Global strongmen have a miraculous ability to shapeshift. One moment, these men — they are, as a rule, men — can be found spitting the proverbial fire and brimstone at their adversaries, real and imagined. The next moment, they can sound churlish, even petulant. Donald Trump, for instance, could never stomach the fact that he had been shown the door from office. He and his admirers thus went about vilifying the electoral process and institutions critical to American democracy. Vladmir Putin, whose fabled troops are on the run in Ukraine, has been known to describe his Ukrainian opponents as Nazis. But none of his peers can beat the Indian prime minister when it comes to the art of griping. At a recent rally in Telangana, Narendra Modi stated that he digests kilogrammes of abuse every day but has an ability to transform gaalis into nutrition. This, of course, is an old trick from Mr Modi’s bag. For what the prime minister is adept at, apart from morphing into victim from strongman at opportune moments, is to turn personal criticism into political capital. This perverse skill has been put to good use. In Gujarat, sharp criticism from Congress leaders was used by Mr Modi to project himself as the recipient of unwarranted censure. What lies at the heart of this phenomenon — voters falling for a trap where criticism of a public representative is interpreted as an affront to the nation or a state — is a red flag for democracy. The conflation of collective and national welfare with the personhood of an elected leader invariably results in the weakening of the mechanisms that are in place to make politicians in positions of power accountable. The Congress is, therefore, correct in pointing out that Mr Modi should seek votes on the basis of his performance rather than melodrama.

This allusion to abuse on the part of the prime minister is also instructive. His equation of reproach as effrontery exposes an authoritarian sensibility that is intolerant of criticism. Unfortunately for Mr Modi, he does not head a totalitarian polity. The prime minister is the people’s choice in a democracy. Praise and brickbats are a part and parcel of the ethos of democratic politics. Instead of taking umbrage at criticism, Mr Modi would do well to examine the reasons behind the disapproval.