View source for Narendra Modi

{{Short description|Prime Minister of India since 2014}}
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1={{Redirect2|Modi|NaMo|other uses|Modi (disambiguation)|and|Namo (disambiguation)}}
{{For|the 2019 film|PM Narendra Modi (film)}}
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{{Use Indian English|date=August 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}

{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = <!-- Do not add any styles/titles here per [[WP:NCIN]] -->
| honorific-suffix    = <!-- Do not add any styles/titles here per [[WP:NCIN]] -->
| image               = The official portrait of Shri Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of the Republic of India.jpg <!-- Do not change without leaving a talk in the Talk page -->
| caption             = Official portrait, 2024
| office              = <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->[[Prime Minister of India]]
| president           = [[Pranab Mukherjee]]<br />[[Ram Nath Kovind]]<br />[[Droupadi Murmu]]
| vicepresident       = [[Mohammad Hamid Ansari]]<br />[[Venkaiah Naidu]]<br />[[Jagdeep Dhankhar]]<br/>[[C. P. Radhakrishnan]]
| term_start          = 26 May 2014
| term_end            = 
| predecessor         = [[Manmohan Singh]]
{{Collapsed infobox section begin|Additional ministries}}
| 1blankname1         = Ministry and Departments
| 1namedata1          = * [[Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions|Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions]]
* [[Department of Space]]
* [[Department of Atomic Energy]]
| term_start1         = 26 May 2014
| term_end1           =
| predecessor1        = Manmohan Singh
{{Collapsed infobox section end}}
| office2             = <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->[[Leader of the House in Lok Sabha]]
| 1blankname2         = [[Speaker of the Lok Sabha|Speaker]]
| 1namedata2          = [[Sumitra Mahajan]]<br />[[Om Birla]]
| deputy2             = [[Gopinath Munde]]<br />[[Sushma Swaraj]]<br />[[Rajnath Singh]]
| term_start2         = 26 May 2014
| term_end2           = 
| predecessor2        = [[Sushilkumar Shinde]]
| office4             = <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->[[Chief Minister of Gujarat]]
| governor4           = {{collapsible list|{{unbulleted list|[[Sunder Singh Bhandari]]
|[[Kailashpati Mishra]]
|[[Balram Jakhar]]
|[[Nawal Kishore Sharma]]
|[[S. C. Jamir]]
|[[Kamla Beniwal]]}}}}
| term_start4         = 7 October 2001
| term_end4           = 22 May 2014
| predecessor4        = [[Keshubhai Patel]]
| successor4          = [[Anandiben Patel]]
| office3             = <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->[[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha]]
| constituency3       = [[Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency|Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh]]
| term_start3         = 5 June 2014
| term_end3           = 
| predecessor3        = [[Murli Manohar Joshi]]
| office5             = <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->[[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|Member]] of [[Gujarat Legislative Assembly]]
| constituency5       = [[Maninagar (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Maninagar]]
| term_start5         = 15 December 2002
| term_end5           = 16 May 2014
| predecessor5        = [[Kamlesh Patel (politician)|Kamlesh Patel]]
| successor5          = [[Suresh Patel]]
| constituency6       = [[Rajkot West|Rajkot II]]
| term6               = {{Start and end dates|2002|02|24|2002|07|19|df=y}}
| predecessor6        = [[Vajubhai Vala]]
| successor6          = Vajubhai Vala
| office7             = <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->[[Organisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party|General Secretary (Organisation)]] of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
| term_start7         = 5 January 1998<ref>{{#invoke:Cite|web| url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/19/world/narendra-modi-fast-facts/index.html|title=Narendra Modi Fast Facts|date=6 September 2023|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=22 November 2023}}</ref>
| term_end7           = 7 October 2001
| successor7          = [[Sanjay Joshi]]
| predecessor7        = [[Kushabhau Thakre]]
| birth_name          = Narendra Damodardas Modi
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1950|09|17|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Vadnagar]], [[Bombay State]], India
| party               = [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]<br>(since 1985)
| spouse              = {{marriage|[[Jashodaben Modi]]|1968|1971|end=separated}}<ref>{{#invoke:Cite|web| url=https://www.ndtv.com/elections-news/jashodaben-named-by-narendra-modi-as-his-wife-prays-for-him-to-become-pm-557031?&tb_cb=1 |title = Jashodaben, named by Narendra Modi as his wife, prays for him to become PM|agency=[[Press Trust of India]]|date=11 April 2014|publisher=[[NDTV]]|access-date=12 June 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200717104500/https://www.ndtv.com/elections-news/jashodaben-named-by-narendra-modi-as-his-wife-prays-for-him-to-become-pm-557031|archive-date=17 July 2020}}</ref>
| father              = <!--Do not add non-notable relatives-->
| mother              = <!--Do not add non-notable relatives-->
| residence           = {{ubl|[[7, Lok Kalyan Marg]], [[New Delhi]]}}
| alma_mater          = {{unbulleted list|[[University of Delhi]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])|[[Gujarat University]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]])}}
| awards              = [[List of awards and honours received by Narendra Modi|List of awards and honours]]
| signature           = Signature of Narendra Modi (Hindi).svg
| website             = {{bulletedlist|{{URL|narendramodi.in|Personal}}|{{URL|pmindia.gov.in|PM India official}}}}
| module              = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Narendra Modi voice.ogg|title=Narendra Modi's voice|type=speech|description=Modi on the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]<br />Recorded 19 March 2020}}
| order               = <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->
| order1              = <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->
| order2              = <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->
}}
{{Narendra Modi series}}
'''Narendra Damodardas Modi'''{{efn|{{IPA|gu|ˈnəɾendɾə dɑmodəɾˈdɑs ˈmodiː|pron}} {{audio|Narendra Modi pronouncing his name at swearing in 2014.ogg|listen}}; ''Narendra Modi'' was born ''Narendra Damodardas Modi'' on 17 September 1950. He uses ''Damodardas'' as his middle name—[[Gujarati people|Gujaratis]] have a tradition of [[Patronymic|using the names of their fathers]] as their middle names—but he is widely known as ''Narendra Modi''.{{sfn|Marino|2014|pp=4–5}}}} (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] --> [[Prime Minister of India|prime minister of India]] since 2014. Modi was the [[chief minister of Gujarat]] from 2001 to 2014 and is the [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha|member of parliament]] (MP) for [[Varanasi (Lok Sabha constituency)|Varanasi]]. He is a member of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) and of the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS), a [[right-wing politics|right-wing]] [[Hindutva]] [[paramilitary]] volunteer organisation. He is the longest-serving prime minister outside the [[Indian National Congress]].

Modi was born and raised in [[Vadnagar]], [[Bombay State]] (present-day [[Gujarat]]), where he completed his secondary education. He was introduced to the RSS at the age of eight, becoming a full-time worker for the organisation in Gujarat in 1971. The RSS assigned him to the BJP in 1985, and he rose through the party hierarchy, becoming general secretary in 1998.{{efn|Sources stating that the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|RSS]] had a deep impact on the political hierarchy of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]], especially in the case of Narendra Modi:<br />{{bulleted list
|{{#invoke:Cite|web|url=https://www.ndtv.com/elections-news/narendra-modis-political-journey-from-rss-worker-to-bjps-pm-candidate-534530|website=[[NDTV]]|title=Narendra Modi's political journey from RSS worker to BJP's PM candidate|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808041721/https://www.ndtv.com/elections-news/narendra-modis-political-journey-from-rss-worker-to-bjps-pm-candidate-534530|archive-date=8 August 2020|last=Asrar|first=Nadim|date=26 February 2014|access-date=15 August 2015}}
|{{#invoke:cite|web|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/pm-modi-turns-69-a-timeline-of-his-political-career-761937.html|website=[[Deccan Herald]]|title=PM Modi turns 69: A timeline of his political career|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115073300/https://www.deccanherald.com/national/pm-modi-turns-69-a-timeline-of-his-political-career-761937.html|archive-date=15 January 2021|date=17 September 2019|access-date=13 January 2021}}
|{{#invoke:cite|web|first=Ravish|last=Tiwari|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20141208-rss-sangh-nda-bjp-l-k-advani-narendra-modi-cover-story-806098-2014-11-27|title=The low-profile RSS apparatchik is the newface of power in the NDA|website=[[India Today]]|date=27 November 2014|access-date=13 January 2021}}}}|name=|group=}} In 2001, Modi was appointed chief minister of Gujarat and elected to the legislative assembly soon after. His administration is considered complicit in the [[2002 Gujarat violence]]{{efn|Sources describing Modi's administration as complicit in the 2002 violence:<br />{{bulleted list
|{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Bobbio |first=Tommaso |date=1 May 2012 |title=Making Gujarat Vibrant: Hindutva, development and the rise of subnationalism in India |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1047619 |journal=Third World Quarterly |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=657–672 |doi=10.1080/01436597.2012.657423 |s2cid=154422056 |access-date=2 September 2019 |archive-date=1 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301151004/https://zenodo.org/record/1047619 |url-status=live }}
|{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Nussbaum|first=Martha Craven|author-link=Martha Nussbaum|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JLMQh4oc38gC|title=The Clash Within: Democracy, Religious Violence, and India's Future|publisher=[[Harvard University Press]]|year=2008|isbn=978-0-674-03059-6|location=|pages=17–28, 50–51|jstor=27639120}}
|{{#invoke:cite|book|last1=Shani|first1=Orrit|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ouAB7o63B9IC|title=Communalism, Caste and Hindu Nationalism: The Violence in Gujarat|date=2007|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|isbn=978-0-521-68369-2|location=|pages=168–173|access-date=20 January 2021|archive-date=18 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230218154155/https://books.google.com/books?id=ouAB7o63B9IC|url-status=live}}
|{{#invoke:cite|news|title=A rebirth dogged by controversy |first=Andrew |last=Buncombe |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-rebirth-dogged-by-controversy-2357157.html |work=[[The Independent]] |date=19 September 2011 |access-date=10 October 2012 |location=London |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225024707/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-rebirth-dogged-by-controversy-2357157.html |archive-date=25 December 2011}}
|{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Jaffrelot |first=Christophe |s2cid=154404089 |author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot |title=Gujarat Elections: The Sub-Text of Modi's 'Hattrick'—High Tech Populism and the 'Neo-middle Class' |journal=[[Studies in Indian Politics]] |volume=1 |issue=1 |date=June 2013 |pages=79–95 |doi= 10.1177/2321023013482789 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270671263 |access-date=29 August 2021}}}}}} and has been criticised for its management of the crisis. According to official records, a little over 1,000 people were killed, three-quarters of whom were Muslim; independent sources estimated 2,000 deaths, mostly Muslim, with many others raped, mutilated, or both.<ref>* {{citation|last=Jaffrelot|first=Christophe|translator-last=Schoch|translator-first=Cynthia|title=Modi's India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy|location=Princeton and Oxford|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2021|isbn=978-0-691-20680-6|pages=40–41|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NbUSEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA41|access-date=22 June 2023|archive-date=22 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230622222450/https://books.google.com/books?id=NbUSEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA41|url-status=live}}
* {{citation|last=Shahani|first=Nishant|title=Pink Revolutions: Globalization, Hindutva, and Queer Triangles in Contemporary India|series=Critical Ethnic Studies Association series|location=Evanston, Illinois|isbn=978-0-8101-4363-0|year=2021|publisher=Northwestern University Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GB4uEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT316|access-date=22 June 2023|archive-date=22 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230622222452/https://books.google.com/books?id=GB4uEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT316|url-status=live}}
* {{citation|last=Dhattiwala|first=Raheel|title=Keeping the Peace: Spatial Differences in Hindu-Muslim Violence in Gujarat in 2002|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2019|isbn=978-1-108-49759-6|page=73|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B0qPDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA73|access-date=22 June 2023|archive-date=22 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230622222451/https://books.google.com/books?id=B0qPDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA73|url-status=live}}
* {{citation|last=Kinnvall|first=Catarina|title=Populism, ontological insecurity and Hindutva: Modi and the masculinization of Indian politics|journal=Cambridge Review of International Affairs|year=2019|volume=32|issue=3|pages=238–302, 295|doi=10.1080/09557571.2019.1588851|s2cid=164991567 |doi-access=free|issn = 0955-7571 }}</ref> A Special Investigation Team appointed by the [[Supreme Court of India]] in 2012 found no evidence to initiate prosecution proceedings against him, causing widespread anger and disbelief among the country's Muslim communities.{{efn|Sources:<br />{{bulleted list
|{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-17664751|title=India Gujarat Chief Minister Modi cleared in riots case|work=[[BBC News]]|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=10 April 2012|access-date=17 February 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220174351/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-17664751|archive-date=20 December 2016}}
|{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sit-finds-no-proof-against-modi-says-court/article3300175.ece|title=SIT finds no proof against Modi, says court|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=10 April 2012|access-date=17 February 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221082846/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sit-finds-no-proof-against-modi-says-court/article3300175.ece|archive-date=21 December 2016|last1=Dasgupta|first1=Manas}}
|{{Cite web |date=11 March 2012 |title=Modi's clearance in the Gujarat riots case angers Indian Muslims |url=https://www.dw.com/en/modis-clearance-in-the-gujarat-riots-case-angers-indian-muslims/a-15874606 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117044116/https://www.dw.com/en/modis-clearance-in-the-gujarat-riots-case-angers-indian-muslims/a-15874606 |archive-date=17 January 2016 |website=[[Deutsche Welle]]}}}}}} While his policies as chief minister were credited for encouraging economic growth, his administration was criticised for failing to significantly improve health, poverty and education indices in the state.{{efn|Sources stating that Modi has failed to improve human development indices in Gujarat:<br />{{bulleted list
|{{#invoke:cite|news|title=A rebirth dogged by controversy |first=Andrew |last=Buncombe |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-rebirth-dogged-by-controversy-2357157.html |work=[[The Independent]] |date=19 September 2011 |access-date=10 October 2012 |location=London |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225024707/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-rebirth-dogged-by-controversy-2357157.html |archive-date=25 December 2011 }}
|{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Jaffrelot |first=Christophe |s2cid=154404089 |author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot |title=Gujarat Elections: The Sub-Text of Modi's 'Hattrick'—High Tech Populism and the 'Neo-middle Class' |journal=[[Studies in Indian Politics]] |volume=1 |issue=1 |date=June 2013 |pages=79–95 |doi= 10.1177/2321023013482789 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270671263 |access-date=29 August 2021}}
}}}}

In the [[2014 Indian general election]], Modi led the BJP to a [[Lok Sabha|parliamentary]] majority, the first for a party since [[1984 Indian general election|1984]]. His administration increased [[Foreign direct investment|direct foreign investment]] and reduced spending on healthcare, education, and social-welfare programmes. Modi began a [[Swachh Bharat Mission|high-profile sanitation campaign]] and weakened or abolished environmental and labour laws. His [[2016 Indian banknote demonetisation|demonetisation of banknotes in 2016]] and introduction of the [[Goods and Services Tax (India)|Goods and Services Tax]] in 2017 sparked controversy. Modi's administration launched the [[2019 Balakot airstrike]] against an alleged terrorist training camp in Pakistan; the airstrike failed,<ref>{{citation|last1=Lalwani|first1=Sameer|last2=Tallo|first2=Emily|date=17 April 2019|title=Did India shoot down a Pakistani F-16 in February? This just became a big deal: There are broader implications for India — and the United States|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/17/did-india-shoot-down-pakistani-f-back-february-this-just-became-big-deal/|access-date=27 January 2023|archive-date=30 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130122209/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/17/did-india-shoot-down-pakistani-f-back-february-this-just-became-big-deal/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{citation|last=Hall|first=Ian|title = India's 2019 General Election: National Security and the Rise of the Watchmen|journal=The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs|volume= 108|year=2019|issue=5|pages=507–519, 510|doi=10.1080/00358533.2019.1658360 |s2cid=203266692 |hdl=10072/387751|hdl-access=free}}</ref> but the action had nationalist appeal.<ref>{{citation|last=Jaffrelot|first=Christophe|title=Modi's India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2021|isbn=978-0-691-22309-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N7USEAAAQBAJ}}</ref> Modi's party won the [[2019 Indian general election|2019 general election]]. In its second term, his administration [[Revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir|revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir]] and introduced the [[Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019|Citizenship Amendment Act]], prompting [[Citizenship Amendment Act protests|widespread protests]] and spurring the [[2020 Delhi riots]] in which Muslims were targeted by Hindu mobs.<ref>{{citation|title='I cannot find my father's body': Delhi's fearful Muslims mourn riot dead|last1=Ellis-Peterson|first1=Hannah|last2=Azizur Rahman|first2=Shaikh|location=Delhi|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/06/how-can-i-go-back-delhi-fearful-muslims-mourn-riot-dead|date=6 March 2020|access-date=7 March 2020|archive-date=6 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200306202841/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/06/how-can-i-go-back-delhi-fearful-muslims-mourn-riot-dead|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{citation|last1=Wamsley|first1=Laurel|last2=Frayer|first2=Lauren|publisher=NPR|title=In New Delhi, Days Of Deadly Violence And Riots|date=26 February 2020|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/02/26/809628525/in-new-delhi-days-of-deadly-violence-and-riots|access-date=25 March 2020|archive-date=4 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200304090353/https://www.npr.org/2020/02/26/809628525/in-new-delhi-days-of-deadly-violence-and-riots|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{citation|last1=Abi-Habib|first1=Maria|title=Violence in India Threatens Its Global Ambitions|date=5 March 2020|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/world/asia/india-violence-diplomacy.html|access-date=6 March 2020|archive-date=5 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200305231044/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/world/asia/india-violence-diplomacy.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Three controversial [[2020 Indian agriculture acts|farm laws]] led to [[2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest|sit-ins]] by farmers across the country, eventually causing their formal repeal. Modi oversaw India's response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in India|COVID-19 pandemic]], during which, according to the [[World Health Organization]], 4.7 million Indians died.<ref name="Grimley">{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61327778 |title=Covid: World's true pandemic death toll nearly 15 million, says WHO |first1=Naomi |last1=Grimley |first2=Jack |last2=Cornish |first3=Nassos |last3=Stylianou |work=BBC News |date=5 May 2022 |access-date=22 August 2022 |archive-date=13 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513235736/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61327778 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Biswas">{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-60981318 |title=Why India's real Covid toll may never be known |first=Soutik |last=Biswas |date=5 May 2022 |work=BBC |access-date=22 August 2022 |archive-date=21 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220821214838/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-60981318 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the [[2024 Indian general election|2024 general election]], Modi's party lost its majority in the lower house of Parliament and formed a government leading the [[National Democratic Alliance]] coalition. Following a [[2025 Pahalgam attack|terrorist attack]] in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, Modi presided over the [[2025 India–Pakistan conflict]], which resulted in a ceasefire.

