According to some reports I read, India got complacent after it got lucky with the first waves. India or Modi thought the country was invulnerable, so they were caught off guard by the next wave that had mutated. It's natural for a politician to avoid admitting to any mistake, but this is especially true for a populist or a demagogue.

But yes, Modi, Bolsonaro, Orban, Boris Johnson, and some others are in the same league as Trump.