Hiren Pandit: India celebrated its 78th Independence Day on August 15. The country of 1.4 billion people won independence from Britain on August 15, 1947, after almost two centuries of colonial rule. Celebrations included parades, poetry recitals, and flag-hoisting ceremonies. In his 11th consecutive Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on the country to work towards his government’s goal of developed India or Bikashito Bharat.
India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is a dedicated follower of religion and leads a single-minded life where politics is his sole focus. Many people consider Narendra Modi a perfectionist. Perfectionists believe in idealism to some extent and materialism in some cases. In the language of philosophy, it is called perfectionism. Perfectionism says perfection or self-realization is the ultimate good of human life. That is, perfection or self-realization is the moral standard. Philosopher Plato believed that human perfection or well-being comes only through controlling passions through intelligence or wisdom. According to Philosopher Aristotle, human perfection or well-being comes only through fully realizing man’s inherent powers according to virtue.
Narendra Modi has scored a hat-trick as Prime Minister of India. He completed his hat-trick with the swearing-in ceremony on June 9 this year. With this, he became the second person to become the Prime Minister of India, making a hat-trick. The start of this new record was not so good for Modi. He rose to this position from a very ordinary person, from a tea seller to the Prime Minister of the largest democratic country in the world—a long way to go for this. Modi’s history beats any fairy tale. His rise and success have surprised many. Narendra Modi was born on September 17, 1950, in a poor family in Bhadnagar, Gujarat. His career began as a child when he assisted in his father’s tea shop. In 1970, Modi was named the main person of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
He graduated in Political Science from Delhi University and graduated in the same subject from Gujarat University. He then started his political career by joining the BJP in 1985. After just three years, he was nominated as the organizing secretary of the Gujarat BJP. Then, in 1995, he was nominated as the central secretary of the BJP. After that, he took responsibility for Delhi, Haryana, and Himachal. 2001 Keshubhai Patel resigned as Chief Minister of Delhi due to ill health. After that, Modi was replaced in that position. Just one year after this incident, there were Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat. More than 2 thousand people were killed in this incident. Many people blame Modi for the riots in Gujarat.
Modi came back to power in the state through the 2002 elections. After that, he was elected Chief Minister in two more cases. His success played a significant role in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Due to this, he became the prime ministerial candidate. From a tea vendor, Modi graced the seat of Prime Minister for BJP. Although used to a monastic life, he is known to be married. While filing his nomination papers in Varanasi, he mentioned a woman named Jashodaben as his wife. Since being in power for a decade, he has taken various steps to develop India’s infrastructure and build a clean and modern India. He is also credited with making India the fifth-largest economic power in the world. Beyond the scope of internal politics, he has spread his scope in the world.
Modi is the first campaigner in India’s right-wing Hindu religious politics to become the Chief Minister of Gujarat, the country’s most developed state, after only 13 years of political experience. But he did not know how to run the administration before this. But Modi’s critics charge that he has thrown away aides in his political rise. The latest addition to the list is one of BJP’s star politicians, LK Advani, who is now 96. He brought the almost unknown Modi to where he is today. Political analyst Narasimha Rao said Modi is determined. He is 100% honest and very hardworking. Thinking about the consequences, he did not give up on anything. The temptation of temporary victory could never bind Modi.
Modi was in the school with ten other students. But from that age, he was a devout Hindu. He confessed that he had been fasting during Navratri for four consecutive decades. Modi’s worship came to the attention of many while studying in school. He often went away from his family to worship in secluded places. Sometimes, he was seen going to the Himalayas to worship. He finally left the family in 1967. Modi, a three-time Chief Minister of Gujarat, was nominated as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Prime Ministerial candidate for the first time in the 2014 Indian Lok Sabha elections. During his tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat for three terms, he made Gujarat a model of development.
