Public Money, Private Glory and Modi’s Self-Projection: How Modi’s PR Machine Captured the State

In September 2025, India witnessed a massive political show that revealed the true nature of the government in New Delhi. Narendra Modi’s 75th birthday was transformed into a huge, state-funded propaganda campaign, showing how far India has fallen into a style of governance driven only by image. This was a shameless exercise in using public money for the private glorification of one man. While the nation’s resources were poured into this show, the real needs of citizens and the actual business of governance were dangerously ignored.

♦ A Birthday Turned Propaganda: The celebration was a carefully managed public relations exercise, using state resources to project one man’s image above the nation.

♦ Ignoring the People’s Needs: While the state focused on this show, the pressing issues facing ordinary Indians were sidelined, exposing a government obsessed with image, not solutions.

The Complete Takeover of Print Media

The media flooding was enormous, exposing a coordinated effort to dominate the public narrative through a paid, manufactured campaign. According to AdEx India, the campaign drowned the country’s print media, turning newspapers into personal billboards for Mr Modi. The visual impact of one man’s face across hundreds of publications was designed to silence any other news or criticism.

♦ A Coordinated Newspaper Flood: This was a massive, planned operation involving over 220 advertisers who pushed this content into more than 400 different newspapers across India.

♦ Unprecedented Use of Ad Space: The campaign used a shocking 108,000 column centimeters of newspaper space just for Modi’s personal image, meaning countless full pages were bought and paid for.

Hijacking the Television Airwaves

The propaganda was even more intense on television, where the constant repetition of images can strongly affect public opinion. The airwaves were effectively hijacked to project Mr Modi’s personality, drowning out almost all other non political content. This demonstrated a complete capture of the broadcast media, where the shocking difference between time given to Modi versus genuine content revealed a deeply distorted media environment.

♦ Dominating Ninety Channels: Mr Modi’s image and the birthday advertisements dominated a total of 28 hours of airtime across 90 different television channels.

♦ Silencing Genuine Content: In that same period, genuine non political advertisers, who represent the real economy, were pushed to the sidelines, managing to get barely 30 minutes of airtime.

The True Scale of the Propaganda

The full scope of the print campaign reveals a total takeover of the public’s view, as the data for personal ads was just the start. According to AdEx India, when combined with all other political and social advertisements pushing the government’s slogans, the total space used soared to an unbelievable 363,000 column centimeters. This amount of advertising is not information; it is a brute force attempt to manufacture a false reality and block out any other story or criticism.

♦ The Full Print Saturation: The 363,000 column centimeter figure confirms that this was one of the largest propaganda pushes of its kind, designed to overwhelm the public.

♦ Manufacturing a False Reality: This was a clear strategy to ensure the only message Indian citizens could see was one of praise for the leader, creating a false sense of universal support.

From Prime Minister to Chief PR Man

This birthday campaign was far more than a celebration; it was a clear public relations exercise funded by the state. It confirms the Modi regime has erased the line between governance and personal publicity, turning the entire machinery of the Indian state into a personal publicity machine. The purpose of this machine is to inflate one man’s image at the nation’s expense, while real civic issues are left to worsen.

♦ Governance as a Publicity Machine: The state’s function has been twisted from serving the people to promoting the leader, which is a dangerous sign for any democracy.

♦ Ignoring Real Civic Issues: This non stop focus on PR means that real governance and the urgent problems of the economy, health, and society are completely ignored.

Public Money Spent for Private Glory

At the heart of this show is a deep and troubling abuse of public trust and money. India was forced to witness a cult of personality, where taxpayers’ money was openly spent for the private glorification of one leader. The state, which is supposed to be a neutral servant of the people, has been captured and has converted its public resources into nothing more than tools for building Mr Modi’s personal brand.

♦ An Unprecedented Cult of Personality: This behavior is the hallmark of rulers who do not believe in democracy and are building a system of personal rule.

♦ Taxpayers Funding a Private Narrative: This is a direct conversion of public funds into private political capital, treating the national treasury as a personal marketing budget.

India’s Billboard Prime Minister

The result of this long term strategy is that India’s newspapers and television channels have been weakened, now reduced to simple billboards for Mr Modi. The entire nation is being turned into a propaganda area where the leader’s face is everywhere, and no criticism is heard. This image focused show has killed genuine public discussion about policy, replacing it with empty slogans.

♦ Media Reduced to Billboards: When the media is filled with paid praise, it loses its ability to act as a watchdog and instead becomes a tool of power.

♦ Replacing Policy with a Show: This obsession with image replaces any need for the government to perform. It offers a show instead of solutions, a display instead of policy.

Conclusion: Slogans Over Solutions

This planned birthday display exposes a larger, dangerous truth about the state of India under the Modi regime. It is a state where public relations has completely defeated policy, and where loud advertisements have replaced government accountability. Public funds are no longer seen as a special trust for the public good but are treated as a limitless resource to fuel private glory and hold on to personal power. The nation has been transformed into a stage for one man’s image, leaving real development, democracy, and transparency dangerously sidelined.

♦ Projection Over Performance: This event proves the Modi government is far more focused on projection than on action, on selling slogans rather than solving problems.

♦ A Dangerous Path for India: This dangerous path, where PR triumphs over policy, puts the future of Indian democracy and development at serious risk, as accountability is the first casualty.