每日英語跟讀 Ep.K178: In a Crisis, India’s Modi Could Always Change the Narrative. Then Came COVID.

As India gasped for air at the peak of its COVID devastation, its leader appeared to advise his people to just breathe normally.

當印度在新冠高峰期喘不過氣時，該國領導人似乎在建議他的人民要正常呼吸。

The instructions, a bit of yoga advice for the stressed, came from one of the many social media accounts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has used powerful oratory and digital savvy to become India’s most dominant leader in decades. But the tweet showed how India’s master of public perception has increasingly struggled to get his message across, exposing the limits of his ability to control the narrative.

這些指導是給承受壓力的人一點小小的瑜伽祕訣，來自印度總理莫迪眾多社交媒體帳號之一。莫迪用強大的雄辯術與數位知識，成為數十年來最具統治力的領導人，但這則推文顯示這位掌握公眾觀感的大師，愈來愈難將自身訊息傳達出去，暴露出他控制敘事能力侷限性。

The omnipresent Modi had largely vanished from public view as his government proved powerless to stop the deaths and the mounting criticism about his performance. With his poll numbers dropping and his allies straining to make his case on India’s talk shows, he has increasingly pushed “be positive” messaging and feel-good tips.

當他的政府無力阻止死亡和對他表現愈來愈多的批評，原本無處不在的莫迪基本上從公眾視野中消失了。隨著他的民調支持率下降，以及他的盟友在印度脫口秀節目中竭力幫他說話，莫迪開始不斷推出「正面思考」訊息以及保持開心的秘訣。

The campaign has struggled to connect. “Sit in a comfortable meditative posture,” read a tweet from one of Modi’s many accounts, which project his diverse set of personas — this one the wise yoga guru. “Keep the spine erect. Place the hands on the thighs. Gently close the eyes and raise the face slightly. Breathe normally.”

這一套似乎難以獲得認同。莫迪諸多推特帳號中一則推文寫道：「以一種舒適的冥想姿勢坐下。讓脊椎挺直。將雙手放在大腿上。輕輕閉上眼睛，微微抬起臉。正常呼吸」。莫迪的眾多帳號展現他的多種角色，這次的角色是睿智的瑜伽大師。

Responded one commenter: “This is like rubbing salt on wounds.”

有個評論者回應說：「這就像在傷口上灑鹽。」

In turn, Modi has tried to quash dissent. His government has been locked in a messy showdown with social media platforms over taking down critical content. Police in Delhi, the capital, arrested at least 20 people for putting up posters critical of Modi’s handling of vaccinations. A Modi protégé, who leads India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, threatened those who complained about oxygen shortages.

但莫迪反過來試圖壓制不同意見。他的政府為了刪除這些批評內容，與社群媒體平台陷入混亂的攤牌。警方在首都德里逮捕至少20人，因為他們張貼海報批評莫迪處理疫苗接種的方式。莫迪一個親信是印度人口最多的北方省領導人，威脅那些抱怨氧氣短缺的人。

One survey found disapproval with Modi had risen by about 10 percentage points since the second wave intensified. In another survey, one in six people said they had lost a loved one and blamed the central government first, and then “destiny,” for their loss.

一項調查發現，第二波疫情加劇以來，不支持莫迪的比率上升約10個百分點。在另一項調查中，六分之一的人表示自己失去了親人，並把損失率先歸咎於中央政府，之後才是「命運」。

“So much death, so much despair — children lost their parents overnight, elderly parents lost their young children, people lost their spouses,” said Shruti Chaturvedi, an entrepreneur doing relief work in the state of Goa. “How can we dare tell them ‘be positive’?”

在果阿省從事救濟工作的企業家希魯蒂．查圖維迪說：「太多死亡，太多絕望，孩子們一夜失去父母，年邁的父母失去年幼的孩子，人們失去了配偶。我們怎能告訴他們『正面思考』？」

Modi’s approval rating is still above 60%, according to one poll. But the growing dissatisfaction suggests the prime minister may not so easily be able to change public sentiment by pushing emotional nationalist causes or shifting his image as he has done in the past. Rather, like any other politician, he may increasingly be judged by his ability to deliver.

根據民調，莫迪支持率仍高於60%。但日益高漲的不滿顯示，莫迪或許不能再像過去那樣，輕易透過推動情緒化民族主義目標或轉變自身形象，來改變公眾情緒。相反，跟其他政治人物一樣，人們可能逐漸會以執政能力評判他。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5574905