‘Double cross, first class’: Why India’s Modi wins so many foreign awards
The Indian prime minister was presented with an award during a visit to the Seychelles, adding to his large trophy collection. During his June 27-29
The Indian prime minister was presented with an award during a visit to the Seychelles, adding to his large trophy collection. During his June 27-29 visit to the Seychelles, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was graced with a trophy never seen before – a pristine, pyriform azure prize created especially for him, titled the “Guardian of the Blue Horizon”. The award did not exist before Modi’s visit to the Seychelles. And the citation accompanying it was riddled with embarrassing misspellings: the country that conjured up the award, and was bestowing it on Modi, was called the “Repubblic of Seycheeles”. Those mistakes were the outcome of a “rush job” that invited “ridicule”, said Nitasha Kaul, a professor of politics and international relations at Westminster University in the United Kingdom. Yet Modi’s Blue Horizon award now sits neatly next to an array of similar trophies and medals in his foreign visit collection. When he has made diplomatic visits to other countries, Modi has more often than not left with an award, often – including the one from Indonesia on Tuesday – created just for him. “These awards are not about India’s diplomacy; they’re about Modi’s image,” Kaul told Al Jazeera. Here is more about the recent Seychelles award, others Modi has racked up over the years, and what they say about how several countries treat diplomatic ties with India under its current leadership. What do we know about Modi’s Seychelles award? The award, described as the Seychelles’ highest civilian honour, was presented by President Patrick Herminie to Modi in Victoria during a State House ceremony.
Modi was given the award in recognition of his “distinguished leadership and commitment to sustainable development, environmental conservation, and climate resilience”. He received a physical trophy and a certificate. When images of Modi’s special certificate emerged, observers pointed out several typographical errors, including “repubblic” instead of republic and “Seycheeles” instead of Seychelles. The errors earned ire from opposition politicians. “The world has figured Modi out. Give him any award, and he’ll come running,” Supriya Shrinate from the Congress Party wrote in an X post on June 28. “They were in such a tearing hurry that they even got the official name of the Republic of Seychelles wrong,” Shrinate added. The Foreign Ministry of Seychelles issued a clarification on Thursday, stating that the image circulated of the certificate was of a “working draft” rather than the final certificate. “The Guardian of the Blue Horizon distinction is genuine,” the ministry added. The Seychelles cabinet had approved the award just days before Modi landed. Which other countries have given Modi awards? Modi has received more than 30 accolades during his foreign visits over the past 12 years in office. In Indonesia on Tuesday, he was awarded the Bintang Adipurna, the host country’s highest civilian award. In June, Modi received the highest national honour of the Slovak Republic, the ”Order of the White Double Cross, 1st Class”. Despite the way some might read its title, the honour is genuine, is reserved for foreign nationals, and has been presented to world leaders before, including Bronislaw Komorowski, former president of the Republic of Poland and Heinz Fischer, former president of the Republic of Austria.
The BriefWire