If it is recognition for “God’s Own Country”, can glory to the Father be far behind?
The BJP, which never misses out on an opportunity to sing paeans to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and credit him with achievements as varied as “stopping” the Ukraine-Russia war to bringing all-encompassing “achchhe din” to India, has now hailed the leader for Kerala finding place in a global list of top tourist destinations.
However, the party, which does not have a single member in the Kerala Assembly and has traditionally struggled to gain a toehold in the state, was soon in for severe criticism with people asking what Modi had done to promote tourism in Kerala, reminding the Prime Minister how he had berated the state by comparing it with Somalia in 2016 and pointing to how Kerala had tapped into its tourism potential through pioneering marketing and branding initiatives over three decades ago when Modi had not even made a name for himself in national politics.
Another stinging irony was also not lost on many - the recognition for which the BJP praised Modi had been bestowed by Time magazine, which had become anathema for the party after it published a cover story on him in 2019 titled “India’s Divider in Chief”.
In its July 12 edition, the Time magazine has listed Kerala among the 50 “World’s Greatest Places of 2022”. The only other Indian destination on the list is Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
Time has described Kerala as “one of India’s most beautiful states. With spectacular beaches and lush backwaters, temples, and palaces, it’s known as ‘God’s Own Country’ for good reason.” The list includes places such as the UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah, Park City in Utah, Galapagos Islands, Seoul, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Doha, Detroit and Istanbul.
BJP national president J.P. Nadda tweeted: “Thanks to the efforts of Hon. PM Shri @narendramodi to promote tourism in our country, TIME Magazine has recognised Kerala in the list of ‘The World’s Greatest Places of 2022’. Congratulations to the state of Kerala, the state’s breathtaking beauty is rightfully being recognised.”
Kerala BJP president K. Surendran followed suit. “It’s a matter of immense pride for every Malayali that Kerala has been included in the list of the World’s 50 Greatest Places of 2022 - by Time magazine. Ahmedabad also found its place on the list. Thank you @narendramodi Ji for promoting Kerala to the rest of the world,” he tweeted.
Soon, many on social media held up the mirror to the BJP.
“Kerala was beautiful (and) was called ‘God’s Own Country’ even before Modi came to power. State on(e) thing that he did to make this happen. Don’t try to take credit for something which he never took any action,” tweeted a social media user named Pradeep, who tagged Nadda and Modi.
Way back in 1989, the Kerala tourism department had engaged adman Walter Mendez, who came up with the tagline “God’s Own Country”, which started off a trend of promoting tourism in states through stunning visuals, ad campaigns and branding, besides giant strides in infrastructure development.
Kerala’s campaign spawned similar competitive marketing initiatives among other states. Gujarat, where Modi was chief minister from 2001 to 2014, came up with the Khusboo Gujarat Ki campaign in 2009.
A tweeter named The Cheshire Cat, who too tagged Modi and Nadda, ridiculed the very thought of crediting Modi for Kerala tourism’s achievements. “Yes, because before Narendra Modi Kerala was a no man’s land. Nobody lived there, no one ever visited, no one knew of its existence. Only because of the PM’s sincere efforts, did it get international recognition. Subhah subah dimaag ka dahi kar diya aapne Naddaji (why are you getting on my nerves)!”
