Until Narendra Modi took to the stage last night, there were a lot of uncertainties in the hearts of his supporters and considerable glee among those in the opposition. However, as became apparent the minute he assumed center-stage, it would be another one of those occasions when the Prime Minister took charge of the narrative and steered it towards where he wanted it to be.
Narendra Modi was at his usual oratory best while answering questions posed to him by people in the auditorium and through social media. He eloquently silenced his critics by crediting them for his good fortune and the good counsel they provided for him to work on and improve himself and reach where he is today. He demonstrated his good sense of humor in his answers and perhaps the most humorous of them was the jibe at the Gandhis for their dynastic politics.
Those who were asking the Prime Minister to speak up against the heinous rape of the 8-year old in Kathua should be satisfied with the answer Narendra Modi had to offer. The Prime Minister reminded everyone of his words from the Red Fort when he had said that parents should not only be concerned with the whereabouts of their daughters but of their sons as well. He also remarked that it is inappropriate to play politics over such a heinous incident and he would himself never answer those blaming him for the rapes during his rule with comparative stats on crimes against women during different regimes.
The highlight of the show however was Narendra Modi’s answer on the surgical strikes that were conducted against Pakistan in 2016. The Prime Minister recalled how they made sure that the news was first conveyed to the Pakistani authorities before anyone else. He even allowed himself to mock the Pakistanis a little as he stated with a hint of amusement in his voice that the Pakistani officials appeared to be afraid of receiving the call from Indian authorities. Without hesitation, Narendra Modi again branded Pakistan an exporter of terrorism as he has routinely done in recent times. He even issued a warning to those attempting to sow the seeds of terrorism in Indian society that India has changed forever.
The opposition must be feeling hard done by Narendra Modi’s blitzkrieg during his visit to the United Kingdom. They had worked rather hard to corner the NDA government over the rape in Kathua and the alleged rape in Unnao. They were, perhaps, beginning to believe that if they kept up the tempo, public opinion regarding Narendra Modi would soon change to their benefit. However, all their plans were laid to waste by the Prime Minister’s interaction with the people on his trip to London. In the space of a couple of hours, Narendra Modi has successfully demolished the opposition narrative which was the consequence of months of work. Instead of trying to create another narrative to hurt the NDA government, the opposition perhaps should instead focus on communicating its own vision to the people of India.