In an age when Bharat’s influence echoes from the Caribbean to Central Asia, one man has become a walking testament to this rising stature — and his name is Narendra Modi. With 15 highest civilian honours from nations across continents — from the Order of Zayed in the UAE to the Legion of Merit in the US, from Russia’s Order of St. Andrew to Ghana’s Order of the Star — PM Modi today holds the record for the most international top honours ever received by an Bharatiya Prime Minister.

Yet, back home, a section of the Opposition treats these hard-won laurels as if they’re punchlines for a cheap stand-up gig. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s latest jibe — mocking the Prime Minister’s visits to so-called “tiny” nations like Ghana or Trinidad — shows exactly how small minds fail to grasp big diplomacy.

They scoff that these nations have “only 10,000 people,” but they forget that every handshake, every award, every Parliament address PM Modi makes abroad amplifies Bharat’s soft power — opening new corridors for trade, technology, diaspora ties, energy security, and global leadership.

#WATCH | Chandigarh | Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann says, "PM has gone somewhere. I think it is Ghana. He is going to be back and he is welcome. God knows which countries he keeps visiting, 'Magnesia', 'Galveaisa', 'Tarvesia'. He does not stay in a country with 140 crore people. He is… pic.twitter.com/lbOObtIRDB

— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2025

When the world pins its highest medals on Bharat’s Prime Minister, it pins them on you, the citizen. Mocking these moments is not mockery of Modi alone — it is mockery of Bharat’s surging respect on the world stage. And that, no amount of sarcasm can hide.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s snide welcome for PM Modi’s return from his five-nation tour was typical of this misplaced cynicism. Mann, with his theatrical jibes about “Magnesia,” “Galveaisa,” or “Tarvesia,” turned what should have been a moment of national pride into stand-up comedy.

Mocking a Prime Minister for engaging small nations is not witty statesmanship — it’s petty politics with a short shelf-life. When Mann suggests that visits to countries with “10,000 people” are irrelevant, he not only insults those sovereign nations but also shows a startling ignorance of how global diplomacy works.

In a strong and unequivocal statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) condemned Bhagwant Mann’s mockery, calling his remarks “irresponsible and regrettable.” Without naming him directly, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made it clear that such comments from a high-ranking state official damage India’s diplomatic image and undermine national interests on the global stage.

“These remarks are irresponsible and regrettable and do not behave the state authority,” Jaiswal said, warning that petty political one-upmanship should never come at the cost of Bharat’s global standing.

By ridiculing the Prime Minister’s engagements abroad and inventing fictional countries to belittle real ones, Mann has embarrassed the Indian state, weakened goodwill with key international partners, and shown reckless disregard for India’s diplomatic responsibilities.

Only someone with a truly limited imagination could dismiss Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Namibia, or even Argentina as “insignificant.” In the chessboard of global affairs, no country is too small to matter. A nation’s size on a map does not determine its strategic value.

Take Trinidad and Tobago — home to one of the largest Bharatiya diasporas in the Caribbean. PM Modi’s visit bridged decades of distance, extending the emotional thread that ties our cultures together. Those “small populations” Mann mocks are the same communities whose ancestors sailed as indentured labourers and built bridges of identity across oceans. Should we abandon them just because they don’t number in crores?

Ghana and Namibia are emerging African voices, rich in resources, strategic for Bharat’s energy, fintech, and security cooperation. Argentina is critical for minerals and shale energy — essentials for Bharat’s energy transition goals. Brazil is a BRICS heavyweight, a key partner in reshaping the Global South’s narrative. These so-called “tiny stops” unlock billion-dollar trade routes, rare earth minerals, vaccine partnerships, and new voting blocs at the UN.

When Bhagwant Mann dismisses all this as “Magnesia,” he’s mocking real people — Indian origin citizens in the Caribbean, African students, small business owners, and thousands of Indians whose global opportunities grow every time India’s soft power rises.

When PM Modi receives a country’s highest civilian award, it’s not a trophy for his personal shelf — it’s a handshake with Bharat itself. It’s their recognition of Bharat’s strength, values, culture, and economic promise. The Opposition’s habit of laughing off these honours as “PR stunts” exposes their inability to think beyond headlines and hashtags.

With 15 highest civilian awards from countries as diverse as Russia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Bhutan, and now Brazil, Ghana, and Argentina, PM Modi has taken Bharat’s image to a place it has never been before.

There was a time when world leaders barely noticed Bharat’s PM on the sidelines of global summits. Today, they line up to confer medals and propose digital infrastructure partnerships like Bharat’s UPI platform — which Namibia just became the first country to license. That’s not “insignificant,” that’s Bharat quietly scripting the future of digital finance.

No healthy democracy demands blind praise for any leader. Criticism, accountability, and debate must exist. But when that criticism slips into mockery over milestones that elevate Bharat’s soft power, it stops being patriotism and turns into pure pettiness.

Those who jeer at Modi’s long list of global awards might want to answer one question: would they prefer Bharat to be ignored again? Do they believe Bharat should shrink back into the shadows of global forums, while smaller nations bind new alliances with other powers? If they truly cared for Bharat’s dignity, they’d understand how even “small countries” can open giant doors.

This is not about one man or one party. This is about 1.4 billion dreams that travel with every handshake, every trade pact, every foreign parliament address. Prime Ministers come and go — but Bharat’s reputation must endure.

When opposition leaders mock these honours, they insult every citizen who hopes Bharat stands tall among nations. Their sarcasm may earn them claps inside their echo chambers, but it does nothing for the migrant in Trinidad whose child now holds an OCI card, or the African student who will benefit from Bharat’s new health tie-ups, or the startups that will ride on global fintech deals signed in Ghana.

It’s time to rise above the daily circus of cheap taunts. One may dislike PM Modi’s politics, but to belittle the world’s recognition of Bharat’s growing stature is shortsighted and juvenile. For millions of Bharatiya, every medal pinned on a Prime Minister’s chest abroad is a symbol that Bharat is no longer just watching history — it’s helping shape it.

The Opposition is free to question, challenge, and debate. But when they choose to dress their jealousy as jokes, they mock not Modi, but the dignity of Bharat. And that is the real tragedy they fail to see.