'Modi Chalisa' recited at Press Club of India, PCI says hall booking terms violated

'Modi Chalisa' recited at Press Club of India, PCI says hall booking terms violated

A video of a "Modi Chalisa" being recited at the Press Club of India in Delhi went viral on Thursday, August 20, showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi portrayed as an incarnation of Lord Ram.

In the clip, a cutout of Modi appears dressed as Ram, with a crown and bow and arrow. Members of the transgender community, including Dr Rajan Singh and Mahamandaleshwar Vaibhavi Maharaj, recite the chalisa and perform an aarti while chanting "Har Har Modi" and "Jai Jai Modi." Organisers said the event marked a temple dedicated to the prime minister, though who is behind the temple has not been disclosed.

The Press Club of India said it had nothing to do with organising the event. In a statement on X, the club said an outside organisation had booked the hall for what was described as a press conference. The devotional programme that followed, it said, violated the terms of that booking, and the event was stopped once this came to light.

The video has split opinion online. Many called it an inappropriate glorification of a sitting prime minister and questioned the use of religious symbolism around a political figure. Others defended it as heartfelt devotion. A few users mocked the episode, suggesting people frame Modi's photo at home and recite the chalisa daily.

It is not the first time devotional imagery around Modi has stirred debate. The Delhi government had earlier asked Durga Puja organisers to keep the prime minister's photograph beside the idol during celebrations, a move the opposition called an attempt to politicise faith. Modi's own visit to a Ganesh puja at the then Chief Justice's residence had similarly triggered criticism over blending religious ritual with his office.