New report claims India's rise on world stage under PM Modi is 'a mirage' - Times of India

Source: The Times of India
Author: Naomi Canton

LONDON: A new report called "Modi Mirage", produced by academics in the US, Netherlands and UK, says that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claim of having dramatically enhanced India's standing in the world is "a mirage".

The report asserts that global audiences, particularly in Europe, view India significantly less favourably under Modi than in the years before he came to power, and that the PM's popularity abroad is lower than BJP claims.

"Modi Mirage", co-authored by Prof Irfan Nooruddin from Georgetown University, US, and Dr Ritumbra Manuvie from Groningen University, the Netherlands with Dr Subir Sinha from London's SOAS as principle adviser, in collaboration with not-for-profit Friends of Democracy, relies on a synthesis of recent research by the Pew Research Center in the US, Carnegie, Canadian consultancy GlobeScan, US poll firm GQY and UK's YouGov.

It claims that in both the US and UK, Modi is neither well known nor popular, and refers to a recent YouGov poll in which he was ranked in both countries below the highly disliked figures in those countries of Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. In UK just 10% view Modi favourably, the poll, based on a sample of adults, claims.

It cites another poll from YouGov that found 80% of Indians are concerned for the health of their democracy. It blames a lack of press freedom in India as the reason for the mirage and calls on India to change course toward greater respect for human rights and democratic norms.

The report claims that 52% of British Indians don't like Modi, based on polling by GQR, and that 65% of British Indians rate religious violence allegedly promoted by Modi spilling over to the UK as a top concern.

The report also claims the majority of people in the US, UK and France are concerned about the state of human rights and democracy in India, alleged attempts by India to assassinate US and Canadian citizens on home soil, and new laws which make it harder for Muslims to become citizens of India, and says they want to see human rights as conditions of trade deals.

"State machinery is being used to oppress the opposition...while BJP leaders enjoy total impunity," it claims.