The article appeared on Xinhua on Tuesday as an 'year-ender', titled, 'Modi wave works magic for India's ruling BJP in 2017'.
Xinhua, the official press agency of the People's Republic of China, has declared the outgoing year to be the year of "Brand Modi" in politics. The agency's praise of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, however, came with a rider that the "BJP also needs to take a reality check and make humbler political approaches".
The article appeared on Xinhua on Tuesday as an 'year-ender', titled, 'Modi wave works magic for India's ruling BJP in 2017'.
Acknowledging the "Modi Wave" in India, the article stated: "In all the state elections that the BJP fought this year, Modi remained its star face, a masterstroke, underlining the mass appeal that the leader has attained in the last few years."
The article also talked in figures about Modi government's strength in Rajya Sabha and how it would be further improved with major states in its kitty. It mentioned that the recent victories for BJP in states have come "despite stiff challenges".
On the flipside, it could be said that the dragon has been watching India rather too keenly.
The article stated that Modi was the reason that the BJP "won nine of the 17 state elections held after 2014", as it made a note of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Gujarat elections. "The Modi wave that began with BJP's emphatic win in the 2014 general elections showed no signs of letting up as the party added some major states to its kitty," it read.
The article also noted that BJP won in UP, despite Modi's demonetization drive. "Take the case of Uttar Pradesh, India's largest state. The elections in the northern state early this year were considered a test of Modi's sudden demonetization drive, which had been put into effect on November 8, 2016, a couple of months before the Assembly polls," the article stated.
The article further stated that the Modi dispensation had come under "severe criticism" for demonetization, which the Congress-led Opposition "banked heavily upon to rout out the BJP", further citing that "people voted emphatically for the saffron party, giving it 312 seats".
The article was not just gung-ho about the PM but also noted the "key role" of BJP chief Amit Shah in these electoral victories. "While every election has a strategy and a cadre of members working round the clock, the leadership of Modi has become the most obvious first pillar of the victory edifice of the BJP, even though saffron outfit's chief Amit Shah plays a key organisational role in the party, said some observers," the article stated.
Talking to DNA, Indo-China relations expert Shastri Ramachandra said this was a way of diplomatically "managing perceptions" between the two countries.
"China is sitting in Doklam in a territory that it came to occupy. Also, now Bhutan is not very happy over the Palestine vote. During the two recent talks between India and China, the countries have come to realise their differences and conflicting pursuits but appear to be determined to not enter conflict over these," Ramachandran said.
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