Narendra Modi has covered 300,000 kilometers in his race to become the Prime Minister of India. In the last nine months, he has participated in 5,827 public meetings across India and met five crore people. Having started as a faithful Hindu religious leader, he has consciously avoided campaigning on Hinduism this time. However, remarks by Narendra Modi and BJP leaders about the people, land, and religion of Bangladesh have sparked fresh criticism. Since 2005, Narendra Modi has not received a visa to visit America, but he completed a 3-month short course in Public Relations and Image Management in America. Modi’s spontaneous and intelligent campaigning in this Lok Sabha election was much needed for BJP’s victory. Narendra Modi’s jokes are also not common.
Even though the opposition parties question this quality of Modi, the one-sentence reasons are notable for their sharp wittiness and intelligence. Narendra Modi may seem conservative, but he has not pushed technology away. Check his news on the internet every day. His watch collection is not bad, either. Modi sleeps 4 hours a night. The leader enters the office at 7 am and works until 10 pm. After Shashi Tharoor, Narendra Modi is the most popular Indian politician among women. Many people think that its specialty is due to his way of looking. Narendra Modi’s hobbies include photography and reading poetry.
He also loves to write. A large part of the speech he gave at the rally was written by himself. He also exhibited his photographs. A vegetarian, Modi likes to be alone and is an introvert. He has no best friend. Narendra Modi was once featured on the cover of Time magazine’s Asia edition. He was included in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. He boasts of digital payments and eco-friendly technology and takes part in the rebirth ritual of a Hindu deity.
Like celebrities, Narendra Modi does his branding by wearing t-shirts and caps. To catch the attention of ordinary Indians, they pick up garbage from the beach or sweep the roads. Modi is an exception among influential leaders. Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin received praise from both. Both have a warm relationship. However, despite Modi’s campaign slogan calling for inclusive progress, many religious minority groups feel the Bharatiya Janata Party is neglecting them.
This dispute is also a part of the reason for the contentious relationship of Indian media with Modi. Raised in a poor family and has traveled to different parts of the country as a Hindu community organizer. Modi has spent at least one night in nearly 80 percent of India’s 806 administrative districts. Many are optimistic about the Indian economy. Asia’s economic surprises only happened when the working-age population reached a certain point.
Japan reached this stage in 1964, and China in 1994. That situation will not come before 2030 for India, the world’s fifth-largest economy. Many people expect it to last at least 25 years after that. Just as Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has changed the face of Bangladesh in the last 15 years, in the previous decade, Modi has brought about tremendous changes in India’s infrastructure, roads, bridges, ports, airports, and digital networks. Modi’s India is competing with the world’s best in many aspects.
India will soon have the third-largest metro network in the world after China and Britain. Three hundred million people here are also connected to the instant money transaction system. India’s productivity has also increased under Modi. Global financial institution Goldman Sachs has said that India’s economic growth over the next half-century will likely overtake the US thanks to infrastructure investment. By 2075, the economy of the United States will double, China’s three times, but India’s will grow 15 times, the agency said. The whole world now needs India to take a different path than China. Many people think that the future of this world depends on India.
Modi now wants India to have a permanent seat on the Security Council. India has also joined the Quad since the Non-Aligned Movement. Japan, Australia, and the United States are partners. The indirect objective of this alliance is to counter China’s influence in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific region. Another frontline of the Modi government is the economy. India’s official data shows that the country’s unemployment rate is just under 4 percent. Despite the challenges, Modi has been sworn in for a third consecutive term as Prime Minister and continues to lead.
No Indian leader since 1962 has been able to do this. For many reasons, a stable government in India is also essential for its neighbors. There are also multidimensional socio-economic and security factors. If Bangladesh had a stable government, India would have benefited more because of its national security. No country in the region understands better than India that nothing can be more valuable than national security. Bangladesh is not only India’s neighbor but also its strategic ally. India continues to provide diplomatic and economic assistance to all its neighbors.
