‘Give him any award, and he’ll come running’: Narendra Modi racks up honours on overseas trips | Narendra Modi
When Narendra Modi touched down in Seychelles over the weekend, the Indian Ocean archipelagic nation quickly bestowed one of its “highest” honors on the Indian prime minister.
Modi was all smiles as he received the Guardian of the Blue Horizon award from Patrick Herminie: Complete with Seychelles president, trophy and certificate.
Observers soon noted that something wasn’t right with the award. On the certificate, the word “republic” was misspelled as “republic” and even the word “Seychelles” was misspelled as “Seychelles”. It was revealed that the award was given just three days before Modi’s arrival and he was the first and only person to receive the award.
What’s worse is that when run through software, the certificate is widely flagged as being created by AI.
The opposition Congress party quickly jumped on the controversy and claimed: “Give it to him” [Modi] If you get any reward, he will come running.”
“They were so hasty that they even misunderstood the official name of the Republic of Seychelles,” Congress politician Supriya Shrinate said on social media.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) responded by saying that receiving the “green leadership” award was a “proud moment” for India.
As critics have pointed out, Modi has shown a remarkable propensity for winning awards at home and abroad during his 12 years in power.
Last month, just days before Modi’s visit to Israel, the Israeli parliament quickly created the Knesset medal, which it claims is one of the country’s highest honours, and was awarded to Modi when he landed. Again, he is the only recipient to date.
Modi also became the first recipient of the Philip Kotler presidential award in 2019, given to India’s prime minister for “outstanding leadership of the nation”. According to the government’s press release, the honor would be given annually to a leader of a nation. However, no other leaders have been awarded since then and the website is unavailable.
It is privately acknowledged that accolades and awards have become an expectation during Modi’s foreign trips. Modi’s biographer Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay said the global pressure for the award was symptomatic of the prime minister’s personality-driven politics.
“The purpose behind collecting these awards, which are often given in questionable circumstances, is to convey to supporters and potential converts that Modi is honored globally for his greatness and that India’s growing influence is due to Modi’s personality,” he said.
Last year, Modi also became the first foreign head of state to receive the Grand Order of Honor of Ethiopia and the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago.
The BJP says the awards are recognition of Modi’s international stature.
