By PL Srinivas
I write this not merely as a responsible citizen of India, but also as a committed karyakarta of the Bharatiya Janata Party who has seen politics from close quarters for decades. Your reported decision to reduce your personal convoy to just two vehicles may appear symbolic and inspiring to many, but to countless ordinary supporters like me, it is deeply disturbing and unacceptable. Simplicity in public life is admirable, but simplicity should never come at the cost of the personal security of a Prime Minister who carries the hopes, aspirations, and confidence of an entire nation.
Leadership by example is undoubtedly one of your greatest strengths. India has witnessed how you transformed political culture by rejecting VIP arrogance, dynastic entitlement, and extravagant displays of power. You have consistently projected yourself as a servant of the people rather than a ruler above them. But there is a thin line between humility and unnecessary risk. The Prime Minister of India is not an ordinary public figure whose security can be treated casually to send out a message of austerity.
Let me say this bluntly, even if critics ridicule me for saying so. Today, India needs Narendra Modi more than Narendra Modi needs any position or office. Some Opposition leaders may mock this statement and compare it with the infamous “India is Indira, Indira is India” slogan raised during the Emergency era by Congress president Debkant Barooah. But there is a vast difference between blind personality cult politics and genuine public trust earned through performance, sacrifice, and relentless leadership.
I say this with honesty and experience because I have travelled through multiple political systems. My political roots span from Congress to Telugu Desam Party to BRS before finally choosing the BJP as my ideological home. I have seen how parties function internally, how leadership is cultivated, and how governance priorities are often compromised. It is after witnessing all this firsthand that I arrived at the conclusion that Narendra Modi is not just another Prime Minister in India’s long democratic journey. He represents stability, decisiveness, national confidence, and global respect for millions of Indians.
Under your leadership, India has transformed global perception. Whether it is national security, foreign policy, infrastructure growth, digital governance, welfare delivery, or India’s rising international stature, the country today commands attention in a manner unseen in decades. The slogan “Modi Hai Toh Mumkin Hai” did not become popular because of propaganda alone; it emerged because ordinary citizens saw visible governance outcomes and a leader willing to take difficult decisions.
Precisely for that reason, your personal safety cannot become secondary to optics. India has painful historical lessons about the consequences of underestimating threats to national leaders. Former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were both assassinated despite layers of security. The country paid a heavy emotional and political price. In today’s world, where terrorism, extremist ideologies, lone-wolf attacks, and geopolitical hostility continue to pose real dangers, reducing the Prime Minister’s security footprint sends the wrong message.
This is not merely about one individual. The office of the Prime Minister symbolizes the sovereignty, continuity, and democratic authority of India itself. Every security protocol around that office exists not to pamper an individual but to protect the nation’s institutional stability. Your admirers may celebrate your simplicity, but no patriotic Indian would forgive himself if avoidable risks ever led to tragedy.
Therefore, I make a humble and emotional appeal not only to you but also to the Special Protection Group leadership and the Union government: please do not compromise the security architecture surrounding our Prime Minister. The affection people hold for you is immense, cutting across regions, classes, and generations. Even those who politically oppose you cannot deny that you remain one of the most consequential leaders independent India has produced.
A leader who works almost tirelessly for the nation, travels relentlessly, faces enormous pressure daily, and continues to carry India’s aspirations on the global stage deserves the highest level of protection possible. Modesty is admirable, but safeguarding the life of a leader entrusted with the destiny of 140 crore Indians is an even greater national responsibility.
absolutely correct assessment.