DNA Special: Decoding TIME magazine's 'anti-India' stance

The TIME magazine released the annual list of 100 pioneers, leaders, titans, artists, and icons which have made an impact on the contemporary world on Wednesday. Five Indians who feature on Time magazine's ‘100 Most Influential People 2020’ list are Prime Minister Narendra Modi, actor Ayushman Khurrana and Bilkis, who emerged as the face of the Shaheen Bagh protests, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google’s parent Alphabet and clinical microbiology professor Ravindra Gupta.

"The key to democracy is not, in fact, free elections. Those only tell who got the most votes. More important is the rights of those who did not vote for the winner. India has been the world’s largest democracy for more than seven decades. Its population of 1.3 billion includes Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and other religious sects. All have abided in India, which the Dalai Lama (who has spent most of his life in refuge there) has lauded as an example of harmony and stability," said Karl Vick, an editor at TIMES.  

"Narendra Modi has brought all that into doubt. Though almost all of India’s Prime Ministers have come from the nearly 80% of the population that is Hindu, only Modi has governed as if no one else matters. First elected on a populist promise of empowerment, his Hindu-­nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party rejected not only elitism but also pluralism, specifically targeting India’s Muslims. The crucible of the pandemic became a pretense for stifling dissent. And the world’s most vibrant democracy fell deeper into shadow," added Vick.

This note on PM Modi in the Time magazine is another evidence of the western media's anti-India agenda. By writing the stinging note on PM Modi, Time magazine ignored the entire democratic process of Indian elections and the millions of people who have chosen the government. Instead, by featuring Bilkis Dadi, it gave importance to the 500 people who were sitting on an 'unlawful' dharna in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh.

Let us get into the depth of the story. PM Modi has been a recurring name on the Time Magazine’s ‘100 most influential people’ list and has appeared four times on the list since coming to power in 2014. His name has appeared on the list in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2020. Before that in 2012, he featured in the list when he was the chief minister of Gujarat.This is how the magazine described him over the years:

2012:

It was written on its cover page- 'Modi Means Business', but with an undernote  'But Can He Lead India?' This is a way to cast doubts in the minds of the people. That time, he was the chief minister of Gujarat. TIME magazine tried to put a question mark on Narendra Modi's ability to become the prime minister.

2015:

It was printed on the occasion of completion of the first year of the Narendra Modi government. It read: 'Why Modi Matters... Why is Modi so important?' But a question was asked below, "Can He Deliver?" That means, will they be able to do a good job? Even after being the successful chief minister of Gujarat for 12 years and winning by a huge majority, the question was asked for Narendra Modi whether he was worth working?

2019:

In the cover page of the Time magazine printed during the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, PM Modi was called India's Divider in Chief. That means Modi divided India. On the cover page itself was also written in small letters- Modi The Reformer. That means Modi is a reformer. That means, TIME magazine can neither ignore Modi nor praise him.

2020:

And this year, it questions India's democratic election process.

This shows how time and again, the western media and in particular the Time magazine has tried to degrade the Prime Minister of our country. By putting both Bilkis Dadi and PM Modi together on the list, the magazine has attempted to demean India's constitution and our democratic institution.