Modi's longevity in office over Indira Gandhi's: A debate on substance

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially becomes India’s second-longest-serving PM in a single uninterrupted tenure, surpassing Indira Gandhi’s 4,077-day streak, the BJP has gone on a publicity overdrive. But does longevity equal greatness? Veteran journalist and former PMO advisor Prem Shankar Jha joins The Federal to dissect the benchmarks of real political stature, from foreign policy to economic performance, and whether Modi’s legacy matches Indira Gandhi’s in substance, not just time.

What was your reaction to the BJP’s graphic comparing PM Modi with Indira Gandhi in terms of days in office?

What struck me immediately was the disproportion in the imagery. Modi’s photo was nearly three times the size of Indira Gandhi’s. Any political analyst or historian would tell you that in terms of stature, Indira was three times bigger than Modi. This kind of disproportionate portrayal reflects a deep subservience within the BJP’s propaganda machinery and a lack of genuine analytical capability. It was disrespectful and poorly thought out.

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Why do you think the BJP released this tweet mid-way through Modi’s overseas trip?

The timing is very telling. Usually, you draw such comparisons between two past leaders, not when one of them is still in office. This tweet felt like a memorial tribute, almost suggesting that Modi’s time is nearing its end. Remember, he once said leaders should retire at 75, and he’s about to turn 75. It felt like an “in memoriam in advance” of his prime ministership.

But knowing Modi, he’s not someone who will ever voluntarily relinquish power. His actions post-Gujarat riots in 2002, when he pushed the Election Commission to advance the Gujarat elections to avoid the fallout, demonstrated his fierce determination to hold on to power.

Do you think Modi has surpassed Indira Gandhi in any meaningful way, or is this just propaganda based on clocking more days?

There’s no real benchmark beyond the number of days. If there had been genuine achievements, surely the BJP would have highlighted them instead. The only thing they could point to was longevity, which is not a measure of greatness.

In terms of economic performance, for instance, Modi took over when India had just begun seeing a slowdown. Between 2003 and 2012, GDP growth averaged over 8%, and industrial growth in two of the three years before he came to power was 10–11%. About 4 million people were moving out of agriculture into industry each year. But under Modi, this trend reversed.

The labour force participation rate dropped from 57% in 2010–11 to 41% by 2019–20, a catastrophic decline. Nearly 70 to 80 million jobs were foregone. Two million people even moved back from industry to agriculture. The government kept playing around with GDP numbers, but nothing masked the underlying decline.

Modi is undeniably popular. Doesn’t that match or even surpass Indira Gandhi’s stature?

Modi’s popularity has plateaued. The BJP’s vote share was 31% in 2014, 38% in 2019, and dropped to 36% recently. Indira Gandhi, in contrast, led the Congress to around 44% in 1971 and a staggering 49.1% after her assassination in 1984. That was genuine public affection and sorrow. Popularity isn’t just about rallies and headlines; it’s about deep-rooted public connection. In that respect, Modi doesn’t come close.

How do you compare their foreign policy legacies?

There is simply no comparison. Modi has never stood up to any major world leader, not to Xi Jinping, not to Trump, not to Biden. Worst of all, he hasn’t uttered a word on the genocide in Gaza. India’s silence has destroyed our relationship with the secular Arab world.

Our moral position in global affairs has eroded. Under Manmohan Singh, India built a strong relationship with China and played a key role in BRICS. Xi Jinping even announced a $500 billion investment plan for India’s infrastructure before Modi took office. But that never materialised because of how Modi alienated China with antagonistic rhetoric and actions. We’ve now completely aligned ourselves with American and Israeli positions at great strategic cost.

Can you identify a defining moment in Modi’s tenure, the way Indira Gandhi had hers, like the creation of Bangladesh?

The BJP’s only defining milestone is that Modi has lasted a day longer than Indira Gandhi. That’s it.

Compare that with Indira Gandhi’s response to the 1971 East Bengal crisis. She decided to break Pakistan to liberate Bangladesh. She coordinated with Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, waited for the right time due to monsoons, and achieved a complete military victory in just 18 days. Over 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered.

She insisted they be treated as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention, rejecting Mukti Bahini’s demands to try them as war criminals. That sense of principle is unmatched.

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Contrast this with Modi’s silence during the 2002 Gujarat riots. His government’s moral compass has been missing ever since.

Why do you think the BJP never mentions former PMs like Lal Bahadur Shastri, Deve Gowda, or IK Gujral in these comparisons?

Because the Congress is their primary target, they want to pit Modi only against Nehru and Indira. Modi also holds a very high opinion of himself and doesn’t see others as worthy of comparison. If anyone in the BJP tried comparing him to Shastri or Gujral, they’d likely be reprimanded.

Also, Modi has consistently avoided making public statements during crises, whether it’s Galwan, Gaza, or Manipur. He remains silent, never addressing the nation in times of moral urgency. He’s inflating a giant image of himself, but such balloons eventually burst.

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