Yet another national-level opinion poll has confirmed the growing popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
According to the IANS C-Voter State of the Nation 2021 survey, Modi remains the first choice for the country’s top job (with his popularity rating particularly high in states such as Odisha and Himachal Pradesh) and Patnaik is the most highly rated Chief Minister of the country.
What makes Modi and Patnaik cast such a spell on the masses? Most experts would agree that the charisma of these two leaders stems from their performance, their uncanny knack for taking the right decisions at the right time, and executing them effectively with people’s welfare as priority. The two have often taken tough decisions even at the risk of courting criticism. And almost every time they have been proved right.
In Modi’s case, demonetization was a landmark measure aimed at curbing the flow of black money. When it was announced and implemented, it caused much consternation among the public. Long queues at banks and outside ATM counters left many fuming. But the Prime Minister stuck to his guns. In the ultimate analysis, it proved to be a wise decision that helped fight black money and terrorist activities in a big way.
Modi’s handling of the corona pandemic has also drawn praise from different quarters. He took the tough call of imposing multiple lockdowns, but also ensured protection of the livelihood of people, especially of the poor migrant workers who were forced to return home from various parts of the country after being rendered jobless. He announced special economic packages for them. His decision to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and carve it into two separate union territories was criticized by the opposition parties, but drew praise from people across the country.
The Prime Minister’s handling of the Chinese situation has earned praise from world leaders. With Modi making it clear that India was prepared to make any sacrifice to preserve its territorial integrity, the Red Dragon was forced to retreat from some of the key positions that it had occupied in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley. The banning of more than 200 Chinese mobile applications, including the hugely popular TikTok, went a long way in putting the Chinese on the backfoot.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been similarly appreciated for his effective handling of the pandemic crisis. The proactive measures taken by him on this front not only saved many valuable lives but also helped strengthen state’s health infrastructure permanently.
Simultaneously, he also took steps to mitigate the livelihood problems of the people, especially the migrant workers by announcing special measures such as extra man-days under the MGNREGA scheme. He has also been successful in keeping the state’s economy on an even keel and fast-tracking industrial growth despite the massive economic blow inflicted by Covid-19.
Both Patnaik and Modi have scored high on performance in the latest national survey, because their timely decisions and compassion for the poor have been invaluable for the nation. No wonder their popularity continues to soar.
Comment here