Competing to praise

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a research institute at yoga guru Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. Welcoming the PM, Ramdev said Modi should henceforth be addressed with the honorific “Rashtra Rishi” for his “relentless efforts to build a clean, strong and united India”, and that India was bound to prosper under HIS “illustrious leadership”. Soon, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders competed with each other to sing paeans to Modi. BJP spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal tweeted: “With ‘Rashtra Rishi’ Narendra Modi and ‘Chanakya’ Amit Shah at the helm, India is poised to attain ‘vishva guru’ status. God is with us. Let’s work for the nation.”