Over the past two years, very few heads of government anywhere in the world remained unscathed by the ravages of the worst pandemic the world had seen in a century. Many saw their reputation in tatters, and some were swept out of government by the bitter anger of their devastated people.
It is therefore in the fitness of things for a book length examination of why and how India’s Narendra Modi represents that rarest phenomenon -- an already overwhelmingly popular leader whose approval ratings not only did not fall but actually skyrocketed to stratospheric levels during this time. A Nation To Protect by Priyam Gandhi-Mody does just that, with a thorough and methodical foray into the Covid 19 challenges faced by this gigantic, unwieldy, argumentative democracy, and how the Modi government handled them.
If ever there was a black swan event in living memory, this was it. And India seemed uniquely vulnerable. Not just many Indians, but prominent global voices also spewed dire warnings about India’s forthcoming collapse. And to be fair, they had a point. Our decades-long track record of poor infrastructure and health facilities, poorer governance, and a philosophical resignation to our fates was well established.
The Modi government broke the mould in how India responds to calamities of such magnitude. Gandhi-Mody’s book is divided into two sections, covering the first and second waves. The chapters document the government’s first responses to the virus, followed by the lockdown, addressing the problems faced by millions of migrant workers, the economic interventions, and the thrust on vaccine development.
{{/usCountry}}The Modi government broke the mould in how India responds to calamities of such magnitude. Gandhi-Mody’s book is divided into two sections, covering the first and second waves. The chapters document the government’s first responses to the virus, followed by the lockdown, addressing the problems faced by millions of migrant workers, the economic interventions, and the thrust on vaccine development.
{{/usCountry}}Throughout all this was a consistent and resolute focus on Atmanirbharta, which highlighted in spectacular style a Modi personality trait that sets him apart from most. It is a deeply held belief in “aapda mein afsar,” meaning that every adversity also brings opportunities. This fierce conviction in finding “a silver lining in every cloud” has been a key thread not just of his approach to tackling the pandemic, but is evident in his life as a whole. It is clearly a core value that has seen his rise from humble beginnings to becoming one of the most transformative, influential and important people in the world.
That belief, and the many accompanying steps documented by Gandhi-Mody have indeed transformed India. It is not accidental that India has one of the lowest mortality rates from Covid19 in the world, nor that it successfully rolled out one of the fastest and by far the largest vaccination drives. But the lasting successes are only now beginning to be seen. Among them are a proliferation of hospitals, medical infrastructure, and start-ups.
Most important of all, is an increasing, pervasive change in the Indian mindset: from the old, defeatist, apologetic “we are like that only” to a new India, one brimming with hope and confidence, a “can do spirit” that is ready to take on the challenges of the 21st century.
A Nation To Protect also goes into several other aspects of the challenges of the past two years. They include the sustained criticism of those, both foreign and domestic, who refused to acknowledge that India fared far better than had been predicted. Even when India’s efforts were being praised by many, some of these critics betrayed their proclivities by repeatedly contradicting themselves.
Starting from PM Modi’s early attempts to motivate public compliance with Covid guidelines, these dyed-in-the-wool critics criticised. They criticised lockdowns; then they criticised the gradual lifting of lockdowns when all the data pointed to a waning of the first wave. They criticised the vaccine development strategy, sided with the cynics who shamelessly fanned vaccine hesitancy. Then they criticised the union government’s initial centralised roll out of vaccinations, followed by criticising the decentralised roll out that was briefly agreed to on their demands, and on and on they went.
The reality is that the vast majority of multilateral institutions and public health experts dealing with the crisis have lauded India’s unprecedented efforts, not to mention unexpectedly high success. In any event, Modi has never been one to get bogged down by the persistent attacks of motivated critics, which surely contributes to his workaholic hours and laser like focus on implementing change.
The most important validation of the PM’s leadership during the pandemic is, of course, that of the people of India. His approval ratings even in normal times hover at the astoundingly high 70-75% level, enough to get him repeatedly ranked the most popular political leader in the world. But what is truly eye popping is the 90-95% level it reached in the middle of the crisis, right after the peak of the first wave.
Nevertheless, the icing on the cake is something that even as comprehensive a book as this cannot fully capture. After its publication, it is becoming ever more apparent that the deep rooted changes brought about before and during the pandemic has led to a booming economy that is being celebrated globally as the fastest growing large economy. This role that India has come to play, that of a shining beacon of hope in the pandemic and after, is a turning point in our modern history.
Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda is National Vice President, BJP.