Narendra Modi- An Exercise in PR

Narendra Modi- An Exercise in PR

Narendra Modi is an enigma. He has been famously called “maut ka saudagar” and has seen several charges and allegations leveled against him and yet he continues to win elections as if it is nobody’s business. He has been recently re elected as Chief Minister of Gujarat for the third time running. Modi has seen many ups and downs ever since he came to power in the year 2001, but before elections, all the negativity about him seems to vanish. How does this man, who has under his charge overseen perhaps the most violent communal riots, comes out trumps in elections and manages to gain confidence of the people time and time again?
The answer lies in the preparation. Election in Gujarat is a no contest but the jury is still out on whether to credit Narendra Modi's performance as Chief Minister or credit his massive and expensive propaganda machine, which his critics say has vastly inflated his rather limited successes.  Narendra Modi is a Public Relations monster. A constantly evolving marketing and PR product, who manages to sell his pitch, his idea and his dream for Gujarat without any difficulty. There is no denying that some of the good work he has done for his state, backs his claims to some extent. He has managed to create an image of dynamism and sustained development for Gujarat in the minds of his voters and indeed outsiders. The man famously denied a visa by the United States now sees U.S. business houses approaching him, to set up shop in Gujarat.
He has overseen the entry of giants like Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors. The state of Gujarat gets uninterrupted water and power supply. Employment rates in Gujarat are highest in the country. Modi is primarily responsible for the re-emergence of small business and industry like textiles in the state.

The year 2002 was witness to one of the worst communal riots in the history of the country. Gujarat was engulfed by clashes between Hindu activists and Muslim hardliners. Many claim that it was Modi who fanned the tension and that it was he who was responsible for the riots. There are victims who are still awaiting compensation and rehabilitation and yet you see Modi’s name being taken as a contender for the Prime Minister, come 2014. So how does a man, who has been termed communal, suddenly become a candidate for PM, usurping even his party high command in the process? The BJP has a big problem on their hands. Declaring Modi as their candidate would mean going against NDA allies. But there is no denying that the clamour for doing so has been ever increasing, especially from party workers and regulars and also the RSS. So just how does Narendra Modi manage to be in the news?

The Modi PR machine never sleeps, but in election time, goes into overdrive:

• There are his surreal, and much publicised 3D speeches, 29 Vikas Raths equipped with projectors, and 10 LED Raths, each with a 110" screen, which roam interior villages.
• His personal website, Twitter, Facebook page and YouTube channel has been given a new election upgrade.
• The frequency of advertisements on TV, print and online multiply. And he also has his own TV channel:  NaMo Gujarat.

But who runs this for Modi, and who pays for it? The Modi spin machine appears to use a mix of official and private players, with fragmented responsibilities, with hubs all across Gujarat.
The origins of the PR hardsell began in the immediate aftermath of the 2002 riots. The ad firm Grey Worldwide, which had come up with the concept of Vibrant Gujarat for the tourism department, was given a wider and more ambitious brief - to convert Vibrant Gujarat into an investor summit, to create "happy, happening images of Gujarat.”

The details of government spending have always been hard to come by. The publicity department of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, which Modi controls, sets aside Rs. 1 crore for hiring a PR firm in Delhi to showcase the Gujarat growth story. But expenses of different campaigns are spread out amongst different ministries. Modi's team claims the publicity machine is low-cost, because it is propelled by adoring volunteers. Like an army of online followers who spread his word and take on his critic.
He claims that Gujarat is the leading state in India in terms of agricultural productivity, FDI generation, education, etc. These claims, though far from true, go a long way in boosting his image. With victory in sight, any exercise to point out loopholes in Modi's claims might be academic.