Amit Shah tweeted in praise of PM Modi's performance during the coronvirous outbreak, lockdown

Home Minister Amit Shah today praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, declaring the "truth is self-evident" and that "every Indian is feeling safe and trusts his leadership".

In his tweet Mr Shah referred to a survey of world leaders and their performance during this pandemic by a US-based research firm that claimed the Prime Minister was ahead of Donald Trump, Angela Merkel, Justin Trudeau and Emmanuel Macron in approval ratings in their respective countries.

"Truth is self-evident! Entire world is praising PM Narendra Modi, the way he is handling COVID-19 global pandemic, taking care of Indians and helping the world community in such challenging times. Every Indian is feeling safe and trusts his leadership," Mr Shah wrote.

"PM Modi has consistently stayed above the 50-point mark, way ahead of other global leaders. By April 13, he was nearing the global high of 75," he said.

Data for the survey was gathered from 447 daily interviews per non-US leader (7,039 for Mr Trump) conducted by Morning Consult, a US-based survey and research organisation, between January 1 and April 14,

It is unclear if the survey and its results are endorsed by the leaders of other nations, or if those surveyed were asked about leaders of countries other than their own.

Truth is self evident!



Entire world is praising PM @narendramodi, the way he is handling COVID-19 global pandemic, taking care of Indians and helping the world community in such challenging times. Every Indian is feeling safe and trusts his leadership. pic.twitter.com/caq5y8Hjio — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) April 23, 2020

The same survey was posted online on Wednesday, along with data, by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who lauded PM Modi for his "leadership in an extraordinary situation".

PM Modi has been criticised over his government's handling of the coronavirus outbreak in India, which has now crossed 21,000 cases and has seen 681 deaths. He has also been criticised over implementation of the lockdown and been warned over the impact of the outbreak on the economy.

Mr Shah has repeatedly defended PM Modi against his critics; last week the Home Minister said: "(The) Modi government is leaving no stone unturned in this fight against COVID-19".

According to the results of the survey the Prime Minister has an approval rating of 68 points; next on the list are Mexico's Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and the United Kingdom's Boris Johnson.

Public opinion based approval ratings of world leaders shown in the charts. @PMOIndia leads #IndiaFightsCorona from the front. Consistent high approval ratings for @narendramodi. Nation has confidence in its leadership in an extraordinary situation due a pandemic. pic.twitter.com/fwrRDsp0o7 — Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) April 22, 2020

Other world leaders surveyed were Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, who has dismissed global concern about the COVID-19 pandemic and yesterday participated in an anti-lockdown protest, Australia's Scott Morrison, Canada's Justin Trudeau and Germany's Angela Merkel.

Mr Morrison, Mr Johnson, who has recovered after contracting the COVID-19 virus, Mr Trudeau and Mrs Merkel showed significant gains in public approval over the survey period.

Japan leader Shinzo Abe, France's Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump, who has suspended legal immigration to the US for at least two months, were the only world leaders with negative approval ratings as on April 14.