PM Modi's showmanship carried the day at Wembley but back in India things won't be so spectacular

BJP’s Bihar debacle and the trust deficit Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fighting on the home soil have clearly failed to dampen his ability to make his foreign trips a big success. Modi’s UK-trip is a perfect endorsement of his ability to use his salesmanship and showmanship to advantage whenever he flies abroad. Modi’s speeches at UK Parliament and Guildhall and the response he received shows that despite the setbacks and the bruising at home, Modi continues to be the showstopper in his foreign trips and a successful salesman in hardselling the India-story, like no one has done before. “At this point of time, it is wiser to be in India,” Modi reminded a group of industrialists at Guildhall. “I assure you of my personal care in making your dreams a reality,” he said. The attitude was not that of a politician but a seasoned salesman who knows how to sell his stuff or that of a corporate executive making presentation to potential investors. [caption id=“attachment_2506316” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Image courtesy- agency[/caption] In his Guildhall speech, attended by a large group of business leaders, Modi listed every single recognition his government grabbed in the 17-months rule. His speech-writers have taken caution not to leave out any rankings/progress the Modi-government achieved so far. Everything was showcased one by one. Modi spoke of a 40 percent increase in FDI (foreign direct investment) inflows over the year and cited rankings by Ernst & Young and Foreign Policy magazine of USA ranking India as a top FDI destination. Modi cited another study of 100 countries on Growth, Innovation and Leadership, by Frost & Sullivan where, again, India has been ranked No.1. Then came the UNCTAD rankings, where India moved to 9th from 15th in terms of investment attractiveness. At Guildhall, the PM said India has jumped 16 places on the World Economic Forum’s global competitive index and said global rating agency, Moody’s has upgraded the rating (it’s actually rating outlook, not rating) of India as positive. The entire speech, except the few mentions he made on the importance of Indo-UK bilateral business partnership, was intended at hardselling the India story, particularly the recent liberalisation of FDI in 15 sectors including defence and aviation. Arguably, no Indian PM in the past has managed to use their foreign trips to drum up the India’s case in front of the world as Modi did in the last two days (or has been doing). Modi has addressed the gatherings of businessmen in UK with the same ease and dominance that he addresses a political rally in UP or Bihar. As _Firstpost_’_s_ former Editor R Jagannathan wrote , without doubt Modi is the best brand ambassador and country salesman India has ever had. In Wembley, where the whole event had an ambience of a pop concert rather than a political event, Modi charmed the crowds with his typical style, invoking India’s diversity and future potential, his pet schemes like ‘Swachh Bharat’ and ‘Jan Dhan Yojana’ besides remembering his own humble beginnings as a ‘chaiwala’. Modi resorted to appeasing the Sikh and Gujarati communities (he announced a direct flight between London and Ahmedabad), who formed a large part of the crowd at the Wembley. He played to the galleries with his ‘James Bond, Brook Bond and Rupee Bond’ remarks and even offered a tip to the UK-NRIs to hold their watches upside down to quickly read the India-UK time difference. Modi’s Wembley speech appeared to be a continuation of the spectacles unfurled in the iconic stadium—-more to appease the crowd and less on substance. As usual, Modi didn’t forget to take a dig at Congress and the media. “The India that is beyond the TV and newspapers is very deep and very good. Don’t think India stops at what you see and read,” the Modi said. Modi boarded his flight to UK in the backdrop of a host of troubles back home. Diminishing Modi-brand Modi’s political dominance has indeed taken a battering back home following humiliating loss in Bihar. But, more than the Bihar defeat, what has hurt the Modi-image is the recent spurt in incidents of intolerance episode and his government’s alleged soft stance on Hindu hardliners and self-proclaimed Hindu groups. The UK-media has unleashed a scathing attack on Modi calling him an ‘ex-pariah’ and ‘“former persona non grata”. Cameron himself faced questions from media on how comfortable he was receiving Modi to UK given the fact that during his (Cameron’s) first tenure, Modi was not permitted to visit UK. Both Cameron and Modi played down the questions. A cartoon published in one of the UK dailies even showed Modi applying ‘tilak’ on Cameron’s forehead with a bloodied hand. In spite of all this, Modi has managed yet another successful foreign trip. Credit goes to his salesmanship and showmanship. Besides the goodwill the PM generated, the tangible part of the high profile visit is that a host of business deals worth $14 billion were signed between India and UK business houses that could further spice up trade relations between the two countries and help bring investments in India. But, how far these deals progress is something one should wait and watch. Back home, life will be a lot less spectacular for Modi. He will have to face a rejuvenated opposition in Parliament, face criticism on the concerns of minorities and deal with a revolting old guard within his party.