Time magazine has featured a story on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the cover of its May 20 edition with a controversial headline. The magazine has called PM Modi ‘Divider in Chief’. This headline can stir up controversy across India, where the seven-phased 2019 Lok Sabha elections are going on and voting for last 2 phases is remaining. It is worth mentioning that just two years ago Time magazine has termed Modi as “the Person Of the Year”.
The magazine has published the article of Aatish Taseer, who is a British journalist. He is the son of Indian journalist Tavleen Singh and late Pakistani businessman and Salmaan Taseer. Therefore, Aatish Taseer’s anti-Modi approach can be comprehended. According to the article India is “more divided than ever. Aatish Taseer has also mentioned Gujarat riots in 2002 when Modi was CM of the state. The article also covers mob lynchings in different parts of the country, the appointment of Yogi Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister, the inclusion of Pro-Hindu Swaminathan Gurumurthy in RBI Board, and the BJP’s recent decision to field Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur in Bhopal Parliamentary constituency. It mentions demonetization, too. It claims that it was Swaminathan Gurumurthy, who advised Modi for demonetization to fight black money. Aatish Taseer accused Modi of taking a whimsical decision in every field.
He has compared the former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s idea of secularism with the prevailing social stress under the rule of PM Modi. Aatish Taseer has said that PM Modi has demonstrated no desire to foster brotherly feelings between Hindus and Muslims. This article is based on the Hindu-Muslim relations and blames Modi for being pro-Hindu. He has raised the question that can the world’s largest democracy endure another five years of a Modi Government? It is remarkable that there is a possibility of coming back of Narendra Modi at the centre in ongoing general elections. Therefore, Aatish Taseer warns people of India to be prepared for consequences of PM Modi’s second tenure.
It is not the first time when the magazine has come with a critical article about Modi. In an article in 2012, the magazine described him as a controversial, ambitious and shrewd politician. Indian Prime Minister Modi had won the online reader’s poll for TIME Person of the Year in 2016, beating out other world leaders, artists and politicians as the most influential figure among people who voted. Every year, TIME selects the most influential person of the year, noting, for better or for worse, the person or group of people who have had the largest global impact over the past 12 months.
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