Modi critics latch on to Time Magazine's 'Divider in Chief' cover

Popular US news magazine Time on Friday revealed the cover of its new international issue and it is already causing a stir in India.

The cover features an portrait of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the headline India's Divider in Chief. The Mahila Congress, the women's wing of the main opposition party, tweeted about the Time cover, stating “Sitting PM makes it to the cover of Time Magazine”. The Mahila Congress also added, “Your truth is for all to see,” tagging Modi.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Preeti Sharma Menon reacted to the Time cover by tweeting, “Yayyy! All the bhakts must be so excited. Modiji is on @TIME's cover page”.

Activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan also tweeted about the Time cover on Modi.

The Time issue on Modi has two prominent articles. One is by columnist Aatish Taseer, who asks, Can the World's Largest Democracy Endure Another Five Years of a Modi Government?

Taseer places the rise of Modi in the context of populist sentiment seen in countries across the world. Taseer writes, “It forces us to reckon with how in India, as well as in societies as far apart as Turkey and Brazil, Britain and the US, populism has given voice to a sense of grievance among majorities that is too widespread to be ignored...”

Taseer refers to Modi's inability to bring economic growth and usage of Hindutva. Taseer notes Modi “has in every field, from politics and economics to Indology itself, privileged authenticity over ability, leading India down the road to a profound anti-intellectualism.”

Taseer concludes on an ominous note, “Modi’s India feels like a place where the existing order of things has passed away, without any credible new order having come into being. Modi has won—and may yet win again—but to what end?”

The other article by political scientist Ian Bremmer Modi Is India's Best Hope for Economic Reform is far more conciliatory to the incumbent prime minister. While noting that Modi's economic record has been mixed, Bremmer argues, “India still needs change, and Modi remains the person most likely to deliver.” He praises Modi's work to improve infrastructure and initiatives such as the expansion of Aadhaar, Swachh Bharat and the Ujjwala Yojna.

Interestingly, Modi has featured on the cover of Time Magazine earlier also. In May 2015, Time had an image of Modi with the headline Why India matters. The issue also featured an interview with Modi.

Modi's predecessors have also featured on the cover of Time Magazine. In July 2012, Time had Manmohan Singh on the cover, calling him an “underachiever” for his perceived inability to accelerate economic reforms.

In July 2002, Time had caused a flutter in Indian politics when it published an article that raised questions about the health and lifestyle of then prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and his capacity to govern. The article Asleep at The Wheel? led to protests by the BJP against Time.