Narendra Modi turns 76 today, and the machinery around the occasion, including the Union government, a clutch of BJP-run states, and the party organisation, has already lined up a month’s worth of events. Thursday’s newspapers got the opening act: front pages replaced by paid jacket advertisements, wishing the prime minister well before a single news story got a look-in.
The most travelled of these jackets was not sold by any company. It was a Shiv Sena tribute titled “India's Pride: A conscientious Prime Minister”, showing Modi in prayer pose, crediting him as “the longest-serving Prime Minister of India elected by people” and recipient of “highest civilian awards of 36 nations,” signed off by Maharashtra deputy CM Eknath Shinde. It ran as the front-page jacket on Hindustan Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Dainik Jagran, Amar Ujala and The Times of India.
