Editor's Pick: 'Modi is no dictator: Shah'

Rejecting allegations that Narendra Modi was dictatorial, Home Minister Amit Shah said in a TV interview on Sunday that he had never seen a "better listener" than the Prime Minister. Mr. Modi holds elaborate discussions on issues before taking a decision, but the contents of these discussions don't leak out, which is why people may think he is dictatorial, he said. Mr. Shah spoke to the channel on the occasion of Mr. Modi completing 20 years in public office. Mr. Shah's defence of the Prime Minister comes at a time when the Opposition has been accusing the BJP administration of "throttling democracy" by not allowing leaders to visit the site of violence in Lakhimpur Kheri. This is not the first time that such charges are being made — the Prime Minister, specifically, has been castigated time and again by the Opposition, civil society leaders, academics and others for being authoritarian and unilateral. In recent months, the Modi regime has been criticised for allowing the three contentious farm bills to be passed in Parliament without any proper discussion; for mismanaging the second wave of COVID-19 by adopting a top-down approach; and for continuing construction of the Central Vista even during the lockdown. Critics say that under the Modi regime, the military has been politicised and the judiciary lacks independence. They have also accused the Election Commission of being partisan and failing to issue even perfunctory censures of Mr. Modi's sloganeering in which he has invoked the armed forces and made provocative statements. The growing number of political prisoners, the drop in India's rank in the freedom of the press index over the years, the various instances of minorities being attacked by vigilantes owing allegiance to the ruling party, and the government's repeated efforts to fix its image over solving issues all point to the Prime Minister's dictatorial mindset and an eroding democracy, say critics. Taking umbrage at this, the BJP-led Union government has hit back repeatedly saying it treats all citizens equally, gives importance to debate and discussion, welcomes criticism and upholds rights and liberties. As Mr. Shah's remarks come at a time when the Prime Minister's popularity is diminishing according to various mood surveys, this story is the top pick of the day. The Hindu Explains A probe after prodding: On Lakhimpur Kheri violence A homecoming: On Air India and the Tatas Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. Click here Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Who has the Centre appointed as the new Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences? 1. K. VijayRaghavan 2. M. Ravichandran 3. Rajiv Gauba 4. Dr. Jitendra Singh To find out the answer and play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 11 OCTOBER 2021 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( 'Modi is no dictator: Shah' ['Modi is no dictator: Shah'] Rejecting allegations that Narendra Modi was dictatorial, [Home Minister Amit Shah said in a TV interview]( on Sunday that he had never seen a "better listener" than the Prime Minister. Mr. Modi holds elaborate discussions on issues before taking a decision, but the contents of these discussions don't leak out, which is why people may think he is dictatorial, he said. Mr. Shah spoke to the channel on the occasion of Mr. Modi completing 20 years in public office. Mr. Shah's defence of the Prime Minister comes at a time when the Opposition has been accusing the BJP administration of "throttling democracy" by [not allowing leaders to visit the site of violence in Lakhimpur Kheri](. This is not the first time that such charges are being made — the Prime Minister, specifically, has been castigated time and again by the Opposition, civil society leaders, academics and others for being authoritarian and unilateral. In recent months, the Modi regime has been criticised for allowing the [three contentious farm bills to be passed]( in Parliament without any proper discussion; for [mismanaging the second wave of COVID-19]( by adopting a top-down approach; and for continuing [construction of the Central Vista]( even during the lockdown. Critics say that under the Modi regime, the military has been politicised and the judiciary lacks independence. They have also accused the[Election Commission of being partisan]( failing to issue even perfunctory censures of Mr. Modi's sloganeering in which he has invoked the armed forces and made provocative statements. The growing number of political prisoners, the [drop in India's rank in the freedom of the press]( over the years, the various instances of minorities being attacked by vigilantes owing allegiance to the ruling party, and the [government's repeated efforts to fix its image]( solving issues all point to the Prime Minister's dictatorial mindset and an eroding democracy, say critics. Taking umbrage at this, the [BJP-led Union government has hit back repeatedly]( saying it treats all citizens equally, gives importance to debate and discussion, welcomes criticism and upholds rights and liberties. As Mr. Shah's remarks come at a time when the Prime Minister's popularity is diminishing according to various mood surveys, this story is the top pick of the day.         The Hindu Explains [Arrow][A probe after prodding: On Lakhimpur Kheri violence]( [Arrow][A homecoming: On Air India and the Tatas]( [underlineimg] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. [Click here]( Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Who has the Centre appointed as the new Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences? 1. K. VijayRaghavan 2. M. Ravichandran 3. Rajiv Gauba 4. Dr. Jitendra Singh To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here](. 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