Never before in the history of Indian politics could a Prime Minister influence the public opinion like PM Modi did. And most certainly, we never had a PM who would go ahead and hug world leaders like PM Modi does. PM Modi has left the political sphere broadly divided into two parts. The phenomenon trickled down to the populace as well. Quite clearly, common man in India today either sees himself as a Modi supporter or a critic of him. Pragmatically speaking, it’s an achievement. To have impacted the politics so much that now even the so called neutral class is taking keen interest in politics is no mean feat.
Naturally, PM Modi knows his politics, is aware of the paradigm shift in how politics is getting digital and more youth-oriented. So he does not shy away from taking jibes at his opponents and sometimes even uses their ploys to work in his own favour. Remember the Suit Boot Ki Sarkar kerfuffle? How he turned it in his favour!
And once again PM Modi has turned the tables drawing reference from the ‘aam aadmi’ roots. Modi has a penchant of warmly hugging the leaders of different countries, and by doing so he ignores the protocols and what has been the trend in some of the previous governments which sat on the pinnacles of aristocracy.
Indian diplomacy has never been this good in recent history. India is being recognized as a force in countries who call the shots around the globe. And because some of these countries have never enjoyed a reputable image in the eyes of those who oppose the Modi Government, it irks them that India’s diplomatic relations with these countries are blooming.
So when Modi ignored the protocol and received the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the airport with a hug in front of the cameras from across the globe, it did not go down well with his opponents. But lack of proper arguments to oppose the practice meant that the congress’ digital PR machinery resorted to creating memes and a video compilation of Modi hugging the heads of different countries.
It was in bad taste. Congress did not even apologize later and defended it under the garb of humour. And like he always does, Modi did not bother to react but that was not a reflection of him having the ignored the topic.
So why does PM Modi Hug World Leaders?
He was just waiting for the right moment and the other day in an interview on Zee News he said that he is a common man and has not been trained to shake hands and look left, right while meeting these leaders. Whatever he does is what a common man would do, like a simple hug.
This practice has clicked with a lot of leaders and they consider it a warm gesture. Diplomacy today is not only about making friends, it’s about making strong friends as well. If a warm hug does it, so be it.
Watch Full interview here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWdXFCD89No
This is not to suggest that the famous Modi hug is mere symbolism to serve his purpose. We think it’s straight from the heart and presents India as a warm country. That Congress and its affiliates cannot digest the new Modi diplomacy, they stoop to such lows to serve their agenda. But remember, in the age of internet, you don’t need Karma to bite you. It’s all there for everyone to see, to help them make the right call.