Modi’s Victory ‘Bad for India’s Soul’: Int’l Media on Historic Win

The Independent said, while Modi’s supporters might rejoice, his victory poses a very serious question.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives a giant floral garland from party leaders at their headquarters in New Delhi.

(Photo: AP/Manish Swarup)

In his biggest feat since the 2014 mandate, Narendra Modi is all set for a second term in office, with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) winning more than 350 seats, as per the latest Election Commission data.

Stunning several political commentators, the PM is back with a thumping mandate, riding on yet another Modi wave, the international media said.

The New York Times: ‘Watchman’ Modi’s Historic Win, Seduced India Through Envy and Hate

The New York Times said, 'India's watchman,' led the Bharatiya Janata Party to a stunning election victory, despite instilling fear among the minorities, favouring the billionaires and failing to deliver enough jobs to Indians aspiring for a better life.

“His mix of brawny Hindu nationalism, populist humility and grand gestures for the poor – like building tens of millions of new toilets – helped him become the first prime minister in nearly 50 years to win a majority in successive parliamentary elections.”

The New York Times

The article says, the victory has given Hindu nationalists the strongest hand they have ever held in modern Indian history. While mob lynchings have shot up, Muslim representation in Parliament has dropped to its lowest level in decades, and the country's social fabric is in tatters, many Indians see him as a nationalist icon who raised India's standing in the world, The New York Times said.

An opinion piece by author Pankaj Mishra for The New York Times titled, ‘How Narendra Modi Seduced India With Envy and Hate’ alleges that Prime Minister Modi won the re-election on “a tide of violence, fake news and resentment.”

The article opined on the atmosphere of hate and violence in India, during the five years of the Modi government.

“As pro-Modi television anchors hunted for “anti-nationals” and troll armies rampaged through social media, threatening women with rape, lynch mobs slaughtered Muslims and low-caste Hindus,” it summarised.

Narendra Modi, according to the piece, pulled off this massive victory because he and his party managed to stoke and invoke the hatred harboured by the poor and the downtrodden against the so-called ‘old urban elites’, helped along by the barrage of fake news, enabled by internet proliferation.

“As Mr. Modi allowed long-simmering ressentiment to erupt volcanically, India witnessed a savage assault on not just democratic institutions and rational discourse but also ordinary human decency.”

Pankaj Mishra for The New York Times

Now that Narendra Modi has reaped the harvest of the hatred he had sown, there is more reason to fear the future, says the piece.

Independent: Modi’s Election Win is a Victory for Far Right Hindu Nationalism

Independent said while Modi's supporters might rejoice, his victory poses a very serious question. "Does the continuing electoral success of a far-right Hindu nationalist demagogue finally mark the end of secular democracy in India?" it questioned.

Analysing BJP's performance in its five years of rule, the article said, the party has marginalised minorities, especially Muslims, and proliferated lynching in the name of "cow protection."

“They have incarcerated dissidents accused of being “urban maoists”, created a cultural revolution of their own by Hinduising the bureaucracy and media; and crushed the seeds of progressive movements in universities, cultural institutions and on the streets.”

Independent

Despite his divisive politics, the country's underperforming economy and the BJP's poor record on improving the lives of its citizens, Modi is set to be the prime minister again, the Independent wrote.

The Guardian View on Narendra Modi’s Landslide: Bad for India’s Soul

"This is bad news for India and the world," The Guardian wrote, saying that despite a spluttering economy, five years later, Modi has expanded his parliamentary majority.

"A divisive figure, Mr Modi is undoubtedly a charismatic campaigner. Rather than transcend the faultlines of Indian society – religion, caste, region and language – Mr Modi’s style is to throw them into sharp relief," The Guardian said.

“The world does not need another national populist leader who pursues a pro-business agenda while trading in fake news and treating minorities as second-class citizens.”

The Guardian

The article further pointed at Modi's decision to recklessly raise the stakes with neighbouring Pakistan over Kashmir, taking both the countries to the brink of a war, while ridiculously accusing the Opposition of collusion with fundamentalist Islam.

Al Jazeera: India Votes Modi Back With Landmark Mandate

Al Jazeera said, although widespread agrarian distress and record levels of unemployment had put pressure on the BJP, Modi successfully steered the campaign away from the issues and registered a landslide victory.

However, the return of the right-wing party, with a bigger mandate, has caused palpable concern among the country's Muslim community, it said.

“A poignant scene played out at an apparel shop in Jamia Nagar, owned by 74-year-old Rahmat Hussain. In the shop a crowd was gathered to watch the results on Hussain’s TV. When it became clear that the opposition was nowhere close to challenging the BJP, he switched off the TV and said, it’s all over.”

Al Jazeera

The biggest upset was arguably in West Bengal where the BJP has never had a presence in the past, but fought a neck-and-neck battle with the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), Al Jazeera wrote.

BBC: Narendra Modi Secured a Landslide Win By Reinventing Elections

An analysis of the BBC said the results prove that people are not yet blaming Modi for the record high joblessnes, slump in industrial production and the plumetting farm incomes.

“A combination of nationalist rhetoric, subtle religious polarisation and a slew of welfare programmes helped Mr Modi to coast to a second successive win.”

BBC

Modi has mined national security as a vote-getter in a manner never seen in a general election in recent history, BBC said.

Talking about the challenges Modi will face in his second term, it said, growing unemployment and fears of recession, putting the Indian economy back on track, reviving the agricultural industry and protection of minorities will be the things he should watch out for.

Another BBC article talked about how Narendra Modi reinvented politics by making this election about himself.

The yearning for a strong leader in Indian politics aided by a narrative which portrayed a blend of development and nationalism, along with the decline of the “grand old” Congress party and regional parties, is what contributed to the massive victory, it said.

The Economist: Huge Victory for Ruling Party, Need to Put Victory to Use

To put the BJP’s victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections into perspective, an article published in The Economist said that “the last politician to lead a party to two successive electoral majorities in India was Indira Gandhi, in 1971, at the helm of the Congress party.” It described the Congress as a “distant also-ran in Indian politics.”

However, according to The Economist, the BJP has not delivered on its promises and has remained mum about the challenges the Indian economy and populace continue to face. It continues to focus on “less practical matters” and employs in its service divisive policies and people.

Mr Modi’s second term gives him another chance to hasten development and turn India into a genuine global power—goals that appeal to both his enterprising supporters and his religious ones. But to do so he will have to focus on the economy.

The Economist

The article decried Modi-led BJP’s sectarian politics as a “harmful distraction” and said that it needs to put his victory to good use.