PM Modi in TIME Magazine's '100 Most Influential People 2021' list; Mamata Banerjee, Adar Poonawalla also feature

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the 100 most influential people of 2021, as listed in the TIME Magazine. Apart from PM Modi, Among the other prominent names featured in the TIME Magazine this year from Indian politics include West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

While featuring PM Modi in the influential people's list, TIME called him the third pivotal leader of independent India after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi who "dominated the country’s politics like no one since them."

However the magazine didn't shy away from alleging that PM Modi has pushed the country away from secularism and toward Hindu nationalism. "In addition to eroding the rights of India’s Muslim minority, Modi’s government has imprisoned and intimidated journalists who shine a light on its abuses and has passed laws crippling India’s thousands of NGOs and advocacy groups," read the article.

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"Two international think tanks concluded this year that under his watch, India has veered away from democracy, toward what V-Dem Institute calls “electoral autocracy.” Modi must decide if that is what he wants as his legacy," it added.

Time noted that despite "mishandling COVID-19—the death toll PM Modi has been estimated to be much higher than the official count—his approval rating has slipped to a still sky-high 71 percent."

PM Narendra Modi.

PM Modi has been a recurring name on the TIME Magazine’s ‘100 most influential people’ list and has appeared a total of five times on the list since coming to power in 2014. His name has appeared on the list in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2020 and 2021.

In 2015, Modi had appeared on TIME cover when the magazine had done an exclusive interview with him after he became the Prime Minister. He also featured on the magazine cover in 2012, when he was the Gujarat chief minister.

This list is released every year by TIME magazine, which includes people influencing the world while working in different fields.

TIME Magazine this year referred West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee as 'face of fierceness in Indian politics'. The magazine also applauded her for her street-fighter spirit and self-made life. "Of Banerjee, it is said, she doesn’t lead her party, the Trinamool Congress—she is the party. The street-fighter spirit and self-made life in a patriarchal culture set her apart. If any coalition of forces were to come together to counter Modi nationally, Mamata is almost certain to be the pivot," TIME said.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee greets her supporters during a 2019 protest march in Kolkata. (Reuters/Rupak De Chowdhuri)

Of all the other names, Pune-based Serum Institute of India's CEO Adar Poonawalla featured in the TIME Magazine's 100 most influential list in the 'Pioneers' category.

TIME noted Poonawalla for his promise to develop 1.1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the developing world by the end of 2021. His assurance is considered as the backbone of the plan for global vaccine access mounted by a coalition of institutions, including the World Health Organization.

Though a fire incident at his Pune plant, and issues like trouble securing necessary raw materials and vaccine export ban delayed his ambitions, experts believe Poonawalla could still help end it.

Meanwhile, SII has almost doubled production of COVID-19 vaccines since May and is adding newer vaccines—including Novavax and Russia’s Sputnik V—to its portfolio in the coming months.

Serum Institute India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla (File image: Twitter/@adarpoonawalla)

Apart from India, Apart from these, popular names included in the TIME's list include Apple Co.'s CEO Tim Cook, Academy Award winner Kate Winslet, Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson, US President Joe Biden, US Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese President Xi Jingping, former US President Donald Trump, Tesla founder Elon Musk, Tennis star Naomi Osaka, international pop-star Britney Spears, among others.