Under Modi's tenure, India has experienced [[democratic backsliding]], or the weakening of democratic institutions, [[individual rights]], and [[freedom of expression]].{{Efn|name=lo9|group=lower-alpha|Sources:<br />{{bulleted list
|{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Brunkert|first1=Lennart|last2=Kruse|first2=Stefan|last3=Welzel|first3=Christian|date=3 April 2019|title=A tale of culture-bound regime evolution: the centennial democratic trend and its recent reversal|url=http://fox.leuphana.de/portal/de/publications/a-tale-of-culturebound-regime-evolution-the-centennial-democratic-trend-and-its-recent-reversal(2b6baaf4-3942-4491-92ca-55782d455a62).html|journal=Democratization|volume=26|issue=3|pages=422–443|doi=10.1080/13510347.2018.1542430|s2cid=148625260|issn=1351-0347|access-date=4 January 2021|archive-date=10 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010183922/http://fox.leuphana.de/portal/de/publications/a-tale-of-culturebound-regime-evolution-the-centennial-democratic-trend-and-its-recent-reversal(2b6baaf4-3942-4491-92ca-55782d455a62).html|url-status=live}}
|{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Khaitan|first=Tarunabh|date=26 May 2020|title=Killing a Constitution with a Thousand Cuts: Executive Aggrandizement and Party-state Fusion in India|journal=Law & Ethics of Human Rights|language=en|volume=14|issue=1|pages=49–95|doi=10.1515/lehr-2020-2009|s2cid=221083830|issn=2194-6531|doi-access=free|hdl=11343/241852|hdl-access=free}}
|{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Ganguly|first=Sumit|title=India's Democracy Is Under Threat|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/09/18/indias-democracy-is-under-threat/|date=18 September 2020|access-date=27 November 2020|website=[[Foreign Policy]]|language=en-US|archive-date=4 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204223518/https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/09/18/indias-democracy-is-under-threat/|url-status=live}}
|{{#invoke:cite|journal|date=2021|title=India: Freedom in the World 2021 Country Report|url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/india/freedom-world/2021|journal=[[Freedom House]]|access-date=4 March 2021|archive-date=4 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304054952/https://freedomhouse.org/country/india/freedom-world/2021|url-status=live}}
|{{#invoke:cite|news|first1=Vindu|last1=Goel|first2=Jeffrey|last2=Gettleman|date=2 April 2020|title=Under Modi, India's Press Is Not So Free Anymore|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/world/asia/modi-india-press-media.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402132111/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/world/asia/modi-india-press-media.html |archive-date=2 April 2020 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|access-date=9 March 2021|issn=0362-4331}}
|{{cite web |title='Messianic spell': how Narendra Modi created a cult of personality |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/19/messianic-spell-how-narendra-modi-created-a-cult-personality |date=19 April 2024 |first=Hannah |last=Ellis-Petersen |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419152154/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/19/messianic-spell-how-narendra-modi-created-a-cult-personality |archive-date=19 April 2024 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}
}}}}<ref>{{citation|last1=Welzel|first1=Christian|last2=Inglehart|first2=Ronald|last3=Bernhangen|first3=Patrick|last4=Haerpfer|first4=Christian W.|editor1-last=Welzel |editor1-first=Christian|editor2-last=Inglehart|editor2-first=Ronald|editor3-last=Bernhangen|editor3-first=Patrick|editor4-last=Haerpfer |editor4-first=Christian W. |chapter=Introduction |title=Democratization |year=2019|pages=4, 7|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0IN8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA7|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-873228-0}}</ref><ref>{{citation|last=Chidambaram|first=Soundarya|chapter=India's Inexorable Path to Autocratization: Looking beyond Modi and the populist lens |year=2022 |title=Routledge Handbook of Autocratization in South Asia|editor-last=Widmalm|editor-first=Sten|publisher=Routledge|pages=130–148|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fNBUEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT138|doi= 10.4324/9781003042211-11|s2cid=245210210|doi-access=free}}</ref> As prime minister, he has received [[Opinion polling on the Narendra Modi premiership|consistently high approval ratings]].<ref name="Kaul">{{cite book|last1=Kaul |first1=Volker |title=Minorities and Populism – Critical Perspectives from South Asia and Europe |last2=Vajpeyi |first2=Ananya |publisher=[[Springer Publishing]] |year=2020 |isbn=978-3-030-34098-8 |pages=22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Global Leader Approval Ratings |url=https://morningconsult.com/global-leader-approval/ |access-date=9 September 2022 |website=[[Morning Consult]] |language=en-US |archive-date=28 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128023901/https://morningconsult.com/global-leader-approval/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=PM Narendra Modi continues to be most popular global leader with approval rating of 74%: Survey |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-narendra-modi-continues-to-be-most-popular-global-leader-with-approval-rating-of-74-survey/articleshow/93527036.cms |access-date=9 September 2022 |website=[[The Times of India]] |date=12 August 2022 |language=en |archive-date=9 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909053544/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-narendra-modi-continues-to-be-most-popular-global-leader-with-approval-rating-of-74-survey/articleshow/93527036.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> Modi has been described as engineering a political realignment towards [[right-wing politics]]. He remains a controversial figure domestically and internationally, over his Hindu nationalist beliefs and handling of the Gujarat riots, which have been cited as evidence of a majoritarian and exclusionary social agenda.{{efn|Sources discussing the controversy surrounding Modi:<ref name="Buncombe">{{cite news|title=A rebirth dogged by controversy |first=Andrew |last=Buncombe |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-rebirth-dogged-by-controversy-2357157.html |work=[[The Independent]] |date=19 September 2011 |access-date=10 October 2012 |location=London |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225024707/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-rebirth-dogged-by-controversy-2357157.html |archive-date=25 December 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Visweswaran |first=Kamala |title=Perspectives on Modern South Asia: A Reader in Culture, History, and Representation|date=April 2011|publisher=[[Wiley-Blackwell]] |isbn=978-1-4051-0062-5|page=188|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m-EYXNnvMugC|oclc=682895189|editor=Visweswaran, Kamala|access-date=30 August 2021}}</ref><ref name="Stepan">{{cite journal|last1=Stepan |first1=Alfred |s2cid=153861198 |title=India, Sri Lanka, and the Majoritarian Danger |journal=[[Journal of Democracy]] |volume=26 |pages=128–140 |language=en |doi=10.1353/jod.2015.0006 |date=7 January 2015}}</ref><ref name="Ganguly 2014-10" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Indian PM Narendra Modi still mired in controversy, says expert|publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]|date=16 April 2015|access-date=17 February 2017|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/indian-pm-narendra-modi-still-mired-in-controversy-says-expert-1.3036836|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014073116/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/indian-pm-narendra-modi-still-mired-in-controversy-says-expert-1.3036836|archive-date=14 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=India's Voters Torn Over Politician |first=Simon |last=Robinson |url=http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1693370,00.html |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=11 December 2007 |access-date=10 October 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023030008/http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1693370,00.html |archive-date=23 October 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Gujarat leader Narendra Modi grilled for 10&nbsp;hours at massacre inquiry |first1=Jason |last1=Burke |author-link=Jason Burke |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/mar/28/gujarat-narendra-modi-massacre-inquiry-india |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=28 March 2010 |access-date=10 October 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130909181320/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/mar/28/gujarat-narendra-modi-massacre-inquiry-india |archive-date=9 September 2013 }}</ref>|name=|group=}}

== Early life and education ==
Narendra Damodardas Modi was born on 17 September 1950 to a [[Gujarati people|Gujarati]] family of [[Other Backward Class]] (OBC) background and [[Hinduism|Hindu]] faith<ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Messina |first=Karyne E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fKN-EAAAQBAJ&dq=%22modi%22+%22caste%22+%22obc%22+%22ghanchi%22&pg=PT78 |title=Resurgence of Global Populism: A Psychoanalytic Study of Projective Identification, Blame-Shifting and the Corruption of Democracy |date=21 September 2022 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-64640-5 |language=en |access-date=7 April 2024 |archive-date=8 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408063906/https://books.google.com/books?id=fKN-EAAAQBAJ&dq=%22modi%22+%22caste%22+%22obc%22+%22ghanchi%22&pg=PT78 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Rashid |first=Omar |date=27 April 2019 |title=Modi hits back on 'fake OBC' jibes, says he is 'most backward' |url=https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/modi-hits-back-on-fake-obc-jibes-says-he-is-most-backward/article61557945.ece |access-date=6 April 2024 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=25 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230825204014/https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/modi-hits-back-on-fake-obc-jibes-says-he-is-most-backward/article61557945.ece |url-status=live }}</ref> in [[Vadnagar]], [[Mehsana district]], [[Bombay State]] (present-day [[Gujarat]]). He was the third of six children born to Damodardas Mulchand Modi ({{Circa|1915–1989}}) and Hiraben Modi (1923–2022).{{sfn|Marino|2014|pp=13, 15, 29–30, 74}}{{Efn|''Narendra Modi'' was born ''Narendra Damodardas Modi'' on 17 September 1950. He uses ''Damodardas'' as his middle name—[[Gujarati people|Gujaratis]] have a tradition of [[Patronymic|using the names of their fathers]] as their middle names—but he is widely known as ''Narendra Modi''.{{sfn|Marino|2014|pp=4–5}}|name="foo"|group=}}<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Heeraben Modi: Indian PM Modi's mother dies aged 99 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-64073465 |access-date=30 December 2022 |publisher=BBC |date=30 December 2022}}</ref> According to Modi and his neighbours, he worked infrequently in his father's tea stall in the [[Vadnagar railway station]].<ref>{{citation|last1=Chatterji|first1=Angana P.|last2=Hansen|first2=Thomas Blom|last3=Jaffrelot|first3=Christophe|editor1-last=Chatterji|editor1-first=Angana P.|editor2-last=Hansen|editor2-first=Thomas Blom|editor3-last=Jaffrelot|editor3-first=Christophe|chapter=Introduction|title=Majoritarian State: How Hindu Nationalism Is Changing India|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2019|page=3|isbn=978-0-19-007817-1|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zcObDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA3}}</ref><ref>{{citation|last=Roberts|first=Adam|title=Superfast Primetime Ultimate Nation: The Relentless Invention of Modern India|publisher=Public Affairs|year=2017|isbn=978-1-61039-670-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9tLuDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT212}}</ref><ref>{{citation|last=Roberts|first=Adam|title=Special Report, India: Modi's many tasks|publisher=Economist|location=London|date=23 May 2015|url=https://www.economist.com/sites/default/files/20150523_india.pdf|access-date=22 December 2021|archive-date=22 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222022910/https://www.economist.com/sites/default/files/20150523_india.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Modi completed his [[Higher Secondary Examination|higher secondary education]] in Vadnagar in 1967; his teachers described him as an average student and a keen, gifted debater with an interest in theatre.<ref name="Jose">{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reportage/emperor-uncrowned?page=1,1|title=The Emperor Uncrowned: The Rise of Narendra Modi|last=Jose|first=Vinod K.|date=1 March 2012|work=[[The Caravan]]|pages=2–4|author-link=Vinod Jose|access-date=11 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111220259/http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reportage/emperor-uncrowned?page=1,1|archive-date=11 November 2013}}</ref> He preferred playing larger-than-life characters in theatrical productions, which has influenced his political image.{{sfn|Mukhopadhyay|2013|p=82}}<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Shilpa|last=Raina|url=http://www.newkerala.com/news/2014/fullnews-24257.html |title=Modi's life dominates publishing space (Election Special) |work=newkerala.com |date=14 March 2014 |access-date=4 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315130016/http://www.newkerala.com/news/2014/fullnews-24257.html |archive-date=15 March 2014 }}</ref>

When Modi was eight years old, he was introduced to the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS) and began attending its local ''shakhas'' (training sessions). There, he met [[Lakshmanrao Inamdar]], who inducted Modi as a ''[[Swayamsevak (RSS)|balswayamsevak]]'' (junior cadet) in the RSS and became his political mentor.{{sfn|Marino|2014 |p=24}} While Modi was training with the RSS, he also met Vasant Gajendragadkar and Nathalal Jaghda, [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]] leaders who in 1980 helped found the BJP's Gujarat unit.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Pathak|first=Anil|date=2 October 2001|title=Modi's meteoric rise|work=[[The Times of India]]|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Modis-meteoric-rise/articleshow/1459210533.cms?referral=PM|access-date=11 April 2013}}</ref> As a teenager, he was enrolled in the [[National Cadet Corps (India)|National Cadet Corps]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|last=N.P. |first=Ullekh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lWVABgAAQBAJ&pg=PT149 |title=War Room: The People, Tactics and Technology behind Narendra Modi's 2014 Win |date=26 January 2015 |publisher=Roli Books Private Limited |isbn=978-93-5194-068-5 |language=en}}</ref>

In a custom traditional to Narendra Modi's [[Caste system in India|caste]], his family arranged a betrothal to [[Jashodaben Chimanlal Modi]], leading to their marriage when she was 17 and he was 18.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Annie|last=Gowen|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date= 25 January 2015|title=Abandoned as a child bride, wife of Narendra Modi hopes he calls|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/abandoned-as-a-child-bride-indias-first-lady-still-hopes-her-husband-will-call/2015/01/25/3509dac5-5ac1-49e3-8b44-7d92e027c9ec_story.html|access-date=30 August 2021}}</ref><ref name="Schultz">{{#invoke:cite|web|first1=Kai|last1=Schultz|first2=Hari|last2=Kumar|work=[[The New York Times]]|title=Narendra Modi's Estranged Wife Escapes Unhurt From Car Crash in India|date=7 February 2018|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/07/world/asia/india-narendra-modi-wife.html|access-date=31 August 2021}}</ref> The marriage was never consummated, and Modi soon abandoned his wife,<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Annie|last=Gowen|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date= 25 January 2015|title=Abandoned as a child bride, wife of Narendra Modi hopes he calls|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/abandoned-as-a-child-bride-indias-first-lady-still-hopes-her-husband-will-call/2015/01/25/3509dac5-5ac1-49e3-8b44-7d92e027c9ec_story.html|access-date= 31 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mahurkar |first=Uday |date=2014-04-10 |title=Revealed: Why Narendra Modi walked out of his marriage with Jashodaben |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/west/story/narendra-modi-marriage-jashodaben-188381-2014-04-10 |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref> and left home. The couple never divorced but the marriage was not in his public pronouncements for many decades.<ref name="Schultz" /> In April 2014, shortly before the national election in which he gained power, Modi publicly affirmed he was married and that his spouse was Jashodaben.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title= Narendra Modi Fast Facts|publisher=[[CNN]]|date=12 September 2018|archive-date=13 September 2018|url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/01/19/world/narendra-modi-fast-facts/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913201412/https://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/19/world/narendra-modi-fast-facts/index.html|access-date=31 August 2021}}</ref> A Modi biographer wrote that Modi kept the marriage a secret because he would not have been able to become a ''pracharak'' in the RSS, for which celibacy had once been a requirement.<ref name="India Today 2013-09-13">{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/narendra-modi-from-tea-vendor-to-pm-candidate/1/309693.html |title=Narendra Modi: From tea vendor to PM candidate |work=[[India Today]] |date=13 September 2013 |access-date=21 April 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421050606/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/narendra-modi-from-tea-vendor-to-pm-candidate/1/309693.html |archive-date=21 April 2014 }}</ref>{{sfn|Mukhopadhyay|2013|loc=A time of difference}}

