If you thought that Prime Minister Narendra Modi went too far while comparing Prakash Singh Badal to Nelson Mandela (remember #YoBadalSoMandela), think again because another BJP leader just took hero worship to a new level. Indians have a long tradition of making gods out of mortals, be it film stars, historical figures or even politicians, and since Modi has a good number of bhakts following him, he is the most eligible candidate to play god in the present scenario. Lokesh Chandra | Source: ICCR

Lokesh Chandra is an 87-year-old Padma Bhushan awadee, fluent in 16 languages, has written 596 books (!) and despite being a former Indira Gandhi loyalist, he was still chosen as President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) by the BJP, as reported by The Indian Express. This step raised some eyebrows but that is because most people were unaware that in addition to all his qualities, Mr Chandra might just be the best bhakt ever.

Chandra, whose father contributed to India's linguistic development and who himself has contributed to public discourse, says Modiji is god and is above Mahatma Gandhi in a practical approach. The veteran who changed sides also went on to say that while Karl Marx wrote time tested volumes on poverty, it is Modi who has affected the poor much more by the recently launched 'Jan Dhan Yojana'.

Prime Minister Modi