NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come under criticism following a report by British newspaper The Guardian that several honours Modi received during overseas visits were created shortly before his arrival in the respective host countries, prompting questions over their authenticity.
The controversy intensified after Modi received one of Seychelles’ highest civilian honours during his recent visit to the Indian Ocean island nation. According to The Guardian, the award was created only three days before Modi’s arrival, making him its first and only recipient.
During the visit, Seychelles President Patrick Herminie presented Modi with the “Guardian of the Blue Horizon” distinction, along with a trophy and certificate.
Social media users quickly identified errors on the certificate, including the misspelling of the words “Republic” and “Seychelles”.
The Guardian reported that multiple artificial intelligence detection tools flagged the certificate as AI-generated, fuelling further criticism over the award’s credibility.
Following the controversy, Seychelles’ Foreign Ministry attributed the mistakes to a clerical error and maintained that “The Guardian of the Blue Horizon distinction is genuine”.
Pattern of engineered awards
According to The Guardian, the Seychelles honour was not an isolated case.
The publication reported that during Modi’s visit to Israel last month, the Israeli parliament created one of the country’s highest honours and presented it to the Indian prime minister upon his arrival. Modi remains the only recipient of the award, according to the report.
It also noted that last year Modi became the first foreign head of state to receive Ethiopia’s Great Honour Nishan and the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
‘Give him any award, and he’ll come running’
The report triggered political reactions in India, with opposition leaders accusing Modi of pursuing personality-driven politics.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate criticised the episode in a post on X.
“Give him any award, and he’ll come running,” she wrote.
“They were in such a tearing hurry that they even got the official name of the Republic of Seychelles wrong,” she added.
The world has figured Modi out.
Give him any award, and he’ll come running.
Seychelles approved a brand-new award – ‘Guardian of the Blue Horizon’ – just four days ago.
It had never been given to anyone before Modi. They were in such a tearing hurry that they even got the… pic.twitter.com/dKpNt3SCJp
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) June 28, 2026
India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defended the award, describing it as “a proud moment for India”.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif described the honours as “engineered recognition”, saying they represented “either the worst kind of cheap popularity, or the most malicious gratification”.
In a post on X, Asif referred to “awards created days before arrival, certificates printed through use of cheap AI model, obvious spelling mistakes, and then [Modi] becoming first and the only recipient”.
This has to be the most embarrassing story ever. Awards created days before arrival, certificates printed through use of cheap AI model, obvious spelling mistakes, and then @narendramodi becoming first & the only recipient. This engineered "recognition" is either the worst kind…
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) July 4, 2026
He added that Modi was “putting the Indian Nation to shame” through personality-driven politics.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also questioned the politics of “manufactured prestige”.
“When foreign awards are created days before a visit, when certificates carry basic spelling errors, and when the recipient becomes the first and only awardee, the strategy of image management becomes an embarrassment,” Tarar wrote on X.
This raises serious questions about the politics of manufactured prestige in India.
When foreign awards are created days before a visit, when certificates carry basic spelling errors, and when the recipient becomes the first and only awardee, the strategy of image management…— Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) July 4, 2026
He further stated that the BJP had portrayed such honours as evidence of India’s growing international standing despite pursuing divisive domestic policies.
“While [Modi] collects ceremonial awards abroad, ordinary Indians continue to face severe issues at home,” Tarar said.