Modi spent the following two years travelling across northern and north-eastern India.{{sfn|Marino|2014|p=25}} In mid 1968, Modi reached [[Belur Math]] but was turned away, after which he visited [[Calcutta]], [[West Bengal]] and [[Assam]], stopping in [[Siliguri]] and [[Guwahati]]. He then went to the Ramakrishna Ashram in [[Almora]], where he was again rejected, before returning to [[Gujarat]] via [[Delhi]] and [[Rajasthan]] in 1968 to 1969. In either late 1969 or early 1970, he returned to [[Vadnagar]] for a brief visit before leaving again for [[Ahmedabad]],{{Sfn|Marino|2014|pp=26-29}}{{Sfnm|1a1=Guha|1y=2007|1pp=491-492|2a1=Panda|2y=2016|2pp=96|3a1=Mahurkar|3y=2017|3pp=7-9}} where he lived with his uncle and worked in his uncle's [[Cafeteria|canteen]] at [[Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation]].{{sfn|Mukhopadhyay|2013|pp=131, 138}} [[Swami Vivekananda]] has had a large influence in Modi's life.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=The tale of two Narendras: Narendra Modi and Swami Vivekananda|url=http://www.thestatesman.com/india/the-tale-of-two-narendras-narendra-modi-and-swami-vivekananda-152114.html|work=[[The Statesman (India)|The Statesman]]|date=4 July 2016|access-date=18 February 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218070819/http://www.thestatesman.com/india/the-tale-of-two-narendras-narendra-modi-and-swami-vivekananda-152114.html|archive-date=18 February 2017}}</ref>

In Ahmedabad, Modi renewed his acquaintance with Inamdar.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Unnithan|first=Sandeep|title=The man behind Modi: Lakshmanrao Inamdar|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/narendra-modi-lakshmanrao-inamdar-rss/1/359926.html|website=[[India Today]]|location=Ahmedabad|date=19 May 2014|access-date=22 May 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521043822/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/narendra-modi-lakshmanrao-inamdar-rss/1/359926.html|archive-date=21 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Mukhopadhyay|first=Nilanjan|title=Narendra Modi: The making of the political leader|url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/9NIOOTsZCFWnuFX5OO9XNL/Narendra-Modi-The-making-of-the-political-leader.html|date= 14 May 2014|access-date=22 May 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517072258/http://www.livemint.com/Politics/9NIOOTsZCFWnuFX5OO9XNL/Narendra-Modi-The-making-of-the-political-leader.html|archive-date=17 May 2014|work=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]]}}</ref>{{sfn | Marino | 2014 |p=35}} Modi's first-known political activity as an adult was in 1971 when he joined a [[Jana Sangh]] Satyagraha in Delhi led by [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] to enlist to fight in the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first=Shubbhabrata|last=Sengupta|url=https://thewire.in/history/a-sataygrah-and-asatyagraha-narendra-modi-and-the-liberation-of-bangladesh|title=A Sataygrah [sic] and Asatyagraha: Narendra Modi and the Liberation of Bangladesh|website=[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]|date=27 March 2021|access-date=31 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first=Ishadrita|last=Lahiri|url=https://www.thequint.com/news/politics/was-modi-arrested-for-bangladesh-satyagraha-in-1971-here-is-what-we-know#read-more|title=Was Modi Arrested for Bangladesh Satyagraha? Here's What We Know|date=27 March 2021|access-date=31 August 2021|work=[[The Quint]]}}</ref> The [[Indira Gandhi]]-led central government prohibited open support for the [[Mukti Bahini]]; according to Modi, he was briefly held in [[Tihar Jail]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=27 March 2021|title=Delhi confidential: The Satyagraha|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/delhi-confidential/narendra-modi-satyagraha-bangladesh-liberation-fighters-delhi-confidential-7247247/|access-date=22 June 2021|website=[[The Indian Express]]|language=en}}</ref><ref name="The Tribune">{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Political slugfest over PM Modi's 'Satyagraha for Bangladesh' remarks|url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/political-slugfest-over-pm-modis-satyagraha-for-bangladesh-remarks-230844|date=26 March 2021|access-date=22 June 2021|work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Modi's satyagraha talk in Dhaka sparks online war|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/modis-satyagraha-talk-in-dhaka-sparks-online-war/articleshow/81717548.cms|date=27 March 2021|access-date=22 June 2021|work=[[The Times of India]]|language=en}}</ref> After the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]], Modi left his uncle's employment and became a full-time ''[[pracharak]]'' (campaigner) for the RSS,{{sfn|Mukhopadhyay|2013|p=138}} working under Inamdar.{{sfn|Marino|2014|pp=35–40}} Shortly before the war, Modi took part in a non-violent protest in New Delhi against the Indian government, for which he was arrested; because of this arrest, Inamdar decided to mentor Modi.{{sfn|Marino|2014|pp=35–40}} According to Modi, he was part of a Satyagraha that led to a political war.<ref name="The Tribune" />{{efn|Applications were filed with the [[Prime Minister's Office (India)|Prime Minister's Office]] (PMO) under the [[Right to Information Act, 2005|RTI Act]] seeking details of his arrest. In reply, the PMO said it maintains official records on Modi only since he became the prime minister in 2014. Despite this claim, the official website of the PMO contains information about Modi from the 1950s.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite|web|date=27 March 2021|title=RTI filed seeking info on Modi's claim of his arrest for supporting Bangladesh's independence|url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2021/03/27/rti-filed-seeking-info-on-modi-s-claim-of-his-arrest-for-supporting-bangladesh-s-independence|work=Dhaka Tribune|access-date=22 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:Cite|web|date=19 June 2021|title=PMO cites a cut-off year of 2014 for recordkeeping on Modi|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/prime-ministers-office-has-cited-a-cut-off-year-of-2014-for-recordkeeping-on-modi/cid/1819344|work=Telegraph India|access-date=22 October 2021}}</ref>}}

In 1978, Modi received a [[Bachelor of Arts]] (BA) degree in political science from the [[School of Open Learning]]<ref name="India Today 2017-03-14">{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/narendra-modi-degree-controversy-delhi-university-rti/1/903745.html |title=Narendra Modi degree row: DU college says it has no data of students passing out in 1978 |work=[[India Today]] |date=14 March 2017 |access-date=9 June 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317223653/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/narendra-modi-degree-controversy-delhi-university-rti/1/903745.html |archive-date=17 March 2017 }}</ref> at the [[Delhi University]].<ref name="India Today 2013-09-13" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/Narendra-Modi%E2%80%99s-degree-%E2%80%98authentic%E2%80%99-Delhi-University-Registrar-Tarun-Das/article14311846.ece |title=Narendra Modi's degree 'authentic': Delhi University Registrar Tarun Das |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=10 May 2016 |access-date=9 June 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114130635/http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/Narendra-Modi%E2%80%99s-degree-%E2%80%98authentic%E2%80%99-Delhi-University-Registrar-Tarun-Das/article14311846.ece |archive-date=14 November 2017 }}</ref> In 1983, he received a [[Master of Arts]] (MA) degree in political science from [[Gujarat University]], graduating with a [[Academic grading in India|first class]]<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Avasthi|first=Yogesh|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/globetrotting-pm-modi-was-weakest-in-international-relations/articleshow/52200607.cms|title=Globetrotting PM Modi was weakest in 'International Relations'|access-date=17 February 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729123651/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/globetrotting-pm-modi-was-weakest-in-international-relations/articleshow/52200607.cms|archive-date=29 July 2017|newspaper=[[The Economic Times]]|date=10 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=23 December 2007|title=Modi proves to be an astute strategist|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/modi-proves-to-be-an-astute-strategist/article1-264941.aspx|access-date=20 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819083702/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/modi-proves-to-be-an-astute-strategist/article1-264941.aspx|archive-date=19 August 2014}}</ref> as an external [[Distance education|distance learning]] student.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Degree row- PM Modi MA with first class: Gujarat University|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pm-modi-scored-62-3-in-ma-from-gujarat-univerisity-vc-2779138/|website=[[The Indian Express]]|access-date=29 July 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729093536/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pm-modi-scored-62-3-in-ma-from-gujarat-univerisity-vc-2779138/|archive-date=29 July 2017|date=2 May 2016}}</ref> There is a controversy surrounding the authenticity of his BA and MA degrees.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite|web|date=16 June 2018|title=The curious case of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree|url=https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/the-curious-case-of-prime-minister-narendra-modis-degree|work=National Herald|access-date=22 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:Cite|web|date=3 October 2020|title=The curious case of TOI's report on Modi's 'dear friend'|url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2020/10/03/the-curious-case-of-tois-report-on-modis-dear-friend|work=Newslaundry|access-date=22 October 2021}}</ref>{{efn|Replying to an RTI query, the School of Open Learning said it did not have any data of students who received a BA degree in 1978.<ref name="India Today 2017-03-14" /> Jayantibhai Patel, a former political science professor of Gujarat University, said the subjects listed in Modi's MA degree were not offered by the university when Modi was studying there.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite|web|date=12 May 2016|title=Huge discrepancy in Modi's MA degree, claims ex-Gujarat University professor|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/huge-discrepancy-in-pm-modis-ma-degree-claims-former-gujarat-university-professor-323174-2016-05-12|work=India Today|access-date=22 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:Cite|web|date=13 May 2016|title=Subjects listed in Narendra Modi's Gujarat University degree were not in syllabus, says ex-professor|url=https://scroll.in/latest/808057/subjects-named-in-narendra-modis-gujarat-university-ma-degree-were-not-in-syllabus-ex-professor|work=Scroll.in|access-date=22 October 2021}}</ref> In 2016, [[Delhi University]] deemed the BA degree to be authentic.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=10 May 2016 |title=Narendra Modi's degree 'authentic': Delhi University Registrar Tarun Das |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/Narendra-Modi%E2%80%99s-degree-%E2%80%98authentic%E2%80%99-Delhi-University-Registrar-Tarun-Das/article60504479.ece |access-date=29 May 2023 |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=29 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529064422/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/Narendra-Modi%E2%80%99s-degree-%E2%80%98authentic%E2%80%99-Delhi-University-Registrar-Tarun-Das/article60504479.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

== Early political career ==
In June 1975, Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]] declared a [[The Emergency (India)|state of emergency]] in India that lasted until 1977. During this period, known as "the Emergency", many of her political opponents were jailed and opposition groups were banned.{{sfn|Guha|2007|p=493–494}}{{sfn|Kochanek|Hardgrave|2007|p=205}} Modi was appointed general secretary of the "Gujarat Lok Sangharsh Samiti", an RSS committee coordinating opposition to the Emergency in Gujarat. Shortly afterwards, the RSS was banned.{{sfn|Marino|2014|pp=36–40}} Modi was forced to go underground in Gujarat and frequently travelled in disguise to avoid arrest, once dressing as a monk and once as a [[Sikh]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Marino|1y=2014|1pp=71-74|2a1=Natarajan and Pooja|2y=2019|2pp=98-101}} He became involved in the printing of pamphlets opposing the government, sending them to Delhi and organising demonstrations.{{sfn|Marino|2014|p=43}}{{sfn|Mukhopadhyay|2013|p=150}} He was also involved with creating a network of safe houses for individuals who were wanted by the government, and in raising funds for political refugees and activists.{{Refn|{{harvnb|Marino|2014|p=65}}; {{harvnb|Natarajan and Pooja|2019|pp=98–99}}; {{harvnb|Sen|2016|pp=145–151}}; {{harvnb|Hall|2016|p=90}}; {{harvnb|Mukhopadhyay|2013|pp=56–57}}}} During this period, Modi wrote a [[Gujarati language|Gujarati-language]] book titled ''Sangharsh Ma Gujarat'' (''In the Struggles of Gujarat''), which describes events during the Emergency.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite|web|last=Patel |first=Aakar |title=The poetic side of Narendra Modi |url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/131222/commentary-columnists/commentary/poetic-side-narendra-modi |website=[[Deccan Chronicle]] |date=22 December 2013 |access-date=25 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140524050207/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/131222/commentary-columnists/commentary/poetic-side-narendra-modi |archive-date=24 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:Cite|news|first=Harit|last=Mehta|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Gujarat-not-enamoured-by-poet-Narendra-Modi/articleshow/757261.cms|title=Gujarat not enamoured by poet Narendra Modi|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=28 June 2004|access-date=6 January 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023124625/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Gujarat-not-enamoured-by-poet-Narendra-Modi/articleshow/757261.cms|archive-date=23 October 2015}}</ref> While in this role, Modi met trade unionist and socialist activist [[George Fernandes]] and several other national political figures.{{sfn|Marino|2014|pp=38–43, 46–50}}

Modi became an RSS ''sambhag pracharak'' (regional organiser) in 1978, overseeing activities in [[Surat]] and [[Vadodara]], and in 1979, he went to work for the RSS in Delhi, where he researched and wrote the RSS's history of the Emergency. Shortly after, he returned to Gujarat and in 1985, the RSS assigned him to the BJP. In 1987, Modi helped organise the BJP's campaign in the Ahmedabad municipal election, which the party won comfortably; according to biographers, Modi's planning was responsible for the win.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Shekhar|first=Himanshu|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qOJfCgAAQBAJ|title=Management Guru Narendra Modi|date=2015<!--An error currently displays the publication year of this book as '1901' on Google. According to amazon.in its publication year is '2015'.-->|publisher=Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd|isbn=978-81-288-2803-4|location=|page= 64|language=en}}</ref>{{sfn|Marino|2014|pp=45-48, 54-59}} After [[L. K. Advani]] became president of the BJP in 1986, the RSS decided to place its members in important positions within the party; Modi's work during the Ahmedabad election led to his selection for this role. Modi was elected organising secretary of the BJP's Gujarat unit later in 1987.{{Sfnm|1a1=Guha|1y=2007|1pp=|2a1=Marino|2y=2014|2pp=56|3a1=Panda|3y=2016|3pp=fontcover|4a1=Rao|4y=2020|4pp=228}}

[[File:Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in New Delhi in October 12, 2001.jpg|left|thumb|Modi with [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] in {{Circa|2001}}]]

Modi rose within the party and was named a member of its National Election Committee in 1990, helping organise Advani's [[Ram Rath Yatra]] in 1990 and [[Murli Manohar Joshi]]'s 1991–1992 ''[[Ekta Yatra]]'' (Journey for Unity).<ref name="Jose" />{{sfn|Mukhopadhyay|2013|pp=68–69}}{{sfn|Marino|2014|pp=60–63}} Modi took a brief break from politics in 1992 to establish a school in Ahmedabad, and due to friction with [[Shankersinh Vaghela]], a BJP MP from Gujarat.{{sfn|Marino|2014|pp=60–63}} Modi returned to electoral politics in 1994, partly at the insistence of Advani; as party secretary, Modi's electoral strategy was considered central to the BJP victory in the [[1995 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election|1995 state assembly election]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Gujarat-CM candidates: Gujarat Assembly Elections 2012: Narendra Modi profile|work=[[Zee News]]|location=Gujarat|url=http://zeenews.india.com/slideshow/gujarat-cm-candidates_69.html|url-status=live|date=11 December 2012|access-date=21 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420090836/http://zeenews.india.com/slideshow/gujarat-cm-candidates_69.html|archive-date=20 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Jain|E|2018|pp=17–21}}; {{Harvard citation no brackets|Komireddi|2019|pp=67–69}}; {{Harvard citation no brackets|Kochanek|Hardgrave|2007|pp=44–49}}; {{Harvard citation no brackets|Marino|2014|p=49}}; {{Harvard citation no brackets|Panda|2016|p=95}}; {{Harvard citation no brackets|Kanrad|2018|pp=87–91}}.</ref> In November of that year, Modi was appointed BJP national secretary and transferred to New Delhi, where he assumed responsibility for party activities in [[Haryana]] and [[Himachal Pradesh]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Mehta|first=Harit|date=1 April 2014|title=Six-year banishment led to Narendra Modi's metamorphosis|work=[[The Times of India]]|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/lok-sabha-elections-2014/news/Six-year-banishment-led-to-Narendra-Modis-metamorphosis/articleshow/33040649.cms|url-status=live|access-date=2 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140401022501/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/lok-sabha-elections-2014/news/Six-year-banishment-led-to-Narendra-Modis-metamorphosis/articleshow/33040649.cms|archive-date=1 April 2014}}</ref> The following year, Shankersinh Vaghela, a prominent BJP leader from Gujarat, defected to the [[Indian National Congress]]{{Efn|The party is commonly referred to simply as 'Congress.'}} after losing his parliamentary seat in the Lok Sabha election.<ref name="Jose" /> Modi, who was on the selection committee for the [[1998 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election]], favoured supporters of BJP leader [[Keshubhai Patel]] over those supporting Vaghela to end factional division in the party. His strategy was credited as central to the BJP winning an overall majority in the 1998 election,<ref name="Venkatesan">{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Venkatesan|first=V.|author-link=V. Venkatram|date=26 October 2001|volume=18|issue=21|title=A pracharak as Chief Minister|magazine=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]]|location=New Delhi|url=http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1821/18210310.htm|access-date=11 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130405081524/http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1821/18210310.htm|archive-date=5 April 2013 }}</ref> and Modi was promoted to BJP general secretary (organisation) in May of that year.{{Sfnm|1a1=Marino|1y=2014|1pp=78-79|2a1=Mukhopadhyay|2y=2013|2pp=78-95}}

== Chief Minister of Gujarat (2001–2014) ==
{{Main|Chief ministership of Narendra Modi}}

