The power of rhetoric. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has charmed millions and millions of people by his speeches since he has taken up the post in 2014. Like previous prime ministers like Narasimha Rao, Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari, our current prime minister has a whole media team that works behind his speeches.
Modi’s virtuoso speech that was delivered in Washington some time back drew from education to terrorism and collaboration to technology. This only shows how well crafted the speeches are. In fact a speech for such an event is scrutinised by the PMO and made all inclusive touching every topic that might be relevant in the respective scenario. Modi’s speeches derive from state departments, party spokesperson, foreign ministry diplomats, associations of Indians living overseas and his own personal team.
ALSO READ: Inside Air India One: The jet setter PM’s home in the skies
Modi’s speeches are a “collective achievement that still come across as uniquely individual,” says social scientist Shiv Visvanathan, who has studied Modi’s evolving public image. “His backroom guys deserve an Oscar for his performance too,” he added.
“The PMO is very well equipped to get the right inputs from everywhere, on varied subjects,” says Sudheendra Kulkarni, who wrote speeches for Atal Bihari Vajpayee. “But of course, the PM gave ideas, direction, and corrected drafts of the speech,” he says.
Media advisors are rampant in political offices around the world. US presidents like Kennedy and Obama are known to keep the best of media advisors to help with their oration and much-received sense of humour.
It is important for speechwriters to understand the thinking style of the person they are writing for. Many speechwriters have known to become the alter egos of the prime ministers they have written for. Speeches become a very important instrument in terms of setting the tone of the government.