forced to back down. The defeat came after a further failure to secure support for reforms to the tax system, and has bolstered the chorus of critical voices who claim that Modi has allowed Indian growth to flag and is unable to transform rhetoric into decisive policy implementation.

Modi and the UK

Source: chronicleoracle.com
Source: chronicleoracle.com

His UK visit has, furthermore, drawn outspoken criticism from many who see Modi as presiding over a dangerously intolerant party that endangers the rights of women and minorities and fails to protect free speech. An open letter, penned by some 200 prominent artists and intellectuals and published immediately prior to Modi’s arrival in Britain, urged Mr Cameron to engage with the Indian Prime Minister over what they describe as “the rising climate of fear, growing intolerance and violence” in the country. The letter follows the decision by a number of high-profile members of India’s artistic and scientific community to return national awards in protest against what they perceive to be the increasingly intolerant and repressive nature of the BJP regime.

Recent events in India certainly point towards an alarming rise in violence towards non-Hindus. A Muslim man was beaten to death in October by a mob believing him to have stored beef in his house whilst a well-known atheist writer and rationalist thinker, Malleshappa Kalburgi, was killed outside his home earlier this year. Critics of Modi’s party argue that these two high-profile incidents are symptomatic of the fundamentalist Hindu nationalism that informs BJP policy and is being given free reign under Modi. Modi’s successful economic track record during his time as chief minister of Gujurat may have convinced voters that the advantages of electing such a politically astute individual would outweigh the risks posed by the more extreme faction of his party but the rising violence against religious minorities might lead those same voters to question whether Modi is, in fact, capable of reigning in the right-wing Hindu element of the BJP. More worrying still is the idea that he may espouse these very beliefs. That the Prime Minister is seen to distance himself from the more radical members of the BJP is important not only in order to protect the secular, pluralist nature of India and maintain internal security: Moody’s recent downgrade of Indian growth forecasts warned of the potentially negative economic impact of failing to control such instability in future.

In light of the troubles facing Mr Modi in India, what significance can be afforded to his visit to the UK? Many noted that, despite his extensive international travel aimed at encouraging investment in India, Modi has held off visiting the UK until now. Such reticence might be seen to reflect a cooling in the economic ties between the two nations. Whilst India remains the third largest source of direct foreign investment in the UK, trade was down by approximately $1 billion in 2014. David Cameron’s apparent desperation to secure closer trade links with China during Xi Jinping’s visit to Britain in October perhaps reflects a realignment of Britain’s trade interests, moving away from India to seek investment with a rival regional economy.

Modi’s enthusiastic reception at Wembley stadium was reminiscent of the expertly stage-managed appearances delivered during his election campaign. Yet a year into his mandate, such furore might be seen to conceal a troubled undercurrent of lagging economic growth, increasing intolerance and diminishing popular support. While Modi hailed the historic ties between India and the UK during his speech, many will be wondering whether the relationship is destined to prosper in future.

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