=== Taking office ===
{{Main|2001 Gujarat earthquake}}

In 2001, [[Keshubhai Patel]]'s health was failing, and the BJP lost a few state assembly seats in [[by-election]]s. Allegations of abuse of power, corruption and poor administration were made, and Patel's standing had been damaged by his administration's handling of the [[2001 Gujarat earthquake|earthquake in Bhuj in 2001]].<ref name="Venkatesan" /><ref name="Phadnis">{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Phadnis |first=Aditi |title=Business Standard Political Profiles of Cabals and Kings |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qT7QvviGoJsC&pg=PA116 |year=2009 |publisher=Business Standard Books |isbn=978-81-905735-4-2 |pages=116–21 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103043003/http://books.google.com/books?id=qT7QvviGoJsC&pg=PA116 |archive-date=3 January 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:Cite|news|url=http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1821/18210300.htm |title=A new oarsman |magazine=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]] |date=26 October 2001 |volume=18 |issue=21 |access-date=11 April 2013 |last=Bunsha |first=Dionne |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061021155658/http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1821/18210300.htm |archive-date=21 October 2006 }}</ref> The BJP national leadership sought a new candidate for the chief ministership, and Modi, who had expressed misgivings about Patel's administration, was chosen as a replacement.<ref name="Jose" /> Advani did not want to ostracise Patel and was concerned about Modi's lack of experience in government. Modi declined an offer to become Patel's [[List of deputy chief ministers of Gujarat|deputy chief minister]], telling Advani and [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] he was "going to be fully responsible for Gujarat or not at all". On 3 October 2001, Modi replaced Patel as Chief Minister of Gujarat with the responsibility of preparing the BJP for the upcoming December 2002 election.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Ritesh K.|last=Srivastava|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/general-elections-2014/pm-candidates/narendra-modi-%E2%80%93-leading-the-race-to-7-rcr_921104.html|title=Narendra Modi – Leading the race to 7 RCR|work=[[Zee News]]|date=8 April 2014|access-date=25 August 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824042517/http://zeenews.india.com/news/general-elections-2014/pm-candidates/narendra-modi-%E2%80%93-leading-the-race-to-7-rcr_921104.html|archive-date=24 August 2014}}</ref> On 7 October, Modi was sworn in<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Dasgupta|first1=Manas|title=Modi sworn in Gujarat CM amidst fanfare|url=http://www.thehindujobs.com/thehindu/2001/10/08/stories/02080001.htm|access-date=11 October 2014|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=7 October 2001|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141011204504/http://www.thehindujobs.com/thehindu/2001/10/08/stories/02080001.htm|archive-date=11 October 2014}}</ref> and he entered the Gujarat state legislature on 24 February 2002 after winning a by-election in [[Rajkot West|Rajkot II]] constituency, defeating Ashwin Mehta of the INC after [[Vajubhai Vala]] vacated his seat.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Venkatesan|first=V.|title=A victory and many pointers|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/article30244123.ece|volume=19|issue=5|date=15 March 2002|access-date=11 October 2014|work=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]]|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106133029/http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl1905/19050240.htm|archive-date=6 January 2016 }}</ref>

=== 2002 Gujarat violence ===
{{Main|2002 Gujarat violence}}

On 27 February 2002, a train with several hundred passengers [[Godhra train burning|burned near Godhra]], killing approximately 60 people.{{efn|The exact number of people killed in the train burning is variously reported. For example, the [[BBC]] says it was 59,<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12605659 |title=Eleven sentenced to death for India Godhra train blaze |date=1 March 2011 |access-date=25 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140624025021/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12605659 |archive-date=24 June 2014 }}</ref> while ''[[The Guardian]]'' put the figure at 60.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/feb/22/godhra-train-fire-verdict |title=Godhra train fire verdict prompts tight security measures |work=[[The Guardian]] |first=Jason |last=Burke |date=22 February 2011 |access-date=10 March 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023065143/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/feb/22/godhra-train-fire-verdict |archive-date=23 October 2013 }}</ref>}}<ref name="Ghosh">Ghosh, Partha S.  ([[Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi]]; formerly, [[Indian Council of Social Science Research|ICSSR]] National Fellow, and Professor of South Asian Studies at [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]]): [https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/longform/2021/11/15/south-asia-s-leaders-have-failed-their-region OP-ED: South Asia's leaders have failed their region,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407154951/https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/longform/2021/11/15/south-asia-s-leaders-have-failed-their-region |date=7 April 2022 }} opinion and historical analysis, 15 November 2021, ''[[Dhaka Tribune]],'' retrieved 15 November 2021</ref> The train carried a large number of Hindu pilgrims who were returning from [[Ayodhya]] after a religious ceremony at the site of the [[Demolition of the Babri Masjid|demolished Babri Masjid]].<ref name="Jaffrelot 2003-07">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Jaffrelot|first1=Christophe|author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot|date=July 2003|title=Communal Riots in Gujarat: The State at Risk?|url=http://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/archiv/4127|url-status=live|journal=Heidelberg Papers in South Asian and Comparative Politics|volume=|pages=|doi=10.11588/heidok.00004127|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607062723/http://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/archiv/4127/|archive-date=7 June 2007|access-date=17 February 2017|via=}}</ref><ref name="BBC 2005-05-11">{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Gujarat riot death toll revealed|work=[[BBC News]]|date=11 May 2005|access-date=17 February 2017|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4536199.stm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226131020/http://news.indiainfo.com/2005/05/11/1105godhra-rs.html|archive-date=26 February 2009}}</ref> In a public statement, Modi said local Muslims were responsible for the incident.<ref name="Shani">{{#invoke:cite|book|last1=Shani|first1=Orrit|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ouAB7o63B9IC|title=Communalism, Caste and Hindu Nationalism: The Violence in Gujarat|date=2007|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|isbn=978-0-521-68369-2|location=|pages=168–173|access-date=20 January 2021|archive-date=18 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230218154155/https://books.google.com/books?id=ouAB7o63B9IC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Jaffrelot 2003-07" /><ref name="Murphy">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Murphy|first=Eamon|editor-first1=Richard|editor-last1=Jackson|editor-first2=Eamon Murphy|editor-last2=Murphy|editor-first3=Scott|editor-last3=Poynting|encyclopedia=Contemporary State Terrorism|title='We have no orders to save you': state terrorism, politics and communal violence in the Indian state of Gujarat, 2002|year=2010|publisher=[[Routledge]]|location=New York, New York, US|isbn=978-0-415-49801-2|pages=84–103}}</ref> The next day, the [[Vishwa Hindu Parishad]] called for a ''[[bandh]]'' (general strike) across the state.<ref name="Desai">{{#invoke:cite|news|first1=Bharat|last1=Desai|first2=Anil|last2=Pathak|date=1 March 2002|title=Mobs rule Ahmedabad streets|work=[[The Economic Times]]|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2002-03-01/news/27355597_1_mobs-death-toll-ahmedabad|url-status=live|access-date=17 April 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104094217/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2002-03-01/news/27355597_1_mobs-death-toll-ahmedabad|archive-date=4 January 2013}}</ref><ref name="Dasgupta">{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Manas|last=Dasgupta|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2002/03/01/stories/2002030103030100.htm |title=140 killed as Gujarat bandh turns violent |date=1 March 2002 |access-date=17 April 2014 |location=Chennai, India |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303163112/http://www.thehindu.com/2002/03/01/stories/2002030103030100.htm |work=[[The Hindu]] |archive-date=3 March 2015 }}</ref> Riots began during the ''bandh'' and [[Anti-Muslim violence in India|anti-Muslim violence]] spread through Gujarat.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2003-07" /><ref name="Desai" /><ref name="Dasgupta" /> The government's decision to move the bodies of the train victims from Godhra to Ahmedabad further inflamed the violence.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2003-07" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/decision-to-bring-godhra-victims-bodies-taken-at-top-level/article2876244.ece |title=Decision to bring Godhra victims' bodies taken at top level |work=[[The Hindu]]|date=10 February 2012 |access-date=12 April 2013 |location=Chennai, India |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130212181131/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/decision-to-bring-godhra-victims-bodies-taken-at-top-level/article2876244.ece |archive-date=12 February 2013 }}</ref> The state government later stated 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were killed during the riots;<ref name="BBC 2005-05-11" /> independent sources put the death toll at over 2,000,<ref name="Jaffrelot 2003-07" /><ref name="Ghosh" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|editor1-last=Campbell |editor1-first=John |editor2-first=Chris |editor2-last=Seiple |editor3-first=Dennis R. |editor3-last=Hoover |editor4-first=Pauletta |display-editors = 3 |editor4-last=Otis|title=The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Security|year=2012|publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-0-415-66744-9|page=233}}</ref> the vast majority of them Muslims.<ref name="Ghosh" /> Approximately 150,000 people were driven to refugee camps.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|author-link=Paul Brass|last=Brass|first=Paul R.|title=The Production of Hindu-Muslim Violence in Contemporary India|publisher=[[University of Washington Press]]|isbn=978-0-295-98506-0|page=388|date=15 July 2005}}</ref> Numerous women and children were among the victims; the violence included mass rapes and mutilation of women.<ref name="Nussbaum">{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Nussbaum|first=Martha Craven|author-link=Martha Nussbaum|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JLMQh4oc38gC|title=The Clash Within: Democracy, Religious Violence, and India's Future|publisher=[[Harvard University Press]]|year=2008|isbn=978-0-674-03059-6|location=|pages=17–28, 50–51|jstor=27639120}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/09/blood-and-soil-in-narendra-modis-india|title=Blood and Soil in Narendra Modi's India|last=Filkins|first=Dexter|author-link=Dexter Filkins|date=2 December 2019|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|language=en|access-date=3 February 2020|archive-date=22 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422170919/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/09/blood-and-soil-in-narendra-modis-india|url-status=live}}</ref>

Scholars consider the [[Government of Gujarat]] to have been complicit in the riots,<ref name="Shani" /><ref>{{Citation |last=Santhosh |first=R. |title=Muslims in Contemporary India |date=11 August 2015 |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781317403586/chapters/10.4324/9781315682570-31 |work=Routledge Handbook of Contemporary India |page=393 |editor-last=Jacobsen |editor-first=Knut A. |edition=1 |publisher=Routledge |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781315682570-31 |isbn=978-1-315-68257-0 |access-date=22 December 2022|url-access=subscription }}</ref> and it has received much criticism for its handling of the situation;<ref name="Sengupta">{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/world/asia/29india.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120830124248/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/world/asia/29india.html |title=Shadows of Violence Cling to Indian Politician |last=Sengupta|first=Somini|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=28 April 2009|archive-date=30 August 2012|access-date=12 May 2013}}</ref> some scholars explicitly blame Modi.<ref name="Nussbaum" /><ref>{{Citation |last1=Nielsen |first1=Kenneth Bo |title=Hindu nationalist statecraft and Modi's authoritarian populism |date=30 December 2021 |work=Routledge Handbook of Autocratization in South Asia |pages=92–100 |edition=1 |place=London |publisher=Routledge |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781003042211-10 |isbn=978-1-00-304221-1 |last2=Nilsen |first2=Alf Gunvald|s2cid=245165294 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=The Republic |date=2016 |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/mono/10.4324/9781315628806-8/republic-hermann-kulke-dietmar-rothermund |work=A History of India |page=287 |edition=6 |publisher=Routledge |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781315628806-8 |isbn=978-1-315-62880-6 |access-date=22 December 2022 |archive-date=22 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222200233/https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/mono/10.4324/9781315628806-8/republic-hermann-kulke-dietmar-rothermund |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The Modi government imposed a curfew in 26 major cities, issued shoot-at-sight orders and called for the army to patrol the streets; these measures failed to prevent the violence from escalating.<ref name="Desai" /><ref name="Dasgupta" /> The president of the state unit of the BJP expressed support for the ''bandh'' despite such actions being illegal at the time.<ref name="Shani" /> State officials later prevented riot victims from leaving the refugee camps, which were often unable to meet the needs of those living there.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Hampton |first=Janie |title=Internally Displaced People: A Global Survey |year=2002 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-85383-952-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/internallydispla0000unse_b0v3/page/116 116] |url=https://archive.org/details/internallydispla0000unse_b0v3/page/116 }}</ref> Muslim victims of the riots were subjected to further discrimination when the state government announced their compensation would be half that offered to Hindu victims; this decision was later reversed after the issue was taken to court.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2016-01-16">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Jaffrelot|first=Christophe|author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot|year=2015|title=What 'Gujarat Model'?—Growth without Development— and with Socio-Political Polarisation|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00856401.2015.1087456|journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies|volume=38|issue=4|pages=820–838|doi=10.1080/00856401.2015.1087456|issn=0085-6401|via=|s2cid=146854210|access-date=20 January 2021|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709185815/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00856401.2015.1087456|url-status=live}}</ref> During the riots, police officers often did not intervene in situations where they were able.<ref name="Nussbaum" /><ref name="Murphy" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Jaffrelot|first=Christophe|author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot|date=25 February 2012|title=Gujarat 2002: What Justice for the Victims?|url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2012/08/special-articles/gujarat-2002-what-justice-victims.html|journal=[[Economic & Political Weekly]]|volume=47|issue=8|pages=|via=|access-date=20 January 2021|archive-date=23 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123141200/https://www.epw.in/journal/2012/08/special-articles/gujarat-2002-what-justice-victims.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Several scholars have described the violence as a [[pogrom]] and others have called it an example of [[state terrorism]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|first=Chris|last=Ogden|s2cid=54615047|year=2012|title=A Lasting Legacy: The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and India's Politics|journal=[[Journal of Contemporary Asia]]|volume=42|issue=1|doi=10.1080/00472336.2012.634639|pages=22–38}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Pandey|first=Gyanendra|title=Routine violence: nations, fragments, histories|date=2006|publisher=[[Stanford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-8047-5264-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/routineviolencen0000pand/page/187 187–188]|url=https://archive.org/details/routineviolencen0000pand/page/187}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Baruah|first=Bipasha|url=https://www.ubcpress.ca/asset/9339/1/9780774819275.pdf|title=Women and Property in Urban India|year=2012|publisher=[[University of British Columbia Press]]|isbn=978-0-7748-1928-2|page=41|access-date=8 September 2021|archive-date=8 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908152739/https://www.ubcpress.ca/asset/9339/1/9780774819275.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> According to [[Martha Nussbaum]], "There is by now a broad consensus that the Gujarat violence was a form of ethnic cleansing, that in many ways it was premeditated, and that it was carried out with the complicity of the state government and officers of the law".<ref name="Nussbaum" />

Modi's personal involvement in the 2002 events has continued to be debated. During the riots, he said, "What is happening is a chain of action and reaction".<ref name="Nussbaum" /> Later in 2002, Modi said the way in which he had handled the media was his only regret regarding the episode.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/08/world/asia/wish-for-change-animates-voters-in-india-election.html|title=Wish for Change Animates Voters in India Election |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=7 April 2014 |access-date=30 May 2014 |author=Barry, Ellen |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527224752/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/08/world/asia/wish-for-change-animates-voters-in-india-election.html?_r=0 |archive-date=27 May 2014 }}</ref> In March 2008, the [[Supreme Court of India]] reopened several cases related to the riots, including that of the [[Gulbarg Society massacre]], and established a [[Special Investigation Team (India)|Special Investigation Team]] (SIT) to look into the issue.<ref name="Sengupta" /><ref name="Hindustan Times 2013-12-26" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=National Human Rights Commission vs. State of Gujarat & Ors. – Writ Petition (Crl.) No. 109/2003|url=http://courtnic.nic.in/supremecourt/temp/10920034152009p.txt|publisher=[[Supreme Court of India]]|access-date=23 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523113740/http://courtnic.nic.in/supremecourt/temp/10920034152009p.txt|archive-date=23 May 2014}}</ref> In response to a petition from [[Zakia Jafri]], the widow of [[Ehsan Jafri]], who was killed in the Gulbarg Society massacre, in April 2009, the court also asked the SIT to investigate Modi's complicity in the killings.<ref name="Hindustan Times 2013-12-26">{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Timeline: Zakia Jafri vs Modi in 2002 Gujarat riots case|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/timeline-zakia-jafri-vs-modi-in-2002-gujarat-riots-case/article1-1166448.aspx|access-date=23 May 2014|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=26 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319001910/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/timeline-zakia-jafri-vs-modi-in-2002-gujarat-riots-case/article1-1166448.aspx|archive-date=19 March 2014}}</ref> The SIT questioned Modi in March 2010; in May, it presented to the court a report finding no evidence against him.<ref name="Hindustan Times 2013-12-26" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SIT-clears-Narendra-Modi-of-wilfully-allowing-post-Godhra-riots/articleshow/7031569.cms |work=[[The Times of India]] |first=Dhananjay |last=Mahapatra |title=SIT clears Narendra Modi of wilfully allowing post-Godhra riots |date=3 December 2010 |access-date=17 April 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708044253/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SIT-clears-Narendra-Modi-of-wilfully-allowing-post-Godhra-riots/articleshow/7031569.cms |archive-date=8 July 2014 }}</ref> In July 2011, the court-appointed ''[[amicus curiae]]'' [[Raju Ramachandran]] submitted his final report to the court. Contrary to the SIT's position, Ramachandran said Modi could be prosecuted based on the available evidence.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3393808.ece?homepage=true |title=Proceed against Modi for Gujarat riots: amicus |work=[[The Hindu]]|date=9 May 2012 |access-date=17 April 2014 |location=Chennai, India |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705174724/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3393808.ece?homepage=true |archive-date=5 July 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3401728.ece?homepage=true |title=SIT rejects amicus curiae's observations against Modi |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=10 May 2012 |access-date=17 April 2014 |location=Chennai, India |first=Manas |last=Dasgupta |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705173155/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3401728.ece?homepage=true |archive-date=5 July 2014 }}</ref> The Supreme Court sent the matter to the magistrate's court. The SIT examined Ramachandran's report, and in March 2012 submitted its final report, asking for the case to be closed. Zakia Jafri filed a protest petition in response. In December 2013, the magistrate's court rejected the protest petition, accepting the SIT's finding there was no evidence against Modi.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Khan|first1=Saeed |last2=Kaushik|first2=Himanshu |title=2002 Gujarat riots: Clean chit to Modi, court rejects Zakia Jafri's plea |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/2002-Gujarat-riots-Clean-chit-to-Modi-court-rejects-Zakia-Jafris-plea/articleshow/27968858.cms |access-date=4 June 2014 |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=26 December 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141004001413/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/2002-Gujarat-riots-Clean-chit-to-Modi-court-rejects-Zakia-Jafris-plea/articleshow/27968858.cms |archive-date=4 October 2014}}</ref> In 2022, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition by Zakia Jafri in which she challenged the clean chit given to Modi in the riots by the SIT, and upheld previous rulings that no evidence against him was found.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Tripathi |first=Ashish |date=24 June 2022 |title='Appeal devoid of merit': SC junks Zakia Jafri plea, upholds clean chit given to Narendra Modi in Gujarat riots case |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/appeal-devoid-of-merit-sc-junks-zakia-jafri-plea-upholds-clean-chit-given-to-narendra-modi-in-gujarat-riots-case-1120913.html |access-date=25 June 2022 |work=Deccan Herald |archive-date=25 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625104718/https://www.deccanherald.com/national/appeal-devoid-of-merit-sc-junks-zakia-jafri-plea-upholds-clean-chit-given-to-narendra-modi-in-gujarat-riots-case-1120913.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Singh |first=Darpan |title=Gujarat riots clean chit to PM: Two decades of legal battle and what's next |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/gujarat-riots-clean-chit-pm-modi-sc-two-decades-legal-battle-1966358-2022-06-24 |access-date=25 June 2022 |magazine=India Today |archive-date=24 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624223801/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/gujarat-riots-clean-chit-pm-modi-sc-two-decades-legal-battle-1966358-2022-06-24 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Rajagopal |first=Krishnadas |date=24 June 2022 |title=2002 Gujarat riots: Supreme Court rejects Zakia Jafri's charges against Narendra Modi, 60 officials |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/2002-gujarat-riots-supreme-court-rejects-zakia-jafris-charges-against-narendra-modi-60-officials/article65560012.ece |access-date=25 June 2022 |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=25 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625012541/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/2002-gujarat-riots-supreme-court-rejects-zakia-jafris-charges-against-narendra-modi-60-officials/article65560012.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Later terms as chief minister ===
{{Main|2002 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election|2007 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election|2012 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election}}

