Modi Receives Seychelles' Highest Honour Amid Controversy
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently arrived in Seychelles, where he was swiftly awarded one of the nation’s "highest" honours, of the Blue Horizon award. The accolade was presented by Patrick Herminie, the president of Seychelles, and included a trophy and certificate. Modi accepted the award with a smile.
However, observers noted several irregularities with the award. The certificate contained misspellings, including "republic" as "repubblic" and "Seychelles" as "Seycheeles." Further investigation revealed that the award had been created only three days prior to Modi’s arrival, making him its first and sole recipient. Additionally, when analyzed using software, the certificate was widely flagged as AI-generated.
Political Reactions and Official Responses
The opposition Congress party quickly criticized the incident. Congress politician Supriya Shrinate commented on social media:
"Give him [Modi] any award, and he’ll come running."
"They were in such a tearing hurry that they even got the official name of the Republic of Seychelles wrong."
In response, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) described the event as a "proud moment for India," emphasizing the recognition of Modi’s "green leadership."
On Thursday, the Seychelles foreign ministry issued a statement clarifying that a "working draft" of the certificate had been circulated by mistake and that an "authentic and duly approved" version had since been issued. The ministry affirmed:
" of the Blue Horizon distinction is genuine."
Modi’s Pattern of Receiving Awards
Critics have highlighted Modi’s notable tendency to receive awards both domestically and internationally during his 12 years in office. For instance, last month, just days before Modi’s visit to Israel, the Israeli parliament created the medal of the Knesset, which it described as one of the country’s highest honours. Modi was awarded this medal upon arrival and remains its only recipient.
In 2019, Modi became the first recipient of India’s Philip Kotler presidential award, granted for his "outstanding leadership of the nation." According to the government press release, this award was intended to be bestowed annually to a national leader. However, no other leader has received it since, and the award’s website remains inactive.
It is privately acknowledged that receiving accolades has become an expected aspect of Modi’s foreign visits. Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author of a biography on Modi, explained the significance of this trend:
"The intention behind collecting these awards – often bestowed in circumstances that raise eyebrows – is to convey to supporters and potential converts that Modi is being honoured across the world over because of his greatness and that India’s rising clout is because of Modi’s personality."
Additional Awards and BJP’s Position
In the past year, Modi has also been the first foreign head of state to receive Ethiopia’s Great Honour Nishan and the Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago.
The BJP maintains that these awards reflect Modi’s international stature and leadership.
