70% Indians satisfied with Modi, says survey from US

Economy has cost PM: Omar

JAMMU: While the clamor over his move of demonetisation has not yet silenced, even after one year, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is still the most popular political leader in country, as revealed by a survey of Pew Research Center, the US-based think tank asserting that 70 percent Indians are "satisfied" with the way things are going in the country.
However, the survey did not include the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala and the entire northeast.
Meanwhile, reacting to the survey, former chief minister Omar Abdullah said while Modi is without any doubt the most popular leader in India at the moment but the economy has cost him.
According to the survey, conducted among 2,464 respondents in India from February 21 to March 10 this year, nearly 90 per cent Indians hold a favorable opinion of Modi, comparable to their view of him in 2015, after a year in office.
Roughly 70 per cent say they have a very favorable view of the Prime Minister. It says that since 2015, Modi's popularity is relatively unchanged in the north, has risen in the west and the south and is down slightly in the east.
It points out that Modi's favorable rating is 31 percentage points higher than that of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, and 30 points higher than that of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.
Also, 70 per cent Indians approve of how he has helped the poor and handled unemployment, terrorism and corruption. Approval in these four areas is up 10 points or more since 2016, the survey finds.
As far as handling of various burning issues by Modi, only 50 per cent approve of the way he has handled communal relations, just 48 per cent approve handling of air pollution, 57 approve of handling of rising prices and 60 per cent approve Modi's handling of the Kashmir issue.
"Modi's lowest ratings are for his handling of communal relations (50 per rcent) -- the long fractious tensions between Muslims and Hindus and India's various castes -- and for his efforts to curb air pollution (48 per cent). People living in northern India...are particularly critical of how he has dealt with communal relations. And rural Indians are less supportive than those in urban areas of his handling of both communal relations and air pollution," the survey says.
According to the survey findings, Modi is quite popular among youngsters, that is aged between 18-29 years. Around 72 per cent of this age group has "very favourable" view of Modi while only 5 per cent hold "very unfavorable" view of him.
On demonetisation, it finds that despite Prime Minister Modi's decision last November to abolish high-value bank notes, less than half of the Indian population sees the lack of availability of cash to be a major problem.
Reacting to the survey, former chief minister Omar Abdullah today said a survey was not needed to admit that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most popular leader in India at the moment but the economy has cost him.
"That said I don't need a survey to tell me what most would admit - PM is the most popular leader in India at the moment however Economy has cost him," he tweeted.
"Could very well still be true but we know a week is a long time in politics & this survey was done between Feb & March 17. Much could have changed!" Omar said in another tweet.