Cult of personality

===India===
{{Main article|Premiership of Narendra Modi|Indira Gandhi}}
Indira Gandhi has been described as having a cult of personality during her administration.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guha |first=Ramachandra |title=The Cult of Modi |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/11/04/modi-india-personality-cult-democracy/ |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=Foreign Policy |date=November 4, 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Current Indian Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]] is often criticized for creating a personality cult around him.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vaidyanathan |first=Rajini |title=The 'personality politics' of Narendra Modi and Donald Trump |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-48332141 |access-date=September 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Chatterjee |first=Manini |date=May 13, 2019 |title=I, me, myself: The Modi cult could threaten the BJP too |publisher=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/i-me-myself-the-cult-of-narendra-modi-could-threaten-the-bjp-too/cid/1690410 |access-date=September 29, 2019}}</ref> Despite some setbacks and criticism,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vaishnav |first=Milan |date=May 25, 2019 |title=Opinion: If it's 'the economy, stupid,' why did Modi win? |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/05/25/if-its-economy-stupid-why-did-modi-win/ |access-date=July 31, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Khare |first=Harish |date=November 25, 2016 |title=The Cult of the Leader: Demonetisation and Modi Worship |publisher=The Wire |url=https://thewire.in/economy/demonetisation-modi-stalinism |access-date=September 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Safi |first=Michael |date=May 23, 2019 |title=India election results 2019: Modi claims landslide victory |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/23/india-election-results-narendra-modi-bjp-victory |access-date=July 31, 2021}}</ref> Modi's charisma and popularity was a key factor that helped the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) return to power in the [[2019 Indian general election|2019 Parliament elections]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ghosh |first=Ambar Kumar |date=May 19, 2019 |title=Decoding the Modi personality cult |publisher=QRIUS |url=https://qrius.com/decoding-the-modi-personality-cult/ |access-date=September 29, 2019}}</ref> [[Shivraj Singh Chouhan]], the chief minister of the country's [[Madhya Pradesh|second largest state]], said in 2022, "He is superhuman and has traces of god in him."<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Dhillon |first=Amrit |date=February 2, 2022 |title=Narendra Modi has traces of god in him, says BJP minister as personality cult grows |language=en |work=The Times |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/narendra-modi-has-traces-of-god-in-him-says-bjp-minister-as-personality-cult-grows-thr5nj637 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> Opposition often accused Modi for spreading propaganda using popular media such as movies, television and web series.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ray |first=Saptarshi |date=April 13, 2019 |title=How Narendra Modi has tried to co-opt Bollywood to push his cult of personality |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/13/narendra-modi-has-tried-co-opt-bollywood-push-cult-personality/ |access-date=September 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tharoor |first=Shashi |date=May 28, 2019 |title=India's Cult of Modi |url=https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/narendra-modi-india-election-personality-cult-by-shashi-tharoor-2019-05?barrier=accesspaylog |access-date=September 29, 2019 |website=Project Syndicate}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sohini |first=C |date=February 5, 2019 |title=The triumph of Modi propaganda in Bollywood |newspaper=[[South China Morning Post]] |url=https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2184614/triumph-modi-propaganda-bollywood |access-date=September 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ghosh |first=Samrudhi |date=June 25, 2019 |title=Vivek Agnihotri: PM Narendra Modi did not even run for 7 days. This is what happens to propaganda films |publisher=India Today |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/bollywood/story/vivek-agnihotri-pm-narendra-modi-did-not-even-run-for-7-days-this-is-what-happens-to-propaganda-films-1555977-2019-06-25 |access-date=September 29, 2019}}</ref>