Following the violence, calls for Modi to resign as chief minister were made from politicians within and outside the state, including leaders of [[Janata Dal (United)]] and the [[Telugu Desam Party]]—partners in the BJP-led [[National Democratic Alliance]] coalition—and opposition parties stalled Parliament over the issue.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/mar/03godhra.htm |title=Congress demands Modi's resignation over Bannerjee report |date=3 March 2006 |access-date=17 November 2007 |work=[[Rediff.com]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106060953/http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/mar/03godhra.htm |archive-date=6 January 2008 }}</ref> Modi submitted his resignation at the April 2002 BJP national executive meeting in Goa but it was not accepted.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/apr/12train.htm|title=BJP national exec rejects Modi's resignation|work=[[Rediff.com]]|date=12 April 2002|access-date=22 April 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303153818/http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/apr/12train.htm|archive-date=3 March 2014}}</ref> Despite opposition from the election commissioner, who said a number of voters were still displaced, Modi succeeded in advancing the election to December 2002.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2015-04-06">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Jaffrelot|first=Christophe|author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot|s2cid=145758627|title=Narendra Modi and the Power of Television in Gujarat|journal=Television & New Media|year=2015|doi=10.1177/1527476415575499|volume=16|issue=4|pages=346–353}}</ref> In the election, the BJP won 127 seats in the 182-member assembly.<ref name="ECI 2002">{{#invoke:cite|web|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/statisticalreports/SE_2002/StatReport_GUJ2002.pdf |title=Statistical Report on General Election, 2002 to the Legislative Assembly of Gujarat |publisher=[[Election Commission of India]] |access-date=12 April 2013 |page=228 |location=New Delhi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117040227/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_2002/StatReport_GUJ2002.pdf |archive-date=17 January 2012 }}</ref> Modi made significant use of [[anti-Muslim rhetoric]] during his campaign,<ref name="Jaffrelot 2016-05-09" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Brasted|first=Howard V.|title=Islam in World Politics|year=2005|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=978-0-415-32411-3|page=119|editor1-first=Nelly |editor1-last=Lahoud |editor2-first=A. H. |editor2-last=Johns}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Corbridge|first=Stuart|title=India Today: Economy, Politics and Society|year=2012|publisher=[[Polity Press]] |isbn=978-0-7456-6112-4|page=185|author2=John Harriss, Craig Jeffrey}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|pages=210–211 |title=Prospects For Peace in South Asia |editor1-first=Rafiq |editor1-last=Dossani |editor2-first=Henry S. |editor2-last=Rowen |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-8047-5085-1 |chapter=Hindu Nationalism and the BJP: Transforming Religion and Politics in India | first=Robert L. Jr. | last=Hardgrave}}</ref> and the BJP profited from religious polarisation among voters.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2015-04-06" /> Modi framed the criticism of his government for human rights violations as an attack upon Gujarati pride,<ref name="Bobbio">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Bobbio |first=Tommaso |date=1 May 2012 |title=Making Gujarat Vibrant: Hindutva, development and the rise of subnationalism in India |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1047619 |journal=Third World Quarterly |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=657–672 |doi=10.1080/01436597.2012.657423 |s2cid=154422056 |access-date=2 September 2019 |archive-date=1 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301151004/https://zenodo.org/record/1047619 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Jaffrelot 2016-05-09" /> a strategy that led to the BJP winning 127 of the 182<ref name="ECI 2002" /> seats—a two-thirds majority—in the state assembly.<ref name="Bobbio" /><ref name="Jaffrelot 2016-05-09" /> He won [[Maninagar Assembly constituency|Maninagar constituency]], defeating Congress candidate Yatin Oza.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Modi wins Maninagar seat by 75,333 votes|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Modi-wins-Maninagar-seat-by-75333-votes/articleshow/31344603.cms|access-date=16 October 2014|work=[[The Times of India]]|agency=TNN|date=15 December 2002|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023123523/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Modi-wins-Maninagar-seat-by-75333-votes/articleshow/31344603.cms|archive-date=23 October 2015}}</ref> On 22 December 2002, Modi was sworn in for a second term.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Narendra Modi sworn in as Gujarat CM|url=http://www.rediff.com/election/2002/dec/22guj.htm|access-date=16 October 2014|work=[[Rediff]]|date=22 December 2002|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924123214/http://www.rediff.com/election/2002/dec/22guj.htm|archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>

During Modi's second term, the government's rhetoric shifted from [[Hindutva]] to Gujarat's economic development.<ref name="Phadnis" /><ref name="Bobbio" /><ref name="Jaffrelot 2016-05-09">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Jaffrelot|first1=Christophe|author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot|date=9 May 2016|title=Narendra Modi Between Hindutva and Subnationalism: The Gujarati Asmita of a Hindu Hriday Samrat|url=https://carnegieendowment.org/2016/05/09/narendra-modi-between-hindutva-and-subnationalism-gujarati-asmita-of-hindu-hriday-samrat-pub-66446|journal=India Review|volume=15|issue=2|pages=196–217|doi=10.1080/14736489.2016.1165557|via=|s2cid=156137272|access-date=20 January 2021|archive-date=17 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217075505/https://carnegieendowment.org/2016/05/09/narendra-modi-between-hindutva-and-subnationalism-gujarati-asmita-of-hindu-hriday-samrat-pub-66446|url-status=live}}</ref> He curtailed the influence of [[Sangh Parivar]] organisations such as [[Bharatiya Kisan Sangh]] (BKS) and [[Vishva Hindu Parishad]] (VHP).<ref name="Umat">{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Umat|first=Ajay|date=9 February 2013|title=Once Hindutva twins, Narendra Modi and Pravin Togadia no longer conjoined|work=[[The Times of India]]|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Once-Hindutva-twins-Narendra-Modi-and-PravinTogadia-no-longer-conjoined/articleshow/18410549.cms?referral=PM|url-status=live|access-date=11 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023123500/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Once-Hindutva-twins-Narendra-Modi-and-PravinTogadia-no-longer-conjoined/articleshow/18410549.cms?referral=PM|archive-date=23 October 2015}}</ref> When the BKS staged a farmers' demonstration, Modi ordered the BKS's eviction from state-provided houses, and his decision to demolish 200 illegal temples in [[Gandhinagar]] deepened the rift with the VHP.<ref name="Umat" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-religious-leaders-demand-rebuilding-of-temples-1209291 |title=Religious leaders demand rebuilding of temples |work=[[DNA India]] |date=25 November 2008 |agency=[[Press Trust of India]] |access-date=12 April 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111232520/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-religious-leaders-demand-rebuilding-of-temples-1209291 |archive-date=11 November 2013 }}</ref> Modi retained connections with some Hindu nationalists. He wrote a foreword to a 2014 textbook by [[Dinanath Batra]], which made the unscientific claim that ancient India possessed technologies including [[test-tube babies]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Anuradha|last=Raman|title=Test-Tubes in Hastinapur |newspaper=[[Outlook India]] |date=11 August 2014 |access-date=28 September 2014 |url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article/TestTubes-In-Hastinapur/291554 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141003180314/http://www.outlookindia.com/article/TestTubes-In-Hastinapur/291554 |archive-date=3 October 2014 }}</ref><ref name="Manor" />

Modi's relationship with Muslims continued to attract criticism. Prime Minister [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] distanced himself, reaching out to North Indian Muslims before the [[2004 Indian general election]], following which, Vajpayee called the violence in Gujarat a reason for the BJP's electoral defeat and said it had been a mistake to leave Modi in office after the riots.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|last1=Tellis|first1=Ashley J.|last2=Wills|first2=Michael|title=Domestic political change and grand strategy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oNvb4RBmZQUC&pg=PA193|date=September 2007|publisher=[[National Bureau of Asian Research]]|isbn=978-0-9713938-8-2|pages=193–4|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106133029/https://books.google.com/books?id=oNvb4RBmZQUC&pg=PA193|archive-date=6 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Yogendra|first=Kanwar|date=13 June 2004|title=Not removing Modi was a mistake, says Vajpayee|work=[[The Hindu]]|location=Chennai, India|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2004/06/14/stories/2004061411630100.htm|access-date=2 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106133029/http://www.thehindu.com/2004/06/14/stories/2004061411630100.htm|archive-date=6 January 2016}}</ref> Western nations also raised questions about Modi's relationship with Muslims: the US [[United States Department of State|State Department]] barred him from entering the United States in accordance with the recommendations of that country's [[United States Commission on International Religious Freedom|Commission on International Religious Freedom]],<ref name="Mann" /><ref name="Times of India 2005-03-18">{{#invoke:cite|news|date=18 March 2005|title=No entry for Modi into US: visa denied|work=[[The Times of India]]|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-entry-for-Modi-into-US-visa-denied/articleshow/1055543.cms|url-status=live|access-date=15 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913024227/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-entry-for-Modi-into-US-visa-denied/articleshow/1055543.cms|archive-date=13 September 2014}}</ref> the only person to be [[List of people banned from entering the United States|denied a US visa]] under this law.<ref name="Mann">{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Mann|first1=James|title=Why Narendra Modi Was Banned From the U.S.|url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303380004579520041301275638|date=2 May 2014|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=3 June 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215181710/http://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303380004579520041301275638|archive-date=15 December 2014|issn=0099-9660}}</ref> The UK and the [[European Union]] (EU) refused to admit Modi because of what they saw as his role in the riots. As Modi rose to prominence in India, the UK<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Burke|first=Jason|author-link=Jason Burke|date=22 October 2012|title=UK government ends boycott of Narendra Modi|work=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/oct/22/uk-ends-boycott-narendra-modi|url-status=live|access-date=12 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914031502/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/oct/22/uk-ends-boycott-narendra-modi|archive-date=14 September 2013}}</ref> and the EU<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=6 March 2013|title=Germany delinks Narendra Modi's image from human rights issues|work=|publisher=[[NDTV]]|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/germany-delinks-narendra-modi-s-image-from-human-rights-issues-338646|url-status=live|access-date=6 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308142057/http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/germany-delinks-narendra-modi-s-image-from-human-rights-issues-338646|archive-date=8 March 2013}}</ref> lifted their bans in October 2012 and March 2013, respectively, and after his election as prime minister in 2014, the US lifted its ban and invited him to [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/16/readout-president-s-call-prime-ministerial-candidate-narendra-modi-india|title=Readout of the President's Call with Prime Ministerial Candidate Narendra Modi of India|date=16 May 2014|access-date=14 June 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216153654/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/16/readout-president-s-call-prime-ministerial-candidate-narendra-modi-india|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|archive-date=16 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Cassidy|first=John|title=What Does Modi's Victory Mean for the World?|url=http://www.newyorker.com/rational-irrationality/what-does-modis-victory-mean-for-the-world|newspaper=[[The New Yorker]]|date=16 May 2014|access-date=21 May 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924070852/http://www.newyorker.com/rational-irrationality/what-does-modis-victory-mean-for-the-world|archive-date=24 September 2014}}</ref>

[[File:The Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Narendra Modi calls on the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on June 30, 2004.jpg|thumb|Modi meeting with then-[[Prime Minister of India|prime minister of India]] [[Manmohan Singh]] in 2004]]

During the run-up to the [[2007 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election]] and the [[2009 Indian general election]], the BJP intensified its rhetoric on terrorism.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Naqvi|first=Saba|date=22 December 2008|title=When fear didn't enter the booth|pages=26–28|work=[[Outlook India]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TDEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32|url-status=live|access-date=11 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103042837/http://books.google.com/books?id=TDEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32|archive-date=3 January 2014}}</ref> Modi criticised Prime Minister [[Manmohan Singh]] "for his reluctance to revive anti-terror legislation" such as the 2002 [[Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002|Prevention of Terrorism Act]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060719/asp/nation/story_6496620.asp |title=Mahatma on lips, Modi fights Centre |work=[[The Telegraph (India)|The Telegraph]] |location=Kolkata, India |date=19 July 2006 |access-date=9 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611064943/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060719/asp/nation/story_6496620.asp |archive-date=11 June 2008 }}</ref> In 2007, Modi wrote ''Karmayog'', a 101-page booklet discussing manual scavenging. In it, he said scavenging is a "spiritual experience" for [[Valmiki caste|Valmiks]], a sub-caste of [[Dalit]]s.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Shah|first=Rajiv|author-link=Rajiv Shah|date=24 November 2007|title='Karmayogi' swears by caste order 'Scavenging A Spiritual Experience For Valmiks'|url=http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JQS8yMDA3LzExLzI0I0FyMDA3MDA%3D|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208073404/http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JQS8yMDA3LzExLzI0I0FyMDA3MDA%3D|archive-date=8 February 2017|access-date=17 February 2017|work=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=23 April 2014|title=Narendra Modi is 'anti-Dalit': Congress|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-narendra-modi-is-anti-dalit-congress-1981434|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215205905/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-narendra-modi-is-anti-dalit-congress-1981434|archive-date=15 February 2017|access-date=17 February 2017|website=[[Zee News|DNA]]}}</ref> The book was not circulated at that time because of the [[Model Code of Conduct|election code of conduct]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Gupta|first=Smita|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/modi-biased-against-dalits/article5913200.ece|title=Modi against dalits|date=15 April 2014|access-date=17 February 2017|work=[[The Hindu]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607013306/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/modi-biased-against-dalits/article5913200.ece|archive-date=7 June 2014}}</ref> After the November [[2008 Mumbai attacks]], the Gujarat government authorised the deployment of 30 high-speed boats for coastal surveillance.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=28 November 2008|title=Modi wants 3-layer ring to secure coast|work=[[The Times of India]]|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/Modi_wants_3-layer_ring_to_secure_coast/articleshow/3766781.cms|url-status=live|access-date=17 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723235701/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/Modi_wants_3-layer_ring_to_secure_coast/articleshow/3766781.cms|archive-date=23 July 2013}}</ref> In July 2007, Modi completed 2,063 consecutive days as chief minister of Gujarat, making him the longest-serving holder of that post.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=20 December 2012|title=Narendra Modi wins Maninagar by 70,000 votes|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Specials/Coverage/Gujarat-Assembly-Elections-2012/Chunk-HT-UI-GujaratAssemblyElections2012-TopStories/Narendra-Modi-wins-Maninagar-by-70-000-votes/SP-Article10-976853.aspx|access-date=17 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207150752/http://www.hindustantimes.com/specials/coverage/gujarat-assembly-elections-2012/chunk-ht-ui-gujaratassemblyelections2012-topstories/narendra-modi-wins-maninagar-by-70-000-votes/sp-article10-976853.aspx|archive-date=7 December 2013}}</ref> The BJP won 122 of 182 state-assembly seats in that year's election.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=14 September 2009|title=BJP adds 5 seats in Gujarat Assembly by-polls|work=[[Deccan Herald]]|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/25090/banner-300x250.swf|url-status=live|access-date=17 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516141234/http://www.deccanherald.com/content/25090/banner-300x250.swf|archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref>

