At times, it appeared that Modi was not addressing American lawmakers, but voters in India. He swiftly moved from one claim to another, mentioning only the headline point and not getting into the fine print.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi lives of television, by television and for television. No matter where he is, on which platform he is speaking, and who are the others that either addressed the gathering before or will do so after him, Modi’s primary audience is always the domestic constituency, essentially supporters, also called, disparagingly, the Bhakt Brigade.
Modi gives much thought and spends much of his time and energy for this intended audience because it is one which perpetuates his tenure and will be called on to pass judgement on his performance in less than a year.
On the most important day of his first-ever state visit to the United States – a bilateral meeting with the American President followed by the (grudgingly agreed to) press conference at the White House, address to the joint session of the US Congress and the State Dinner – he may have wowed the American lawmakers (an ideologically aligned website counted 15 standing ovations and 79 applauses besides innumerable Modi-Modi slogans, autographs and selfies), but his primary audience was in India. The videos would be hereafter, forwarded till if not eternity, at least till the next parliamentary polls, to show ‘love’ and ‘admiration’ for Modi among Americans.
To begin with, that...
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