Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the pan-India inoculation of Covid-19 vaccine on Saturday at 10.30 am through video conferencing.

The coronavirus vaccination drive, one of the world’s largest vaccination programme, begins weeks after the DCGI approved Oxford coronvirus vaccine ‘Covishield’ manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute, and indigenously developed ‘Covaxin’ of Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country.

In India, priority groups who are more exposed to the Covid-19 infection and are likely in the high-risk zone would be vaccinated first. Healthcare workers, both in the government and private sectors, including Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) workers, will receive the vaccine during this phase. Adequate doses of both Covishield and Covaxin have already been delivered to all states/UTs with the active support of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

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One in five people disliked the video which was viewed by over 20 lakh people as the Prime Minister failed to mention about the conduct of the JEE and NEET exams.  Naturally, most of the people who registered their dislikes were disgruntled candidates and parents who watched this video. The people are protesting against the government on many such issues. They also make use any opportunity to record it. The dislike received for the video of the Prime Minister, who was at the forefront of popularity, is a demonstration of this zeal of protest.

At a time when the country is in deep crisis, the central government has an indifferent attitude. The people want to question the methods of the Central Government which are taking irrational positions in implementing and easing the lockdown. Naturally, protest against the government should turn into support for the opposition. Is that happening on the ground? If the dislikes of the Prime Minister turn into the likes of a prominent leader of the Opposition, it can be assumed that this is happening. But how much popular support do opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi have on social media, which is considered a reflection of society?

In recent days, Rahul Gandhi has posted four consecutive videos protesting against the deteriorating economic situation in the country. In these videos, Rahul Gandhi points out that the government is to blame for the sharp decline in the country’s GDP in the April-June quarter.

Rahul Gandhi’s third video was critical of the GST, the ‘Gabbar Singh tax’, for stunting the country’s economy. The reality is that the ruling party has no objection to objecting to what Rahul has said. But how much of these facts pointed out by Rahul Gandhi reach the people?

The  Rahul’s video posted three days ago was viewed by 1.58 lakh people. 45,000 people liked the video. The video has not been seen by as many people as ‘dislike’ for Modi’s video. Even one-tenth of those who watch Modi’s video do not watch Rahul’s video. If social media is a crossroads of society, then there is a difference between the popular support for Modi and Rahul.

The Opposition in the country is a group of weak leaders who cannot convert the opposition against the government into support for themselves. Rahul Gandhi is not able to highlight any unpopular issue and gain the support of the people. During the lockdown, he posted several videos. But that also does bring to end his responsibility the Leader of the Opposition. The shortcomings of the government should turn into the gains of the Opposition. But Opposition leaders have not shown the ability to bring about that transformation. It has to be said that it is a blessing for the Modi government that the Opposition has not been able to seize the opportunity to trash the government over the sad plight of those who are enduring unending sufferings due to the lockdown.

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His attack comes after official data showed on Monday that the country’s economy suffered its worst slump on record in April-June, with the gross domestic product (GDP) contracting by 23.9 per cent as the coronavirus-related lockdown weighed on the already declining consumer demand and investment.

“India is reeling under Modi-made disasters: 1. Historic GDP reduction -23.9% 2. Highest Unemployment in 45 yrs 3. 12 Crs job loss 4. Centre not paying states their GST dues 5. Globally highest COVID-19 daily cases and deaths 6. External aggression at our borders (sic),” Gandhi tweeted.

Rebutting Gandhi’s attack in a video earlier this week on the state of the economy, the BJP had mocked him saying he should release a video about the “G-23”, a reference to the 23 leaders who wrote to the Congress chief seeking the party’s overhaul.

Chief Economic Adviser K. V. Subramanian has said the economy was “experiencing a V-shaped recovery” after the lockdown was eased.

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No other Prime Minister or political leader in independent India has participated in so many photo sessions as part of his marketing strategy. As for Modi, who meditates in a cave and looks at a file while sitting in front of a peacock, appears in photos in various guises and the trolls that follow do not affect him in any way. With each of these photo sessions, he is increasing the support of his fans manifold. In democracies, it is rare for a leader to wear a coat emblazoned with his own name in small letters and dare to appear at an important event of international significance. It is doubtful that there is another leader in contemporary world politics who is so “narcissistic”. Maybe Donald Trump is the only world leader who could be a notch above Mr. Modi in certain areas.

Modi will turn 70 on September 17. It is this old man who is constantly appearing in the media, refining and reinventing himself in costume, form and appearance by capturing the self-love that even young people hesitate to express these days. Our Prime Minister gives a look of subtlety that even celebrities have failed to completely master, even in photo sessions and in public.

There is no other leader in Indian politics today that can influence the people like Mr. Modi. Even in the BJP, other leaders lag far behind Modi in terms of popular support. No other head of state in the world has ever received trolls like Prime Minister Modi, who posed for a photo with books folded upside down and read a newspaper in front of a laptop next to flamingos. But Modi gets twice as much adoration and praise from his fans through the same photos. This is what makes Modi the Paradoxical Prime Minister or Prime Minister of Paradoxes. What seems ridiculous to rivals is a paradox that thrills fans. Just like the movies of superstars that are thought to be a super hit by fans when at the same time people with common sense find it ridiculous.

It is this self-cultivated image, which is at once empty and at the same time extremely popular, that the Congress, among others, is trying to fight and defeat. But leaders need leaders to replace them. The leader Modi was formed not only by the BJP’s entrenched party system. The BJP is more indebted to Modi than he owes it to the party. The BJP was able to return to power in 2014 due to Modi’s charisma. The party retained power in 2019 only because of Modi’s strong influence.

It is quite unfortunate that the Opposition has to take on such a charismatic leader today. It is necessary that a visionary leader should emerge among the Opposition parties to overcome that charismas. Revolutionaries like Jayaprakash Narayanan were in the opposition to give a constant headache for Indira Gandhi, who was so authoritarian that she did not hesitate to declare a state of emergency. But there is no leader in the Opposition today who is capable of hurting Modi. That is not the misfortune only of the opposition; It is also the misfortune of modern Indian democracy.

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