Stainless steel

Prime Minister Modi’s image among his supporters as a strong and well-meaning leader remains intact despite the tumultuous year

- SONI MISHRA

It was a punishing year in more ways than one. Raging street protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Indian Citizens flagged offa crisis-ridden year. Then the country shot up to the top of the Covid-19 charts, while the economy plunged. Border tensions with China soared. The spectre of lakhs of migrants trudging back to their hometowns and villages in the wake of a strict lockdown became the defining picture of the country's fight against the pandemic. Unemployment figures reached an all-time high.

If the year began with protests, the final month provided Prime Minister Narendra Modi his biggest challenge of 2020 as thousands of farmers laid siege on the national capital, seeking a repeal of three contentious farm laws passed by the Centre.

Despite the crises, his popularity remains untarnished, save for the effects of the farmers' unrest, the full political impact of which is yet to be ascertained. Opinion polls in recent months, including in the run-up to the assembly elections in Bihar, showed that the prime minister still commanded high approval ratings. The National Democratic Alliance retained power in Bihar riding on the back of the goodwill Modi continues to enjoy among the electorate.

Brand Modi appears to have come out stronger than ever, providing for a compelling exercise to understand what makes Modi so popular despite the hardships people have faced this year.