In the past five years, we have seen a sea change in India’s political landscape, both with the politics of business-as-usual crumbling into the dust, what with PM Modi’s singular dominance, and with voters becoming more and more politically aware thanks to a highly politicised public discourse. Amidst all of this, however, one key development stands out: the rise of the ‘cult personality’, like never before.
Indian politics, prior to Independence, was a many-hued constellation of stalwarts, all of whom shone brilliantly individually, but glittered in glorious togetherness under the common, overarching banner of India’s freedom struggle from British rule. Even though the heroes of our freedom struggle deigned to glorify their own selves at the cost of the larger ideal, the people were always eager to repose their faith in the individual more than any political unit or organised ideology.