Personality Cults Are Never Permanent: Ramachandra Guha

“In politics, the cult of personality hurts the party,” Ramachandra Guha, a well-known Indian historian, environmentalist, and writer, said at the 6th edition of KLF.

Guha resonated with various reasons for the personality cult of Narendra Modi. He considered Modi’s capacity for hard work, his devotion to politics, and his brilliant oratory some of the reasons that made Modi a personality cult. Modi’s personality cult has ramifications for the country’s various institutions, including the party, press, and judiciary. He also added that the abdication of sports players and film stars is another aspect of cult personality. “India, a partially democratic country, is now changing like Russia,” he emphasized.

Guha also mentioned the development of a personality cult before Modi and considered Indira Gandhi to possess a strong personality cult. Guha is of the opinion that Narendra Modi and Indira Gandhi are on steroids.

Guha said, “Chief Ministers of various states also add to this cult personality.” And he quoted the examples of Mamta Banerjee, West Bengal; Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi; and Pinarayi Vijayan, Kerala. Personality cults are always bad for the country and are never permanent. K. T. Dinesh concluded the session.