What Makes Modi the Phenomenon He Is?

Because he is unbeatable, unassailable and he has no equals in Indian politics today

- R Balashankar

NARENDRA Modi as prime minister for 10 years reached the pinnacle of his political glory with the inauguration of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024. How will this reshape the destiny of India? Can the opposition INDIA group in any way diminish the stature Modi has gained over these years? Will Modi’s phenomenal persona and his mass appeal alone take the BJP to a 400-plus victory at the hustings in May 2024 provided the elections are not advanced.

Here, we are analysing the charismatic personality of Modi—how different a politician he is and how he has changed the India polity ever since he entered politics.

Modi became a chief minister even before becoming an MLA and he became prime minister when he was only a first-time MP. He won numerous political battles for the BJP and single-handedly made the BJP a majority single-party government after a long gap of 30 years. He is the first person who has shown the courage to include all the core aspirations of the BJP in the election manifesto and exclusively on the BJP’s declared political agenda and repeatedly win elections. In 10 years, he implemented them all and set a new style in politics. I once asked Modi the secret of his political success. He said: “When I take a decision, I take it on the lines of the party agenda; I don’t bother about its consequences. I came to politics empty-handed and I can leave it anytime if the people get fed up with me.” He had said that he has the gravitas to take the most adventurous political risk even at the cost of total annihilation. I have dealt with Modi’s new style, new approach and uncommon capacity to take political risks extensively in my book 'Narendra Modi: Creative Disruptor' (2018).