Despite the BJP's shift away from explicit Hindutva, Modi's campaigns in [[2007 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election|2007]] and [[2012 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election|2012]] Gujarat Legislative Assembly elections contained elements of Hindu nationalism. He attended only Hindu religious ceremonies and had prominent associations with Hindu religious leaders. During his 2012 campaign, Modi twice refused to wear [[Taqiyah (cap)|skullcap]] gifted by Muslim leaders.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2016-05-09" /> He did, however, maintain relations with [[Dawoodi Bohra]].<ref name="Jaffrelot 2016-05-09" /> Modi's 2012 campaign included references to issues known to cause religious polarisation, including [[Afzal Guru]] and the [[death of Sohrabuddin Sheikh]]. The BJP did not nominate any Muslim candidates for the 2012 assembly election.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2016-05-09" /> During the 2012 campaign, Modi attempted to identify himself with the state of Gujarat, a strategy similar to that used by Indira Gandhi during the Emergency, and projected himself as protecting Gujarat against persecution by the rest of India.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2016-05-09" /> While campaigning for the 2012 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election, Modi made extensive use of holograms and other technologies, allowing him to reach a large number of people,<ref name="Jaffrelot 2015-04-06" /> something he repeated in the 2014 general election. Modi won the constituency of Maninagar, defeating Shweta Bhatt of the INC.<ref name="NDTV 2012-12-20">{{#invoke:cite|news|publisher=[[NDTV]] |title=Big win for Narendra Modi, defeats Shweta Bhatt by huge margin |agency=[[Press Trust of India]] |date=20 December 2012 |access-date=5 September 2021 |url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/assembly-polls/big-win-for-narendra-modi-defeats-shweta-bhatt-by-huge-margin-307772anan}}</ref> The BJP won 115 of the 182 seats, continuing its majority during his tenure.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|page=198 |title=Pogrom in Gujarat: Hindu Nationalism and Anti-Muslim Violence in India |first=Parvis |last=Ghassem-Fachandi |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-691-15177-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p5s8hooZfekC&pg=PA198 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106133029/https://books.google.com/books?id=p5s8hooZfekC&pg=PA198 |archive-date=6 January 2016 }}</ref> After [[2014 Indian general election|his election as Prime Minister of India]], Modi resigned as the Gujarat chief minister and as MLA for Maninagar. [[Anandiben Patel]] succeeded Modi as chief minister.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/narendra-modi-farewell-gujarat-chief-minister-anandiben-patel/1/362827.html|title=Anandiben Patel named new Gujarat chief minister|work=[[India Today]]|date=21 May 2014|access-date=1 October 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006112948/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/narendra-modi-farewell-gujarat-chief-minister-anandiben-patel/1/362827.html|archive-date=6 October 2014}}</ref>

=== Development projects ===
[[File:Sardar Sarovar Dam 2006, India.jpg|thumb |The [[Sardar Sarovar Dam]] during a 2006 height increase]]

As chief minister, Modi favoured privatisation and [[small government]], which was at odds with the philosophy of the RSS, which is usually described as anti-privatisation and anti-globalisation. Modi's policies during his second term have been credited with reducing corruption in Gujarat. He established financial and technology parks in the state and during the 2007 [[Vibrant Gujarat]] summit, real-estate investment deals worth {{INRConvert |6.6 |t |year=2007}} were signed.<ref name="Phadnis" />

The governments led by Patel and Modi supported NGOs and communities in the creation of large scale groundwater-conservation projects, which commentators credited with helping about half of the [[tehsil]]s with depleted groundwater recharge their aquifers.{{efn|By December 2008, 500,000 structures had been built, of which 113,738 were [[check dam]]s, which helped recharge the aquifers beneath them.<ref name="Shah 2011">{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Shah |first=Tushaar |title=Business Standard India 2011 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ba0XAU9Q-A0C&pg=PA197 |year=2011 |publisher=Business Standard Books |isbn=978-93-80740-04-1 |pages=195–199 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106133029/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ba0XAU9Q-A0C&pg=PA197 |archive-date=6 January 2016}}</ref> Sixty of the 112 [[tehsil]]s which had depleted the [[water table]] in 2004 had regained their normal groundwater levels by 2010.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/a-green-rising/1/100211.html |title=A green rising |work=[[India Today]] |date=4 June 2010 |access-date=12 April 2013 |last=Mahurkar |first=Uday |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130411085152/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/a-green-rising/1/100211.html |archive-date=11 April 2013 }}</ref>}} As a result, the state's production of [[Bt cotton|genetically modified cotton]] increased to become the largest in India.<ref name="Shah 2011" /> The boom in cotton production and its semi-arid land use<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/gujarat-maharashtra-record-highest-growth-in-farm-sector/article2221709.ece |title=Gujarat, Maharashtra record highest growth in farm sector |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=12 July 2011 |access-date=12 April 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801034125/http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/gujarat-maharashtra-record-highest-growth-in-farm-sector/article2221709.ece |archive-date=1 August 2013 }}</ref> led to Gujarat's agricultural sector growing at an average rate of 9.6 per cent from 2001 to 2007.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Shah |first1=Tushaar |last2=Gulati |first2=Ashok |last3=Hemant |first3=P. |last4=Shreedhar |first4=Ganga |last5=Jain |first5=R. C. |jstor=25663939 |url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2009/52/review-agriculture-review-issues-specials/secret-gujarats-agrarian-miracle-after |title=Secret of Gujarat's Agrarian Miracle after 2000 |journal=[[Economic and Political Weekly]] |date=26 December 2009 |volume=44 |issue=52 |pages=45–55 |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905144959/https://www.epw.in/journal/2009/52/review-agriculture-review-issues-specials/secret-gujarats-agrarian-miracle-after |url-status=live }}{{subscription required}}</ref> Public irrigation measures in central and southern Gujarat, such as the [[Sardar Sarovar Dam]], were less successful. The Sardar Sarovar project irrigated only 4–6% of the area intended.<ref name="Shah 2011" /> In 2008, Modi offered land in Gujarat to [[Tata Motors]] to set up a plant manufacturing the [[Nano (car)|Nano]] car after popular agitation had forced the [[Tata Nano Singur controversy|company to move out of West Bengal]]. Following Tata, several other companies relocated to Gujarat.<ref name="Schöttli" />

The Modi government finished the process of taking electricity to every village in Gujarat its predecessor had almost completed.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Mishra |first=Mayank |title=Did Narendra Modi make Gujarat Vibrant? |url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/did-narendra-modi-make-gujarat-vibrant-113072000740_1.html |access-date=29 April 2014 |newspaper=[[Business Standard]] |date=20 July 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140420180153/http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/did-narendra-modi-make-gujarat-vibrant-113072000740_1.html |archive-date=20 April 2014}}</ref> Modi significantly changed the state's system of power distribution, greatly impacting farmers. Gujarat expanded the [[Jyotigram Yojana]] scheme, in which agricultural electricity was separated from other rural electricity; the agricultural electricity was rationed to fit scheduled irrigation demands, reducing its cost. Early protests by farmers ended when those who benefitted found their electricity supply had stabilised<ref name="Shah 2011" /> but, according to an assessment study, corporations and large farmers benefited from the policy at the expense of small farmers and labourers.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Shah |first1=Tushaar |last2=Verma |first2=Shilp |url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2008/07/special-articles/co-management-electricity-and-groundwater-assessment-gujarats |title=Co-Management of Electricity and Groundwater: An Assessment of Gujarat's Jyotirgram Scheme |journal=[[Economic and Political Weekly]] |date=16 February 2008 |volume=43 |issue=7 |pages=59–66 |jstor=40277613 |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905150356/https://www.epw.in/journal/2008/07/special-articles/co-management-electricity-and-groundwater-assessment-gujarats |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Development debate ===
A contentious debate surrounds the assessment of Gujarat's economic development during Modi's tenure as chief minister.<ref name="Basu" /> The state's [[Gross Domestic Product]] (GDP) growth rate averaged 10% during his tenure, similar to other highly industrialised states, and above that of the country.<ref name="Schöttli">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Schöttli |first1=Jivanta |last2=Pauli |first2=Markus |s2cid=155579981 |title=Modi-nomics and the politics of institutional change in the Indian economy |journal=Journal of Asian Public Policy |year=2016 |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=154–169 |doi=10.1080/17516234.2016.1165332 |url=http://doras.dcu.ie/24337/ |access-date=10 May 2020 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225204014/http://doras.dcu.ie/24337/ }}</ref> Gujarat saw strong economic growth before Modi took office; some scholars state that growth did not accelerate during his tenure.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Ghatak |first1=Maitreesh |last2=Roy |first2=Sanchari |url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2014/15/commentary/did-gujarats-growth-rate-accelerate-under-modi.html |title=Did Gujarat's Growth Rate Accelerate under Modi? |journal=[[Economic and Political Weekly]] |date=12 April 2014 |volume=49 |issue=15 |pages=12–15 |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905150102/https://www.epw.in/journal/2014/15/commentary/did-gujarats-growth-rate-accelerate-under-modi.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Under Modi, Gujarat performed well on measures of ease of doing business.{{efn|Under Modi, Gujarat topped the [[World Bank]]'s "ease of doing business" rankings among Indian states for two consecutive years.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Gujarat tops ease of doing business ranking among states – The Economic Times on Mobile |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/gujarat-tops-ease-of-doing-business-ranking-among-states/articleshow/48964454.cms?from=mdr |access-date=16 September 2015 |newspaper=[[The Economic Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405025858/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/gujarat-tops-ease-of-doing-business-ranking-among-states/articleshow/48964454.cms?from=mdr |archive-date=5 April 2016 |url-status=live  |date=15 September 2015}}</ref> In 2013, a report measuring governance, growth, citizens' rights, and labour and business regulation among the country's 20 largest states, ranked Gujarat first among Indian states for "economic freedom".<ref name="Schöttli" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Gujarat tops list of economically-free states |url=http://m.hindustantimes.com/india-news/gujarat-top-ranked-state-in-terms-of-economic-freedom-study/article1-1196878.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319072718/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/gujarat-top-ranked-state-in-terms-of-economic-freedom-study/article1-1196878.aspx |website=[[hindustantimes.com]] |date=19 March 2014 |archive-date=19 March 2014 |access-date=16 September 2015 }}</ref>}} Tax breaks and land for businesses were easier to obtain in Gujarat than in other states. Modi's policies of making Gujarat attractive for investment included the creation of [[Special Economic Zones]] in which labour laws were greatly weakened.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2016-05-09" /> In the later years of Modi's government, Gujarat's economic growth was frequently used as an argument to counter allegations of communalism.<ref name="Bobbio" />

Despite its growth rate, Gujarat had a relatively poor record on human development, poverty relief, nutrition and education during Modi's tenure. Gujarat was ranked poorly within the country on education, and was reported to have a poor record of [[immunisation]] of children.{{efn|In 2013, Gujarat ranked 13th in India with respect to rates of poverty, and 21st in education. Nearly 45 per cent of children under five were underweight and 23 per cent were undernourished, putting the state in the "alarming" category on the [[India State Hunger Index]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Shah |first=Ghanshyam |s2cid=155022285 |title=Politics of Governance: A Study of Gujarat |journal=[[Studies in Indian Politics]] |volume=1 |issue=1 |date=June 2013 |pages=65–77 |doi=10.1177/2321023013482788}} {{subscription required}}</ref><ref name="Harriss" /> A study by [[UNICEF]] and the Indian government found Gujarat under Modi had a poor record in [[immunisation]] of children.<ref name="Economist 2015-06-27">{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Sparing Mr Modi's blushes |url=https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21656239-missing-data-should-embarrass-prime-minister-sparing-mr-modis-blushes |access-date=9 November 2016 |date=27 June 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130055250/http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21656239-missing-data-should-embarrass-prime-minister-sparing-mr-modis-blushes |archive-date=30 January 2017 |newspaper=[[The Economist]]}}</ref>}} Under much of Modi's tenure Gujarat did not significantly change its rank among Indian states with respect to poverty, female literacy, or [[infant mortality]].{{efn|From 2001 to 2011, Gujarat did not change its position relative to the rest of the country with respect to poverty and female literacy, remaining near the median of the 29 Indian states.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2016-01-16" /> It showed a marginal improvement in rates of infant mortality and its position with respect to individual consumption declined.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2016-01-16" /> The quality of education in government schools in Gujarat ranked below that of many Indian states.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2016-01-16" />}} The state government's social policies generally did not benefit Muslims, [[Dalit]]s and [[Adivasi]]s, and generally increased social inequalities.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2016-01-16" /> Development in Gujarat was generally limited to the urban middle class, and citizens in rural areas and those from lower castes were increasingly marginalised.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2013-06">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Jaffrelot |first=Christophe |s2cid=154404089 |author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot |title=Gujarat Elections: The Sub-Text of Modi's 'Hattrick'—High Tech Populism and the 'Neo-middle Class' |journal=[[Studies in Indian Politics]] |volume=1 |issue=1 |date=June 2013 |pages=79–95 |doi= 10.1177/2321023013482789 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270671263 |access-date=29 August 2021}}</ref> Under Modi, the state government spent less than the national average on education and healthcare.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2016-01-16" />

== Premiership campaigns ==
=== 2014 Indian general election ===
{{Main|Bharatiya Janata Party campaign for the 2014 Indian general election}}

[[File:Narendra Modi hands over his resignation as Maninagar MLA to the Speaker of the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha.jpg|thumb|Narendra Modi hands over his resignation as [[Maninagar (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Maninagar]] MLA to the Speaker of the [[Gujarat Vidhan Sabha]] Vajubhai Vala. Chief Minister of Gujarat Anandiben Patel also seen in image.]]
{{external media |video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgeKLJuJMp8 BJP announces Shri Narendra Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate for Loksabha Elections.] Bharatiya Janata Party on [[YouTube]], 13 September 2013}}
On 12 September 2013, Modi was named the BJP's candidate for prime minister ahead of the [[2014 Lok Sabha election]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 September 2013 |title=India polls: Narendra Modi revealed as BJP's PM candidate |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24080193 |access-date=19 May 2024 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=13 September 2013 |title=The rise and rise of Narendra Modi |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/featured/story/narendra-modi-modi-as-pm-bjp-gujarat-210885-2013-09-12 |access-date=23 May 2024 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Chhibber" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bjp-announces-modi-as-prime-ministerial-candidate/article5124375.ece |title=BJP announces Modi as prime ministerial candidate |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=14 September 2013 |location=Chennai, India |first=B. Muralidhar |last=Reddy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017133715/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bjp-announces-modi-as-prime-ministerial-candidate/article5124375.ece |archive-date=17 October 2013}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Chintamani |first=Gautam |date=26 August 2019 |title=Modi was BJP's PM choice because Rajnath Singh made sure of it |url=https://theprint.in/pageturner/excerpt/modi-was-bjps-pm-choice-because-rajnath-singh-made-sure-of-it/282075/ |access-date=19 May 2024 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first= |date=12 September 2013 |title=Announcement of Shri Narendra Modi as BJP's Prime Minister candidate for upcoming Lok Sabha Election on September 12, 2013 |url=https://www.bjp.org/photo-gallery/announcement-shri-narendra-modi-bjps-prime-minister-candidate-upcoming-lok-sabha |website=Bharatiya Janata Party}}</ref> According to [[Ram Madhav]], Modi "enjoyed the support of the people who wanted change"<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 September 2013 |title=Narendra Modi as PM candidate: RSS conveys its choice to BJP |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/latest-news/narendra-modi-as-pm-candidate-rss-conveys-its-choice-to-bjp/ |access-date=19 May 2024 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> Several BJP leaders,<ref name="Jaffrelot 2015-06">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Jaffrelot |first1=Christophe |author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot |year=2015 |title=The Modi-centric BJP 2014 election campaign: new techniques and old tactics |url=https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/the-modicentric-bjp-2014-election-campaign-new-techniques-and-old-tactics(04c598b8-4a4b-49ae-a08b-e4863265a717).html |journal=Contemporary South Asia |volume=23 |issue=2 |pages=151–166 |doi=10.1080/09584935.2015.1027662 |via= |s2cid=142912068 |access-date=20 January 2021 |archive-date=16 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016155141/https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/the-modicentric-bjp-2014-election-campaign-new-techniques-and-old-tactics(04c598b8-4a4b-49ae-a08b-e4863265a717).html |url-status=live }}</ref> including BJP founding member L. K. Advani who cited concern with leaders who were "concerned with their personal agendas", expressed opposition to Modi's candidature.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Advani-grabs-lifeline-meekly-withdraws-resignation/articleshow/20546245.cms?referral=PM |title=Advani grabs lifeline, meekly withdraws resignation |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=12 June 2013 |access-date=15 August 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013054344/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Advani-grabs-lifeline-meekly-withdraws-resignation/articleshow/20546245.cms?referral=PM |archive-date=13 October 2014}}</ref> Modi played a dominant role in the BJP's 2009 general election campaign.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Srivastava |first1=Ritesh K. |title=Election 2009 dissected: How parties cut the vote pie |url=http://zeenews.india.com/home/election-2009-dissected-how-parties-cut-the-vote-pie_532875.html |work=[[Zee News]] |date=30 August 2011 |access-date=4 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606222425/http://zeenews.india.com/home/election-2009-dissected-how-parties-cut-the-vote-pie_532875.html |archive-date=6 June 2014}}</ref><ref name="Chakravartty" /> Although initially Swaraj endorsed Modi as prime minister, she later opposed declaring the candidature of Modi as it could be too early.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shah |first=Amita |date=6 September 2013 |title=Don't declare Narendra Modi as PM immediately: Sushma Swaraj |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/dont-declare-narendra-modi-as-pm-immediately-sushma-swaraj/articleshow/22350151.cms?from=mdr |access-date=19 May 2024 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389}}</ref> However, despite all the resistance, Rajnath Singh managed to pursue a lot of leaders and ensure that Modi becomes the official PM candidate of BJP.<ref name=":0" /> Several people who voted for the BJP stated they would have voted for another party if Modi had not been the prime-ministerial candidate.<ref name="Chhibber">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Chhibber |first1=Pradeep K. |last2=Ostermann |first2=Susan L. |year=2014 |title=The BJP's Fragile Mandate: Modi and Vote Mobilizers in the 2014 General Elections |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2321023014551870 |journal=[[Studies in Indian Politics]] |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=137–151 |doi=10.1177/2321023014551870 |issn=0958-4935 |via= |s2cid=155080682 |access-date=20 January 2021 |archive-date=19 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019164442/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2321023014551870 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Chacko" /><ref name="Srivastava">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Srivastava |first1=Sanjay |s2cid=145367170 |title=Modi-Masculinity: Media, Manhood, and "Traditions" in a Time of Consumerism |journal=Television & New Media |date=April 2015 |volume=16 |issue=4 |doi=10.1177/1527476415575498 |pages=331–338}}</ref> The focus on Modi as an individual was unusual for a BJP election campaign.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2015-06" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Narayan |first1=Badri |date=17 May 2014 |title=Modi's Modus Operandi in the 2014 Elections |url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2014/20/commentary/modis-modus-operandi-2014-elections.html |journal=[[Economic & Political Weekly]] |volume=49 |issue=20 |pages=12–14 |access-date=19 January 2021 |archive-date=16 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016160652/https://www.epw.in/journal/2014/20/commentary/modis-modus-operandi-2014-elections.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The election was described as a referendum on Narendra Modi.<ref name="Basu">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Basu |first1=Dipankar |last2=Misra |first2=Kartik |date=June 2014 |title=BJP's Demographic Dividend in the 2014 General Elections: An Empirical Analysis |url=https://www.econstor.eu/handle/10419/105783 |journal=Economics Department Working Paper Series Via EconStor |volume= |pages= |via= |access-date=20 January 2021 |archive-date=16 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016155141/https://www.econstor.eu/handle/10419/105783 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Narendra Modi meets his mother after winning the 2014 elections.jpg|thumb |Modi meets his mother after winning the [[2014 Indian general election]].]]

