The prime minister’s monologues, interrupted only by frenzied clapping and Modi-Modi chants of cheering crowds so meticulously organised on foreign soil, are a unique spectacle. No other leader of any country addresses public rallies on foreign tours. Their focus is on diplomacy as they use every minute in pursuing their countries’ strategic and economic interests instead of wasting time on tamasha that is fundamentally aimed at enlarging personal legitimacy.This oddity is Modi’s gift to statecraft. The silly idolatry of dolled up women and unwise men don’t serve any strategic purpose. Diplomacy and statecraft require vision and gravitas. Diplomacy is not a song-and-dance show. It’s not a hug-and-gift ritual either. It may massage Modi’s ego and produce raw material for propaganda on TV channels but it’s irrelevant to the national objectives.India was known for its conscientious positions and moral voice the world over. Every oppressed country looked up to India. Nehruvian foreign policy was based on justice and morality. Modi substituted that with muddled-up opportunism, short-sighted alliances influenced by extraneous factors and undiplomatic spectacles. The distressing isolation of India in the diplomatic efforts to restore peace in West Asia is a striking example of Modi’s thoughtless foreign policy hurting India’s strategic interest. The cradle of terror Pakistan gaining legitimacy as a peacemaker in this global crisis will have serious implications for our country in the future. The awards Modi receives in foreign countries have also started attracting ridicule. International newspapers have started making fun of it. Though Modi says the awards he gets are for 140 crore Indians, it is not difficult to guess how many citizens back home are eager to share the honour. The majority of Indians, struggling for basic needs, do not attach any significance to their prime minister becoming the “Guardian of the Blue Horizon” in Seychelles. Their aspirations are different; they are crying to see a sensitive and working prime minister, not a decorated emperor. Their dark “horizon” is torn apart by wretched poverty and unemployment, and the “guardian” appears unconcerned with their miseries. Modi has so far achieved 35 awards and state honour from different countries. These awards may sustain the Vishwaguru myth in the minds of the gullible, but the reality is that Modi’s contribution to global politics and diplomacy is nil. His intellectual prowess, or political acumen, isn’t hidden from the world. Forget about the awards given by small countries, in 2018 he received the UN Champions of Earth Award, which is the United Nations highest environmental honour. That should have given some sense of pride to Indians but the knowledge of reckless environmental destruction and cutting of millions of trees across the country killed that joy. If the unknown Philip Kotler award evoked derision among Indians, they were aware of the intent and purpose of the “Medal of the Knesset” given by Benjamin Netanyahu just two days before Israel attacked Iran. India was fortunate to have Mahatma Gandhi for whom even the highest international awards were meaningless. Most political scientists and historians felt the Nobel committee diminished itself by not choosing Gandhi for the Peace award. Which award could have enhanced Jawaharlal Nehru’s stature? Nehru was considered a true global statesman, inspiring countless anti-colonial movements. These illustrious Indians didn’t need awards from Trinidad & Tobago, Ethiopia, Slovakia, Bahrain, Maldives and Oman for legitimacy and acclaim. Hollow rhetoricThe prime minister indeed loves monologues. Addressing a gathering of non-resident Indians in Australia during his recent tour, he boasted of running a “people first” agenda. As the crowd burst into a thunderous applause, he delivered an enticing dialogue: “Naagrik Devo Bhawah!” He insisted that’s the mantra – citizens are God! Modi’s unbridled powers will make even Gods envious. He can declare himself a God whenever he wants, claiming that his non-biological existence was actually a divine force. In a different mood, he can declare the citizens God, proposing himself as a mere servant; a Sewak or a Chowkidar. As if politics is a bundle of his whims and fancies! Anyway, the latest claim that the citizens are God has ironically come at a time when a new fear has been injected into a section of Indians about their citizenship. Forget the right to vote. Loss of citizenship will deny them godliness. Millions of Indians are already grappling with that crisis and the prime minister hasn’t expressed a word of sympathy. Modi, instead, has deepened their insecurities by calling those excluded by the Election Commission as “ghuspaithiya”. Those living in Australia, the US or Oman may be dear to Modi but a “ghuspaithiya” in India will obviously not receive his benevolence. Naagrik Devo Bhavah, he said. Only naagrik. Not those whose citizenship is stuck in logical discrepancies. Yes, the same naagrik who is distressed by the loot in the Ram temple. The same naagrik who is protesting at Jantar Mantar against paper leaks. The same naagrik who is chained by the US and thrown out. The same naagrik who gets beaten up by the police for protesting against unemployment, framed in false charges and is languishing in jail. Yes, the naagrik who face fake encounters and bulldozers. The naagrik who are beaten up and paraded in the streets of Bengal these days. The naagrik who are abused and threatened on social media for questioning Modi. All of them will get godly status. Naagrik Devo Bhawah! That’s Modi’s mantra. That’s not a hollow rhetoric. That’s a commitment made to the people who don’t question, who don’t criticize. They are so dear to Modi. They don’t protest. They only sing Modi-Modi… Those living in India can trust the promise made to the NRIs. On the question of trust, Champat Rai comes to mind.Ayodhya trustAsk AI what Lord Ram would have done after learning of theft in the Ayodhya temple and this is what it says: “Based on the core principles of dharma and rajdharma as detailed in ancient texts like the Valmiki Ramayana, Ram would have dealt with a temple theft using a blend of strict justice, administrative accountability, and spiritual reform. As the ideal king (Maryada Purushottam), his approach would ensure that public trust is preserved and wrongdoing is rooted out with impartiality. He would have placed public confidence above everything else by launching an open and uncompromised inquiry. He would never allow an investigation to be suppressed or delayed to protect influential individuals. He would punish the guilty severely, completely ignoring their social status, political loyalty, or proximity to power. Rather than merely punishing low-level actors, Ram would address the root cause of the systemic failure.”Even AI knows Ram and ethical governance better than Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-Bharatiya Janata Party. The entire country is saying low-level functionaries can’t pull off such loot; sadhus of Ayodhya, opposition parties, impartial observers and Ram devotees suspect a design to protect the real culprits. That’s a betrayal of Ram’s ideals. Despite saintly rhetoric, the RSS has never been known for moral judgements. Its choices and actions have been motivated by vested interest and its narrow self-centred and communal politics. In recent controversies like misuse of central agencies, purchase of MPs and MLAs, capture of democratic institutions, crony capitalism and financial scams, the RSS never goaded the Modi government to take a moral stand, face public scrutiny and enforce accountability. The violent and hateful attitude of the Sangh Parivar towards minorities is also amoral, apart from being illegal, but Mohan Bhagwat never asked them to probe what Ram’s righteousness demands. Any cunning ploy to save those responsible for stealing donations and striking scandalous land deals in the name of Ram will further destroy the Sangh parivar’s credibility. Evidence of land scams has been submitted to the government. The presumption that the people will forget this sin with the passage of time is totally wrong. The blot is permanent. Only a credible solution and exemplary punishment will allow them to salvage some pride. The best option is to accept an investigation by the Special Investigation Team monitored by the Supreme Court and to let the Shankaracharyas to constitute a new trust to manage the temple.Sanjay K. Jha is a political commentator.