The new government will continue to attract its neighbors through financial cooperation, although not in a large amount like China. Many people say that in 2014, Modi won the votes of the country’s people not by showing educational qualifications. This is his charisma. Modi has a personality that has helped him win huge victories. Soon after taking office as prime minister in 2014, his government launched a series of reforms, including a campaign to improve India’s transport infrastructure and liberalize rules for foreign direct investment.
Modi achieved two significant diplomatic successes early in his tenure. He hosted the visit of the Chinese President in mid-September. It is the first time a Chinese leader has visited India in eight years. As prime minister, Modi oversaw the promotion of Hindu culture and the implementation of economic reforms. Economic reforms were sweeping, introducing structural changes—and temporary disruptions—that could be felt nationwide. The most far-reaching was the demonetization and replacement of 500- and 1,000-rupee notes with just a few hours’ notice.
The objective was to make it challenging to exchange large amounts of cash used for illegal activities to stop black money. With the government centralizing the consumption tax system by introducing the Goods and Services Tax next year, there is talk of Narendra Modi returning more robust and unified. Not BJP or NDA; Modi won. He confirmed it in the party before becoming the country’s sole leader. People’s Perception 100 years after India’s first 75 years of independence, people will remember the names of three Prime Ministers: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Narendra Modi. The Modi government has achieved some remarkable things. Among these, the most notable achievements are the rapid construction of much-needed infrastructure, including new airports and port highways.
Construction of these infrastructures has been made possible through streamlined procedures, quick approvals, and heavy reliance on private contractors. The infrastructure boom has changed the face of many parts of India, and the modernization of the Indian Railways, which has been long established as one of the largest railway networks in the world, continues with significant new investments. The government has also strengthened the social safety net for millions of poor Indians.
Prime Minister Modi hopes to propel India to world leadership, and the country’s daily development work is giving him this strength. However, even Rahul Gandhi had to be arrested for speaking against Modi’s corruption, and conscious people felt that freedom of speech and the press were also being questioned. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and many leaders of his party, the Aam Aadmi Party, have been arrested. There are many more negative criticisms.
India is the fourth country to be on the list after the success of the US, China, and Russia in the lunar mission. Eager Indian crowds gathered to celebrate the historic moment of touching down on the moon. The entire event was also telecast live on ISRO’s official YouTube channel. In the geopolitical context, Bangladesh’s importance has increased. India is our tested friend. It is expected that whoever wins the Lok Sabha elections and forms the government will focus more on improving relations with Bangladesh. Democratic India can retain its luster. How India is Viewed by the US Lately, India has become increasingly important to the US. India is a big bet for them to stop China’s growing influence in Asia.
The US-India-Japan-Vietnam axis is also a concern for China. India’s oil exploration, jointly with Vietnam, in the disputed area of the South China Sea is not being done well by China, but it cannot do anything special. One reason is that India is a market of 1.2 billion people, and another is India’s successful diplomacy. Speaking on corruption in a public meeting, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “I am a poor man; I will walk out with a bag on my shoulder if anything happens.”
At that time, he also denied various allegations leveled against him. This time, the Center has given the account of the assets held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who refers to himself as a fakir (no assets). That calculation shows that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s total property is more than two crore 23 lakh rupees. Modi bought the 14,125 square feet of habitable land in joint ownership with three others. All three had equal shares in this land.
The Prime Minister bought this land in October 2002 as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. According to the latest document, each had a 25 percent share of this land in Gandhi Nagar. However, since the Prime Minister has donated this land, he has no more rights to it. Modi doesn’t even own a car. The money deposited in his bank decreased from 1 lakh 52 thousand 480 to 46 thousand 555 rupees.
Narendra Modi’s only goal is to make India a developed country. He hopes that India will become the most powerful nation in the world in the future. One day, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, and Japan will be surprised. Narendra Modi always thinks about his objectives and strategy. He is a true patriot. He used all the world’s countries for the nation’s sake. He approached many countries, including Iran, to expand Indian trade.
Hiren Pandit is a columnist and a research fellow