During the campaign, Modi focused on corruption scandals under the previous Congress government, and played on his image as a politician who had created a high rate of GDP growth in Gujarat.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2015-06" /> He projected himself as a person who could bring about "development" without focusing on specific policies.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2015-06" /> His message found support among young and middle-class people. The BJP under Modi was able to downplay concerns about the protection of religious minorities and Modi's commitment to secularism, areas in which he had previously received criticism.<ref name="Chakravartty" /> Prior to the election, Modi's media image had centred around his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots but during the campaign, the BJP focused on Modi's [[neoliberalism|neoliberal]] ideology and the Gujarat model of development.<ref name="Chakravartty" /> The BJP sought to identify itself with political leaders who publicly opposed [[Hindu nationalism]], including [[B. R. Ambedkar]], [[Subhas Chandra Bose]] and [[Ram Manohar Lohia]].<ref name="Manor" /> Hindutva remained a part of the campaign; BJP leaders used Hindutva-based rhetoric in several states.<ref name="Palshikar">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Palshikar |first1=Suhas |s2cid=147143160 |title=The BJP and Hindu Nationalism: Centrist Politics and Majoritarian Impulses |journal=Journal of South Asian Studies |year=2015 |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=719–735 |doi=10.1080/00856401.2015.1089460}}</ref><ref name="Jaffrelot 2015-06" /><ref name="Chacko" /><ref name="Ganguly 2014-10">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Ganguly |first1=Sumit |s2cid=154421269 |title=India's Watershed Vote: The Risks Ahead |journal=[[Journal of Democracy]] |date=October 2014 |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=56–60 |doi=10.1353/jod.2014.0077 }}</ref> Communal tensions were played upon, especially in Uttar Pradesh and [[Northeast India]].<ref name="Palshikar" /> A proposal for the controversial [[Uniform Civil Code]] was a part of the BJP's election manifesto.<ref name="Ganguly 2014-10" />
The BJP's campaign was assisted by its wide influence in the media.<ref name="Harriss">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Harriss |first1=John |s2cid=147615034 |title=Hindu Nationalism in Action: The Bharatiya Janata Party and Indian Politics |journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies |year=2015 |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=711–718 |doi=10.1080/00856401.2015.1089826 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1230188 |doi-access=free |access-date=9 September 2019 |archive-date=28 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328173823/https://zenodo.org/records/1230188 |url-status=live }}</ref> Modi's campaign blitz cost around {{INRConvert |50 |b}}<ref name="Basu" /> and the BJP received extensive financial support from corporate donors.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=BJP, top choice of corporate donors in 2014–15 |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/bjp-top-choice-of-corporate-donors-in-2014-15/article62320031.ece |date=7 December 2015 |work=[[Business Line]] |access-date=3 March 2022 |language=en |archive-date=3 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303111543/https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/bjp-top-choice-of-corporate-donors-in-2014-15/article62320031.ece |url-status=live }}</ref> Modi made extensive use of social media<ref name="Basu" /><ref name="Jaffrelot 2015-06" /> and addressed more than 1,000 rallies via hologram appearances.<ref name="Ganguly 2014-10" />

The BJP won 31 per cent of the vote,<ref name="Stepan" /> and more-than-doubled its number of seats in the Lok Sabha to 282, becoming the first party to win a majority of seats on its own since [[1984 Indian general election|1984]].<ref name="Chakravartty">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Chakravartty |first1=Paula |last2=Roy |first2=Srirupa |year=2015 |title=Mr. Modi Goes to Delhi: Mediated Populism and the 2014 Indian Elections |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1527476415573957 |journal=Television & New Media |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=311–322 |doi=10.1177/1527476415573957 |via= |s2cid=145151089 |access-date=20 January 2021 |archive-date=24 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024105653/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1527476415573957 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Chacko" /> Voter dissatisfaction with the Congress and with regional parties in North India, and support from the RSS were reasons for the BJP's success.<ref name="Chacko" /><ref name="Jaffrelot 2015-06" /> In states such as Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP performed well, it drew exceptionally high support from upper-caste Hindus, and its Muslim vote increased to 10 per cent. The BJP performed particularly well in parts of the country that had recently experienced violence between Hindus and Muslims.<ref name="Chacko" /> The magnitude of the BJP's victory led many commentators to say the election constituted a political realignment away from [[progressivism|progressive parties]] towards the right-wing.<ref name="Ganguly 2014-10" /><ref name="Basu" /><ref name="Chacko">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Chacko |first1=Priya |last2=Mayer |first2=Peter |title=The 'Modi lahar [wave]' in the 2014 Indian national election: A critical realignment? |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10361146.2014.937392 |journal=Australian Journal of Political Science |year=2014 |volume=49 |issue=3 |pages=518–528 |doi=10.1080/10361146.2014.937392 |s2cid=154806289 |access-date=19 January 2021 |archive-date=24 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024082124/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10361146.2014.937392 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Sridharan |first1=Eswaran |s2cid=154421269 |title=India's Watershed Vote: Behind Modi's Victory |journal=[[Journal of Democracy]] |date=October 2014 |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=20–23 |doi=10.1353/jod.2014.0068 |url=https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/indias-watershed-vote-behind-modis-victory/ |access-date=30 August 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905175242/https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/indias-watershed-vote-behind-modis-victory/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Palshikar |first1=Suhas |last2=Suri |first2=K. C. |url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2014/39/national-election-study-2014-special-issues/indias-2014-lok-sabha-elections.html |title=India's 2014 Lok Sabha elections: Critical shifts in the long term, caution in the short term |journal=[[Economic and Political Weekly]] |year=2014 |volume=49 |pages=39–76 |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905173504/https://www.epw.in/journal/2014/39/national-election-study-2014-special-issues/indias-2014-lok-sabha-elections.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Modi's tweet announcing his victory was described as being emblematic of the political realignment away from a secular, socialist state towards capitalism and Hindu cultural nationalism.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Kaur |first1=Ravinder |s2cid=53451635 |title=Good Times, Brought to you by Brand Modi |journal=Television & New Media Via University of Copenhagen |year=2015 |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=323–330 |doi=10.1177/1527476415575492 |url=https://curis.ku.dk/ws/files/137464936/Good_Times_Brand_Modi_TVNM.pdf |type=Submitted manuscript |access-date=4 November 2018 |archive-date=27 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190127094607/https://curis.ku.dk/ws/files/137464936/Good_Times_Brand_Modi_TVNM.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Modi is the first Indian PM to be born after [[Independence Day (India)|the country's independence]] from the [[British Empire]] in 1947.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Home/Lok-Sabha-Elections-2014/News/Narendra-Modi-appointed-Prime-Minister-swearing-in-on-May-26/articleshow/35388297.cms|title=Narendra Modi appointed Prime Minister, swearing in on May 26|date=20 May 2014|work=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=21 May 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520183449/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/lok-sabha-elections-2014/news/Narendra-Modi-appointed-Prime-Minister-swearing-in-on-May-26/articleshow/35388297.cms|archive-date=20 May 2014}}</ref>

Modi was a candidate for the Lok Sabha constituencies [[Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency|Varanasi]] and [[Vadodara (Lok Sabha constituency)|Vadodara]].<ref name="NDTV 2014-04-09">{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.ndtv.com/elections/article/election-2014/narendra-modi-files-nomination-in-vadodara-after-grand-roadshow-506183 |title=Narendra Modi files nomination in Vadodara after grand roadshow |publisher=[[NDTV]] |date=9 April 2014 |access-date=17 April 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416204113/http://www.ndtv.com/elections/article/election-2014/narendra-modi-files-nomination-in-vadodara-after-grand-roadshow-506183 |archive-date=16 April 2014}}</ref> He won in both constituencies, defeating [[Aam Aadmi Party]] leader [[Arvind Kejriwal]] in Varanasi by 371,784 votes and [[Madhusudan Mistry]] of the Congress in Vadodara by 570,128 votes.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/modi-s-vadodara-victory-margin-not-highest-ever-114051601712_1.html |title=Modi's Vadodara victory margin not highest-ever |work=[[Business Standard]] |date=16 May 2014 |access-date=17 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412130937/http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/modi-s-vadodara-victory-margin-not-highest-ever-114051601712_1.html |archive-date=12 April 2017}}</ref> India's president appointed Modi, who was unanimously elected leader of the BJP, Prime Minister of India.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=President appoints Narendra Modi as Prime Minister, Oath taking ceremony on May 26 |url=http://presidentofindia.nic.in/pr200514.html |publisher=[[Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi|Rashtrapati Bhavan]] via [[National Informatics Centre]] |date=20 May 2014 |access-date=26 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521032033/http://presidentofindia.nic.in/pr200514.html |archive-date=21 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Narendra Modi appointed PM, swearing-in on May 26 |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/swearing-in-of-modi-govt-on-may-26/ |newspaper=[[The Indian Express]] |date=20 May 2014 |agency=[[Press Trust of India]] |access-date=26 May 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520152512/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/swearing-in-of-modi-govt-on-may-26/ |archive-date=20 May 2014 }}</ref> To comply with the law prohibiting MPs from representing more than one constituency, he vacated the Vadodara seat.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/prime-minister-modi-resigns-as-vadodara-mp-to-retain-varanasi-seat/article1-1224002.aspx |title=Modi thanks Vadodara, looks forward to serve Ganga |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=29 May 2014 |agency=[[Press Trust of India]] |access-date=29 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529163731/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/prime-minister-modi-resigns-as-vadodara-mp-to-retain-varanasi-seat/article1-1224002.aspx |archive-date=29 May 2014 }}</ref>

=== 2019 Indian general election ===
{{Main|Bharatiya Janata Party campaign for the 2019 Indian general election}}

{{External media |video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoORekBf6pE BJP announced manifesto and Shri Narendra Modi as prime minister candidate.] Bharatiya Janata Party on [[YouTube]], 8 April 2019.}}

On 13 October 2018, Modi was named the BJP candidate for prime minister in the [[2019 Indian general election|2019 general election]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Narendra Modi: It's all about Narendra Modi as India prepares for mammoth 2019 election |work=[[The Economic Times]] |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/its-all-about-narendra-modi-as-india-prepares-for-mammoth-2019-election/articleshow/67070925.cms?from=mdr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106155250/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/its-all-about-narendra-modi-as-india-prepares-for-mammoth-2019-election/articleshow/67070925.cms?from=mdr |archive-date=6 January 2021 |date=13 December 2018 |access-date=13 September 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> The BJP's chief campaigner was its president [[Amit Shah]]. Modi launched the party's ''[[Main Bhi Chowkidar]]'' ("I too am a watchman") campaign ahead of the general election, against the INC's campaign slogan ''[[Chowkidar Chor Hai]]'' ("The watchman is a thief").<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=16 March 2019 |title=PM Modi launches 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign for 2019 elections |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-modi-urges-people-to-be-a-proud-chowkidar-of-nation/articleshow/68435831.cms |access-date=18 November 2020 |work=[[The Times of India]] |language=en |archive-date=6 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106155250/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/its-all-about-narendra-modi-as-india-prepares-for-mammoth-2019-election/articleshow/67070925.cms?from=mdr |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2018, the [[Telugu Desam Party]] split from the NDA over the campaign for special status for [[Andhra Pradesh]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first=Arvind |last=Gunasekar |title=In Setback For Chandrababu Naidu, 4 Lawmakers Of His Party Join BJP |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/2-of-6-telugu-desam-party-rajya-sabha-mps-say-they-are-joining-bjp-2056491 |date=21 June 2019 |access-date=11 January 2021 |website=[[NDTV.com]] |archive-date=8 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108012950/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/2-of-6-telugu-desam-party-rajya-sabha-mps-say-they-are-joining-bjp-2056491 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Amit Shah]] launched the BJP's election campaign on 8 April 2019. In the campaign, the opposition targeted Modi on allegations of corruption over the [[Rafale deal]] with the [[Government of France]], highlighting the [[Rafale deal controversy|controversy surrounding the deal]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title='Chowkidar Narendra Modi': PM changes Twitter handle name to counter Rahul Gandhi's chor jibe |work=[[The Economic Times]] |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/chowkidar-narendra-modi-pm-changes-twitter-handle-name-to-counter-rahul-gandhis-chor-jibe/articleshow/68448053.cms |url-status=live |date=17 March 2019 |access-date=11 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417003757/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/chowkidar-narendra-modi-pm-changes-twitter-handle-name-to-counter-rahul-gandhis-chor-jibe/articleshow/68448053.cms |archive-date=17 April 2019}}</ref> Modi's campaign focused on defence and national security, especially after the [[2019 Pulwama attack|Pulwama attack]] and the retaliatory [[2019 Balakot airstrike|Balakot airstrike]], which was counted as an achievement of his administration.<ref name="BS 2019-11-30">{{#invoke:cite|news|date=30 November 2019 |title=Book review: How Pulwama made Modi's Balakot response his 1971 moment |work=[[Business Standard]] India |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/book-review-how-pulwama-made-modi-s-balakot-response-his-1971-moment-119113000964_1.html |url-status=live |access-date=11 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528125841/https://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/book-review-how-pulwama-made-modi-s-balakot-response-his-1971-moment-119113000964_1.html |archive-date=28 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Singh |first=D. K. |date=27 February 2019 |title=5 ways Modi's Pakistan air strike 'bombed' opposition's election strategy |url=https://theprint.in/politics/5-ways-modis-pakistan-air-strike-bombed-oppositions-election-strategy/198460/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230215159/https://theprint.in/politics/5-ways-modis-pakistan-air-strike-bombed-oppositions-election-strategy/198460/ |archive-date=30 December 2020 |access-date=11 January 2021 |website=[[ThePrint]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Other topics in the campaign were development and [[Foreign policy of the Narendra Modi government|good foreign relations]] in the first premiership.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Bommakanti |first=Kartik |title=Indian national security and defence in 2019: Modi ticks three boxes |url=https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/indian-national-security-defence-2019-modi-ticks-three-boxes-59563/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128034740/https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/indian-national-security-defence-2019-modi-ticks-three-boxes-59563/ |date=27 December 2019 |archive-date=28 November 2020 |access-date=11 January 2021 |website=[[Observer Research Foundation|ORF]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

