New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s long beard and hanging moustache have raised many eyebrows and set the tongues wagging. Gossips can be heard all around, with people interpreting PM’s makeover in their own way. Social media is flooded with interesting comments and repartee on what thr PM looks like.
It’s quite natural as well. If the PM has a beard grown and hair coiffured like this even while all facilities to have his hair cut and beard trimmed are available at his beck and call, people will definitely make a guess and go around gossiping. Nobody is going to buy the arguent that PM is doing so because he is not allowing anyone in his close proximity even for a haircut as a preventive step against coronavirus. But hair cut can be performed with all the safety, as after all he is Prime Minister.
Anyway, Modi has been sporting a beard since his youth. He had a beard when he took over as PM. But this time round, his beard has a different look plus his makeover is sort of mirroring something special. The facial hair of the PM are so elongated now that he has started resembling a seer or a sage. But do not mistake it for his being on the verge of taking “sanyasa”. Modi has himself in some interviews admitted that he had spent two years in the caves of Himalaya doing “tapasya” where the realisation dawned upon him that his life is for the service of others. Thereupon, he returned to Ahmedabad.
In his political journey so far, PM Modi has been able to prove that he does what he says. It goes to the credit of Modi that the BJP has reached the zenith. Nobody seems to be in a position to push it back. It is said that some invisible powers help PM Modi. It has been seen that the more the opposition attacks him, the stronger he emerges. Now the question is whether PM Modi is going to script a new history. His decisions so far do indicate about this.
The debate dominating political circles is whether Modi after doing away with all disputed issues will do something unthinkable, unforeseeable and historic. He had once said, “Mera kya hai main ek thaila uthakar chal doonga.” He was then interpreted as saying he has no obsession with whatever he has, and he would renounce all if need be.
There is no denying Modi has emerged as such as face of Hinduism and Indian culture that a common Hindu identifies with him. He has drawn his line so long that nobody seems to be here as his alternative. His presence in Ayodhya on the occasion of Bhoomi Pujan dropped many indications which meaningful.
Attired in dhoti kurta, Modi was looking like the head of a family. He was sporting a gravitas and a feeling of satisfaction on his face as if he has fulfilled a big responsibility. The way he performed puja, offered his prayer at Hanuman Garhi and took parikrama was all reflective of the positivity that Modi carries. When he applied a tilak from soil lying at the Janmabhoomi site, he sent out a message of Indian culture to the people. Most Indians were impressed and felt elated when he raised the Jai Shree Ram slogan.
Modi has visited religious places several times. Before the 2019 poll results, he spent some time in the Kedarnath cave in the Himalayas.
Modi is seen as an embodiment of Hindu and Indian culture in real sense of the term. Modi’s grand image like this has given nervousness in the Congress which is seen to be distancing from what cuts ice with most Indians—the Hindu ideology and culture. That is where Rahul Gandhi is lagging. His politics leaves a lot to be desired as far as this aspect of India is concerned. Rahul Gandhi’s party is seen to be pursuing the agenda of minority appeasement. He should know what dandvat pranam is, but the practice of touching feet is not part of the Gandhi family culture. At the same time, Maneka Gandhi and her family have practised all that a Hindu family should. Congress always made a mistake by barking up the wrong tree. Rahul Gandhi always attacked Modi on one pretext or the other. He had accused Modi of doing divisive politics in 2014, saying that the BJP cannot win due to his politics. But the people think otherwise.
They have seen Modi as respecting the Hindu traditions and Indian culture and politics on it went down well with most Indian citizens. It was Modi who did not do politics of caste, creed, community and language. He always pitched for development, health and education. He launched many schemes to underline the fact that it is all not limited to slogans alone. Surgical strike on Pakistan was a big achievement of Modi which also forced the opposition to be in silence. Then came the second term, and Modi did what one could not have imagined. The abrogation of Article 370 withdrawing special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Decisions on banning triple talaq, citizenship amendment law, came as a setback to the opposition which has been doing vote bank politics on these issues. His endeavour finally paved the way for the construction of Ram temple which also rendered the Congress speechless.
The New Education Policy is the latest masterstroke of PM Modi which has been hailed across the nation. It is expected that Modi will also take a call sooner or later on uniform civil code, population control law, NRC, etc. PM Modi will also be taking big decisions aimed at resolving disputes with Pakistan and China.