Since Narendra Modi’s emergence to the plaguing national scene, he has controlled the narrative and discourse of the country and its policies. He has carefully crafted the narrative via a direct connection with people, making all the leaders in between redundant. Thus, the Lutyens doesn’t hold control or exhort the authority the way it used to once upon a time. Modi’s narrative of controlling has worked very well with his huge IT Army, and the supremo at the helm has reached the masses and classified everything into anti or pro Modi.
However, the corona pandemic has turned the table upside down, and somewhere, one feels a missed leadership. Yes, he still enjoys national popularity, and his calls (farmans) to show solidarity have been a huge success. Modi continued with his trademark style of delivering orders like an emperor’s announcement, with its IT Army propagating their agenda. But what has been the key missing point is feedback and correction steps.
The announcement of #9PM9Minutes or the lockdown decision seems to be more of a FAST policy – First Act Second Think, in which the Tughlaq announced a decision, and then the burden lies on the bureaucracy to justify the decision and make it work. The Indian system of governance has been designed to avoid centralisation of power, but Mr Modi has been working the opposite way all along. A majority of the migrant problems and other hiccups could have been resolved or minimised at an early stage if a proper feedback mechanism had been in place; for starters, a press conference would have helped.
I have been a big advocate of the PM sitting with the Press. Whatever his antics may be, Mr Trump does that as well. He ultimately takes questions from the Press of both the sides. Modi has come across as a larger than life figure, who has a mass connection to people that goes beyond a political leader. But I don’t feel that an average Indian is as assured as they should be.
In fact, India has managed the corona crisis very well, and owing to Modi’s charisma, the environment should have been radiating with positivity rather than fear. But he is clearly failing to connect with the masses right now. Rather, the CMs are doing a better job in connecting with the masses. There have been a number of CMs who have excelled with their clear messaging, a reflection of the true picture, and a notice a short-term and long-term assessment of the situation in a nutshell. Mr Modi could have addressed these nine points and it would have gone a long way in uplifting the spirit of people, instead of a mere headline management:
1. Testing: A discussion on how many cases have been tested, are pending, and what are the future targets and plans
2. Why so much hue and cry for PPE: Research on the current requirement, along with an assessment plan
3. Reaching out to everyone including the opposition political parties
4. A plan for daily wage labourers
5. Economy: A concrete taxation and economic plan, but the Finance Minister seems to have disappeared from the current picture
6. Rather than addressing only BJP workers, the PM must address the nation as a whole to hold on to their hopes
7. Address the suffering industries: Talk to industry champions, instead of celebrities!
8. Clarify the stances undertaken for minority and affected classes: The Anand Vihar tragedy could have been avoided with better planning and concrete execution
9. Talk to the people. Reach out to the media. Talk to the pulse of the nation.
Being a divider has worked best for him all along. It is sad to see the IT Army still in full force – its targeted messaging still runs in full swing. It’s sad to see that India is missing a leader, and that Modi is performing the worst in his most experienced area – managing the narrative.
But again, thanks to the Whatsapp University, everything will be managed and Modi will be the Great Emperor soon.