The estranged wife of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has complained of police harassment and asked to be treated as the country’s first lady. Jashodaben Modi, 62, a retired teacher in Gujarat has questioned the government’s decision to provide her with round-the-clock protection by armed bodyguards after her husband’s election in May.
Mrs Modi filed a legal complaint seeking information about her rights and privileges as the wife of the leader of the world’s biggest democracy. The couple have not lived together for 45 years. Mrs Modi has complained of being “frightened” when trailed constantly by a retinue of armed guards, who travelled in an air-conditioned car even when she was on public transport or in a three-wheeled autorickshaw.
“I am surrounded by five security guards all the time,” she said. “Often my relatives or I have to cook for them, my sister-in-law has to make their beds. This is a bit annoying.” Mrs Modi lives with her brother. “You see it gets really chaotic when I have to travel, because I use public transport and the guards are following me in an air-conditioned car.”
She has expressed fears about the fate of Indira Gandhi, India’s former prime minister, who was assassinated by her bodyguards in 1984.
In the right to information request, filed in her home village of Brahmanwada, 500 km north of Mumbai, it was stated: “I am the wife of the honourable prime minister of India. I would like to know under what provisions of the law and the constitution of India am I being provided protection? As wife of the prime minister what are the other benefits I am entitled to?”
A right to information request is similar to a request made under Britain’s Freedom of Information Act. The couple were married in a traditional arranged ceremony organised by their families when they were both aged 17 but Modi left his wife shortly afterwards. The couple never divorced.
Modi was apparently concerned that his wedded status would harm his prospects as he rose through the ranks of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). RSS leaders rarely marry and often take an oath of Brahmacharya, or celibacy, to devote themselves fully to the nation. Details of Modi’s marriage emerged only weeks before the election, when he admitted in an election filing to having a wife. During his 13-year term as chief minister of Gujarat, Mrs Modi’s existence had remained a secret.
Since his admission, she has expressed her support for her husband and says she prays for him each day. Mrs Modi has been guarded by commandos from the special protection group, a VIP protection unit modelled on America’s secret service, since her husband became prime minister. Her brother, Ashok Modi, has called for the government to provide her with a car and a team of female guards.
“She is the ‘first lady’ and is entitled to get all the facilities,” he said, adding, “She deserves to be with [Modi] in Delhi.” Ashok Modi, said he supported Jashodaben's decision to file a request seeking information about her security detail under the Right to Information Act. "The commandos assigned to guard my sister have no official order by which they have been posted at my residence," he said. "I don't want to cause any embarrassment for my brother-in-law and I don't need any fancy treatment, but I expect the government to understand that the security guards are becoming an economic liability for my family," said Ashok Modi.
