<p>Narendra Modi has tried to shed his divisive image and to sound agreeable to the whole nation, consensual and statesmanly, as he got ready to start his second term as prime minister. In an address to the BJP and NDA parliamentary parties after being elected leader, he assumed the mantle of an ideal ruler committed to the well-being of all sections of society. It was meant as a message to the nation and to the world at large, also. The most important part of the message was Modi’s effort to reach out to the minorities, who have felt insecure and threatened because of the policies and actions of the BJP government in the past five years and by the deeds of its supporters. He has added one more line, ‘sabka vishwas’, to his old slogan ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ to show that he wants to win the “faith, trust and support’’ of the minority communities. He has set this out as a major challenge to<br />his government and the MPs. </p>.<p>Modi will have to prove his claims and stated intentions with action in the coming days, if he is to be considered sincere and his words have to be taken seriously. He has been a polarising figure in the past and ran a vicious and vituperative election campaign in the last few weeks in which he painted other parties as parties of the minorities and himself as the champion of Hindus, inviting the sobriquet “divider-in-chief’’. It will need a basic change in his party’s and his own thinking to accept the minorities as they are and the country as a nation of diversity. It is true that the minorities have been used as vote banks in the past, but it is equally true that his government and party have considered them as “others’’ and created fear among them. It will take a lot to win their trust, but he has an opportunity to act true to his words.</p>.<p>Modi bowed before a copy of the Constitution before he started his speech, obviously as a sign of his commitment to it. It may be a reply to those who, within the country and outside, believe that the Constitution is in danger and may be rewritten in accordance with the precepts of the Hindutva ideology or even to make himself India’s strongman, like Turkey’s Erdogan or China’s Xi. He emphasised constitutional values and inclusiveness and talked of the need to take along opponents, too. The prime minister swore by the best democratic ideals and practices and promised that his government will begin a “new journey to build a new India’’. The nation will hope that he and his government will follow and practise them. </p>
<p>Narendra Modi has tried to shed his divisive image and to sound agreeable to the whole nation, consensual and statesmanly, as he got ready to start his second term as prime minister. In an address to the BJP and NDA parliamentary parties after being elected leader, he assumed the mantle of an ideal ruler committed to the well-being of all sections of society. It was meant as a message to the nation and to the world at large, also. The most important part of the message was Modi’s effort to reach out to the minorities, who have felt insecure and threatened because of the policies and actions of the BJP government in the past five years and by the deeds of its supporters. He has added one more line, ‘sabka vishwas’, to his old slogan ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ to show that he wants to win the “faith, trust and support’’ of the minority communities. He has set this out as a major challenge to<br />his government and the MPs. </p>.<p>Modi will have to prove his claims and stated intentions with action in the coming days, if he is to be considered sincere and his words have to be taken seriously. He has been a polarising figure in the past and ran a vicious and vituperative election campaign in the last few weeks in which he painted other parties as parties of the minorities and himself as the champion of Hindus, inviting the sobriquet “divider-in-chief’’. It will need a basic change in his party’s and his own thinking to accept the minorities as they are and the country as a nation of diversity. It is true that the minorities have been used as vote banks in the past, but it is equally true that his government and party have considered them as “others’’ and created fear among them. It will take a lot to win their trust, but he has an opportunity to act true to his words.</p>.<p>Modi bowed before a copy of the Constitution before he started his speech, obviously as a sign of his commitment to it. It may be a reply to those who, within the country and outside, believe that the Constitution is in danger and may be rewritten in accordance with the precepts of the Hindutva ideology or even to make himself India’s strongman, like Turkey’s Erdogan or China’s Xi. He emphasised constitutional values and inclusiveness and talked of the need to take along opponents, too. The prime minister swore by the best democratic ideals and practices and promised that his government will begin a “new journey to build a new India’’. The nation will hope that he and his government will follow and practise them. </p>
