PM Modi@75: A sensitive soul beneath a stoic face

The maiden Budget speech of finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in July 2019—a marathon one that ran for more than two hours amidst falling consumption and tanking GDP growth—caused her so much discomfort that she had to take permission of the Lok Sabha speaker to consider some paragraphs of the speech as read. 

As soon as Sitharaman left the Parliament House premises, she got a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “What have you done?” the PM asked Sitharaman. 

For an incumbent, new to North Block—recently vacated by stalwart BJP leader and one of Modi's close confidantes, the late Arun Jaitley who had recused himself from elections owing to health concerns—the question from the top boss moments after her first Budget would have been nothing less than rattling. 

She answered the call while in the car. The call wasn’t about the Budget or the economy. Concerned about her discomfort while reading out the Budget document, PM Modi wanted to check on Sitharaman's health and gave her a little pep talk on what she was doing about it. What was touching for Sitharaman was that the PM sent his personal doctor to attend to her. 

Anecdotes about PM Modi’s sensitive and caring approach towards colleagues abound in New Delhi’s power circles. For instance, during the pandemic.

In May 2020, the Union government had rolled out the Aatma Nirbhar stimulus package to insulate the economy from the pandemic shocks, the core philosophy of the stimulus being self-reliance and reforms. It was a major shift from the past, when a stimulus would mean a demand side push. The Modi-led government preferred reform-led, and investment-led stimulus over a steroidal push to the economy by pump priming consumption artificially. It seems the NDA government has picked the right lessons from the inflation surge witnessed in the wake of economic packages rolled out in late 2008 and early 2009 by the Congress-led UPA after the global economic crisis.

FDI reforms, Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Schemes (ECLGS), and a capex push, among others, were some of the tools PM Modi used in the Covid package to reinvigorate the economy. The focus was on stoking productive activity in the economy panning across sectors. 

This inadvertently meant a slew of meetings, feedback, reviews etc. The finance minister used to monitor ECLGS applications and disbursals almost on a 24/7 basis. “Banks and lending institutions were given instructions to dispatch daily report on ECLGS every evening. Strategy meetings would then be held on the data received from the banks,” said a top source then associated with the finance ministry. 

Similar meetings concerning the respective areas being handled, were happening at other ministries too. So, when commerce minister Piyush Goyal, during the height of the pandemic in July 2020, met the PM to brief him about certain developments in his sector, he was touched by a gesture made by Modi. 

“I have throat-related issues. It worsens by the evening,” said Goyal, adding that the PM had noticed that during meetings he keeps a glass of warm water handy. After he briefed the PM on the issues pertaining to his ministry as India was recovering from the lockdown, Modi suggested that Goyal adopt yoga and pranayam as it may help him with his condition. 

“I was really touched by the fact that amidst the plethora of issues on his plate, with a raging pandemic and challenges to the people and the economy, he was intently sensitive to my condition,” Goyal said. Back home after the meeting, Goyal says he was worried how and where to find a good yoga instructor. What touched him even more was that he got a call the very next morning from the PM’s residence referring a yogacharya to him. A car was dispatched from PM's official residence—7, Lok Kalyan Marg—to drop the yogacharya at Goyal’s residence. 

Instances like these prove that PM Modi—who turns 75 today—has an extremely sensitive soul under the wraps of a stoic countenance with respect for people at its core. A similar touching story about PM Modi’s small but extremely graceful gesture remains a lasting memory and lesson for minister of state Arjun Ram Meghwal. “True leadership is not about power, but about respect for others, no matter who they are,” is his learning from the incident, said Meghwal.  

The minister says that some moments in public life leave a lasting impression. “One such moment for me was when I accompanied Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Lok Sabha during a discussion on the Finance Bill,” he says. 

“As we reached the entrance of the House, a Member of Parliament was speaking from the very first row. According to the norms and etiquette of the Lok Sabha, it is considered disrespectful to cross in front of a member who is speaking. These are not written laws, but they are traditions that reflect the dignity of the House,” Meghwal explained. 

“I noticed that Prime Minister Modi stopped behind the member who was speaking. Someone quietly suggested to him that he could walk from the side and enter without disturbing the ongoing speech, as many in his position might have done. But PM Modi remained exactly where he was, waiting silently and patiently for the member to complete his address,” he said. 

What touched Meghwal was the fact that the MP, engrossed in his speech, had no idea that the Prime Minister of the country was standing silently behind him, showing him respect. Meghwal pointed out that there was no restlessness, no attempt to bypass the tradition, and no sense of hurry in the PM’s demeanour. “Instead, there was complete patience and humility,” he said. 

“It was not about formality; it was about the values he lives by. This incident has stayed with me as one of the most profound lessons of my political journey,” he said.

For PM Modi, respect for people is a way of life. In fact, one of the first steps Modi took after taking over in 2014 was related to financial inclusion. The core thought was saving the poor from the scourge of not being a part of the formal economy. Banking the unbanked has since been taken up on a war footing. 

As of August, 56 crore Jan Dhan Accounts have been opened. In fact, this scheme forms a basic part of the Jan Dhan Aadhar trinity, through which a number of subsidies are transferred to genuine beneficiaries without any leakage. 

One more aspect of PM Modi, having its base in his core philosophy of respect towards people, is his view on young parliamentarians. He is of the firm belief that young MPs must be given a chance to participate in debates and contribute more meaningfully to society. It is said that the gates of the PMO are always open for young MPs. 

When it comes to the people of India and their interests, this respect transcends into love. For him, the interest of the nation and the interest of the people are paramount. Every decision taken by the central government, under his leadership, has this core philosophy as the guiding principle. And any attempt to impair this fabric triggers the stoic side of Modi.

Instances of Modi belittling Seneca’s stoicism when India’s interests are at stake have recently come to the fore. The whole world has witnessed how India brought Pakistan to its knees during the post-Pahalgam conflict by destroying terror camps and Pakistani airbases. And more than that, India has given a strong signal to the global community that the country will respond to acts of terror, without being deterred by nuclear threats. It has also been made clear that nuclear deterrence will not work. 

On trade talks too, India has maintained a tough stand on the U.S. demand to open up the agriculture and dairy sectors. And India did not succumb to pressure with the U.S. imposing a 50% tariff, which essentially means a complete trade restriction. 

The confidence PM Modi has instilled even in the face of challenges is finding resonance among corporate India as well. When a top minister in the Modi Cabinet held a review meeting with the corporate sector after imposition of 50% tariff by the U.S., the corporate leaders apparently told him, “Jo hoga dekh lenge. Modi ji ko aap keh dena hum unke sath hai (We will see what happens. Just let PM Modi know that we are with him).”

The Prime Minister’s vision is of India becoming a developed economy by 2047. On the occasion of his 75th birthday today, which coincides with Vishwakarma Pooja, home minister Amit Shah said in an article that PM Modi is sculpting the future India bit by bit, the way Lord Vishwakarma ensures that all parts of a machine—small and big—work in sync towards the desired path. Fortune India wishes Prime Minister Narendra Modi a very Happy Birthday!