Modi contested the Lok Sabha election as a candidate for [[Varanasi (Lok Sabha constituency)|Varanasi]]; he won the seat by a margin of 479,505 votes, defeating Shalini Yadav of the [[Samajwadi Party]] (SP), who stood as a candidate for the SP-[[Bahujan Samaj Party|BSP]] alliance.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=23 May 2019 |title=Election Results 2019: PM Narendra Modi storms to victory in Varanasi |language=en |work=[[India Today]] |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/lok-sabha-2019/story/lok-sabha-elections-2019-prime-minister-narendra-modi-varanasi-1532443-2019-05-23 |url-status=live |access-date=13 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029055802/https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/lok-sabha-2019/story/lok-sabha-elections-2019-prime-minister-narendra-modi-varanasi-1532443-2019-05-23 |archive-date=29 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Lok Sabha Election result 2019: Narendra Modi secures big lead in Varanasi; Congress' Ajay Rai trails |website=[[businesstoday.in]] |url=https://www.businesstoday.in/lok-sabha-elections-2019/news/lok-sabha-election-result-2019-narendra-modi-big-lead-in-varanasi-congress-ajay-rai-trails/story/349240.html |url-status=live |date=23 May 2019 |access-date=13 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029051752/https://www.businesstoday.in/lok-sabha-elections-2019/news/lok-sabha-election-result-2019-narendra-modi-big-lead-in-varanasi-congress-ajay-rai-trails/story/349240.html |archive-date=29 October 2020}}</ref> Modi was unanimously appointed prime minister for a second time by the [[National Democratic Alliance]]<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Narendra Modi to be sworn in as PM for 2nd term on May 30 |work=[[The Economic Times]] |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/lok-sabha/india/narendra-modi-government-to-take-oath-on-may-30/articleshow/69506065.cms |date=26 May 2019 |access-date=13 September 2020 |archive-date=17 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317195010/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/lok-sabha/india/narendra-modi-government-to-take-oath-on-may-30/articleshow/69506065.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> after the alliance won the election for the second time with 353 seats in the Lok Sabha; the BJP alone won 303 seats.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Alliance Wise Election Live Results 2019: Lok Sabha Elections Result Live Alliance Wise, Party Wise |url=https://www.news18.com/lok-sabha-elections-2019/alliance-wise-tally-live-results/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111232305/https://www.news18.com/lok-sabha-elections-2019/alliance-wise-tally-live-results/ |archive-date=11 November 2020 |access-date=13 September 2020 |website=[[News18]]}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=24 May 2019 |title=BJP wins 302 seats on its own in Lok Sabha election 2019, propels NDA alliance to a final tally of 353 seats in Lower House  |url=https://www.firstpost.com/politics/bjp-wins-302-seats-on-its-own-in-lok-sabha-election-2019-propels-nda-alliance-to-a-final-tally-of-353-seats-in-lower-house-6693991.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029041632/https://www.firstpost.com/politics/bjp-wins-302-seats-on-its-own-in-lok-sabha-election-2019-propels-nda-alliance-to-a-final-tally-of-353-seats-in-lower-house-6693991.html |archive-date=29 October 2020 |access-date=13 September 2020 |website=Firstpost}}</ref>

=== 2024 Indian general election ===
{{Main|Bharatiya Janata Party campaign for the 2024 Indian general election|2025 Indian electoral controversy}}

[[File:Shri Baboolal Mewra with PM Narendra Modi.jpg|thumb|Modi in an election campaign rally in [[Madhya Pradesh]] for the [[2024 Indian general election|2024 general election]]]]
In November 2023, Modi was named the BJP candidate for prime minister in the [[2024 Indian general election|2024 general election]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=3 March 2024 |title=PM Modi, Amit Shah in BJP's 1st list for 195 LS seats, 20% sitting MPs not repeated |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-modi-amit-shah-in-bjps-1st-list-for-195-ls-seats-20-sitting-mps-not-repeated/articleshow/108168966.cms |access-date=28 May 2024 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257 |archive-date=9 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240309022913/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-modi-amit-shah-in-bjps-1st-list-for-195-ls-seats-20-sitting-mps-not-repeated/articleshow/108168966.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> The BJP's chief campaigner was its home minister [[Amit Shah]] and President [[J. P. Nadda]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=24 April 2024 |title=Modi, Shah, Yogi on BJP's star campaigners' list |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/modi-shah-yogi-on-bjp-s-star-campaigners-list-101713903750858.html |access-date=28 May 2024 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en |archive-date=29 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529193014/https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/modi-shah-yogi-on-bjp-s-star-campaigners-list-101713903750858.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Modi launched the party's "''Modi Ki Guarantee''" ("Modi's assurance")<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Barik |first=Satyasundar |date=3 February 2024 |title=PM Modi accentuates on 'Modi Guarantee' as a key campaign slogan |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pm-modi-accentuates-on-modi-guarantee-as-a-key-campaign-slogan/article67807851.ece |access-date=28 May 2024 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=28 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528173001/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pm-modi-accentuates-on-modi-guarantee-as-a-key-campaign-slogan/article67807851.ece |url-status=live }}</ref> campaign ahead of the general election, against the INC's guarantees campaigns, that led to the party's enormous victories in the assembly elections of [[2023 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election|Karnataka]] and [[2023 Telangana Legislative Assembly election|Telangana]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=17 April 2024 |title='Modi ki guarantee' vs Congress's 'Nyay': Campaign ends for first phase of Lok Sabha elections |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/modi-ki-guarantee-vs-congresss-nyay-campaign-ends-for-first-phase-of-lok-sabha-elections-101713362729066.html |access-date=28 May 2024 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en |archive-date=28 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528172959/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/modi-ki-guarantee-vs-congresss-nyay-campaign-ends-for-first-phase-of-lok-sabha-elections-101713362729066.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Modi contested the Lok Sabha election as a candidate for [[Varanasi (Lok Sabha constituency)|Varanasi]] for the third consecutive time; he won the seat by a margin of 152,513 votes, defeating [[Ajay Rai]] of the INC, who contested as a candidate for the SP-INC alliance. His victory margin was the second lowest ever (in percentage points) for a sitting prime minister in India after [[Chandra Sekhar]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/editors-pick/number-theory-why-was-modis-victory-margin-in-varanasi-lower-101717642096058.html|title=Number Theory: Why was Modi's victory margin in Varanasi lower?|work=Hindustan Times |date=6 June 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=6 June 2024 |title=Hindustan Times ePaper, English News Paper, Today Newspaper, Online News Epaper |url=http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/Home/ShareImage?Pictureid=6693dab921 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240614134636/https://epaper.hindustantimes.com/Home/ShareImage?Pictureid=6693dab921 |archive-date=14 June 2024 |access-date=14 June 2024 |website= |language=en}}</ref> The [[National Democratic Alliance]] secured a total of 292 seats, 20 seats ahead of simple majority, and the BJP solely winning 240 seats.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=India election results 2024 live: Narendra Modi set for third term but opposition still to concede - BBC News |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-asia-india-69072275/page/6 |access-date=5 June 2024 |language=en-GB |archive-date=4 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604183125/https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-asia-india-69072275/page/6 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/india-election-results-narendra-modi-rcna154839|title=India hands PM Modi a surprise setback, with his majority in doubt in the world's largest election|first1=Mithil|last1=Aggarwai|first2=Janis Mackey|last2=Frayer|publisher=NBC News|date=4 June 2024|access-date=4 June 2024|archive-date=4 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604151033/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/india-election-results-narendra-modi-rcna154839|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.wsj.com/world/india/india-election-2024-nanendra-modi-6179abad|title=India's Narendra Modi Struggles to Hold On to Majority, Early Election Results Show|first1=Krishna|last1=Poharel|first2=Tripti|last2=Lahiri|publisher=Wall Street Journal|date=3 June 2024|access-date=4 June 2024|archive-date=4 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604115138/https://www.wsj.com/world/india/india-election-2024-nanendra-modi-6179abad|url-status=live}}</ref> Modi thanked the voters for reposing faith in his government for the 3rd consecutive time.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=4 June 2024 |title='People Have Placed Faith In...': PM Modi's First Reaction To Lok Sabha Results |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/elections/people-have-placed-faith-in-pm-modi-thanks-voters-as-nda-looks-to-form-govt-for-the-third-time-article-110709244 |access-date=5 June 2024 |website=Times Now |language=en |archive-date=4 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604155724/https://www.timesnownews.com/elections/people-have-placed-faith-in-pm-modi-thanks-voters-as-nda-looks-to-form-govt-for-the-third-time-article-110709244 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the [[2025 Indian electoral controversy]], [[Rahul Gandhi]], [[Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha|leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha]], claimed widespread [[electoral fraud]] and accused the [[Election Commission of India]] (ECI) of collusion with the ruling BJP during the 2024 general election.<ref>{{cite news |date=1 August 2025 |title=Rahul Gandhi says what we have found is an 'atom bomb'; there's 100% proof EC is doing 'vote chori' for BJP |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/what-we-have-found-is-an-atom-bomb-theres-100-proof-ec-doing-vote-chori-for-bjp-congress-leader-rahul-gandhi/article69882114.ece |work=[[The Hindu]] |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

== Prime Minister of India (2014–present) ==
{{Main|Premiership of Narendra Modi}}

{{For timeline|Timeline of the premiership of Narendra Modi}}
[[File:Shri Narendra Modi sworn in as Prime Minister.jpg|thumb|Modi taking the oath of office as the [[prime minister of India]] for the [[First oath of office ceremony of Narendra Modi|first time]], with [[President of India|President]] [[Pranab Mukherjee]] administering the oath]]
[[File:The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind administering the oath of office of the Prime Minister to Shri Narendra Modi, at a Swearing-in Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on May 30, 2019 (3).jpg|thumb|Modi taking the oath of office as the prime minister of India for the [[Second oath of office ceremony of Narendra Modi|second time]], with President [[Ram Nath Kovind]] administering the oath]]
[[File:The President, Smt. Droupadi Murmu administers the Oath of Office and Secrecy to the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi during the swearing-in ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on June 09, 2024 (5).jpg|thumb|Modi taking the oath of office as the prime minister of India for the [[Third oath of office ceremony of Narendra Modi|third time]], with President [[Droupadi Murmu]] administering the oath]]

=== Governance and other initiatives ===
[[File:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressing the Nation on the occasion of 74th Independence Day from the ramparts of Red Fort, in Delhi on August 15, 2020 (2).jpg|thumb|Modi addressing the Nation on the occasion of 74th Independence Day from the ramparts of [[Red Fort]], in [[Delhi]] on 15 August 2020]]
Modi's first year as PM saw significant centralisation of power.<ref name="Manor" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Wyatt |first1=Andrew |title=India in 2014: Decisive National Elections |journal=Asian Survey |year=2015 |volume=55 |issue=1 |pages=33–47 |doi=10.1525/AS.2015.55.1.33 |hdl=1983/e5eeb791-2072-45b8-94b5-fc003dbb5a24 |url=http://research-information.bristol.ac.uk/files/34843877/FINAL_PDF_offprint_AS5501_04_Wyatt_India.pdf |access-date=4 November 2018 |archive-date=5 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105012256/https://research-information.bristol.ac.uk/files/34843877/FINAL_PDF_offprint_AS5501_04_Wyatt_India.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Modi, who initially lacked a majority in the [[Rajya Sabha]], the upper house of Indian Parliament, passed a number of ordinances to enact his policies, leading to further centralisation of power.<ref name="Sen">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Sen |first1=Ronojoy |s2cid=147683722 |title=House Matters: The BJP, Modi and Parliament |journal=Journal of South Asian Studies |year=2015 |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=776–790 |doi=10.1080/00856401.2015.1091200}}</ref> His administration enacted a bill to increase its control over the appointment of judges and reducing that of the [[Judiciary of India|judiciary]].<ref name=Stepan /> In December 2014, he abolished the [[Planning Commission (India)|Planning Commission]], replacing it with the [[NITI Aayog|National Institution for Transforming India]] (NITI Aayog),<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news| url=http://in.reuters.com/article/india-planningcommission-modi-idINKBN0KA1NA20150101 | work=[[Reuters]] | title=Modi replaces Planning Commission, aiming to boost growth | date=1 January 2015 | access-date=17 February 2017 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023124648/http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/01/01/india-planningcommission-modi-idINKBN0KA1NA20150101 | archive-date=23 October 2015 }}</ref><ref name="Sengupta 2016-01-12">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Sengupta |first1=Mitu |s2cid=156027018 |title=Modi Planning: What the NITI Aayog Suggests about the Aspirations and Practices of the Modi Government |journal=Journal of South Asian Studies |year=2015 |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=791–806 |doi=10.1080/00856401.2015.1088609}}</ref> concentrating the power previously with the planning commission in the person of the PM.<ref name="Sen" /><ref name="Ruparelia">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Ruparelia |first1=Sanjay |date=12 January 2016 |title='Minimum Government, Maximum Governance': The Restructuring of Power in Modi's India |journal=Journal of South Asian Studies |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=755–775 |doi=10.1080/00856401.2015.1089974 |issn=0085-6401 |doi-access=free |s2cid=155182560}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Patnaik |first1=Prabhat |url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2015/4/commentary/planning-commission-niti-aayog.html |title=From the Planning Commission to the NITI Aayog |journal=[[Economic & Political Weekly]] |date=24 January 2015 |volume=50 |issue=4 |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=23 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023123743/https://www.epw.in/journal/2015/4/commentary/planning-commission-niti-aayog.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Planning Commission had in previous years been criticised for creating inefficiency in the government and of not fulfilling its role of improving social welfare but since the [[Economic liberalisation in India|economic liberalisation of the 1990s]], it had been the major government body responsible for measures related to social justice.<ref name="Sengupta 2016-01-12" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/1/18/as-pm-indias-modi-secretly-tried-to-massively-cut-state-funds|title=As PM, India's Modi secretly tried to massively cut state funds|first1=Shreegireesh|last1=Jalihal|first2=Nitin|last2=Sethi|website=Al Jazeera|date=18 January 2024|access-date=18 January 2024|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328173821/https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/1/18/as-pm-indias-modi-secretly-tried-to-massively-cut-state-funds|url-status=live}}</ref>
In its first year of administration, the Modi government launched investigations through the [[Intelligence Bureau (India)|Intelligence Bureau]] into numerous civil society organisations and foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on the grounds these organisations were slowing economic growth. The investigations were criticised as a [[witch hunt]]. International humanitarian aid organisation [[Medecins Sans Frontieres]], and environmental nonprofit organisation [[Sierra Club]] and [[Avaaz]] were among the groups that were investigated.<ref name="Manor" /><ref name="Ruparelia" /> Cases of sedition and terrorism laws were filed against individuals who criticised the government.<ref name="Manor" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Ellis-Petersen |first1=Hannah |last2=Hassan |first2=Aakash |title=How a terrorism law in India is being used to silence Modi's critics |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/10/how-terrorism-law-india-used-to-silence-modis-critics |access-date=25 May 2023 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=10 December 2021 |archive-date=7 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207234817/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/10/how-terrorism-law-india-used-to-silence-modis-critics |url-status=live }}</ref> This led to discontent within the BJP about his style of functioning and drew comparisons to the governing style of Indira Gandhi.<ref name="Manor" /><ref name="Sen" />

Modi repealed 1,200 obsolete laws in first three years as prime minister; 1,301 such laws had been repealed by previous governments in the previous 64 years.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Goodbye, old laws: Modi government scraps 1,200 redundant Acts, 1,824 more identified for repeal |url=http://m.indiatoday.in/story/narendra-modi-law-ministry-ravi-shankar-prasad/1/984539.html |work=[[India Today]] |date=22 June 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628215103/http://m.indiatoday.in/story/narendra-modi-law-ministry-ravi-shankar-prasad/1/984539.html |archive-date=28 June 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first=Vishwa |last=Mohan |title=1,159 obsolete laws scrapped by Modi govt; 1,301 junked in previous 64 years |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/1159-obsolete-laws-scrapped-by-Modi-govt-1301-junked-in-previous-64-years/articleshow/52333875.cms |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=19 May 2016 |access-date=17 February 2017 |archive-date=28 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328173802/https://plus.timesofindia.com/toi-feed/config/toiw/trans/master?fv=1100 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Report card: Two years later, here's how much Modi has delivered on his promises |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-two-years-of-modi-sarkar-what-was-promised-and-what-delivered-2216613 |work=[[Daily News and Analysis]] |date=26 May 2016 |access-date=17 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124121024/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-two-years-of-modi-sarkar-what-was-promised-and-what-delivered-2216613 |archive-date=24 November 2016 }}</ref> Modi launched the [[Digital India]] programme with the goal of ensuring government services are available electronically, build infrastructure to provide high-speed Internet access to rural areas, boost manufacturing of electronic goods in the country, and promote [[digital literacy]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first1=Saurabh |last1=Kumar |first2=Moulishree |last2=Srivastava |title=Govt launches 22 new schemes under Digital India programme |url=http://www.livemint.com/Home-Page/QgFspv8UzykQP99AukcSjI/Govt-launches-22-new-schemes-under-Digital-India-programme.html |work=[[Live Mint]] |date=29 December 2015 |access-date=17 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208074749/http://www.livemint.com/Home-Page/QgFspv8UzykQP99AukcSjI/Govt-launches-22-new-schemes-under-Digital-India-programme.html |archive-date=8 February 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first1=Leslie |last1=D'Monte |first2=Moulishree |last2=Srivastava |url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/dzh7hnHafnvVI8hoIlNqPI/GST-to-take-care-of-many-of-ecommerce-firms-tax-issues-IT.html |title=GST to take care of many of e-commerce firms' tax issues: IT minister |work=[[Live Mint]] |date=21 November 2014 |access-date=17 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309213915/http://www.livemint.com/Politics/dzh7hnHafnvVI8hoIlNqPI/GST-to-take-care-of-many-of-ecommerce-firms-tax-issues-IT.html |archive-date=9 March 2017 }}</ref>

In 2019, a law to reserve 10 per cent of educational admission and government jobs for economically disadvantaged individuals was passed.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Bill on 10% reservation for upper caste poor passes Parliament test: 10 things to know |url=https://m.businesstoday.in/story/bill-on-10pc-reservation-for-upper-caste-poor-passes-parliament-test-10-things-to-know/1/308641.html |work=[[Business Today (India)|Business Today]] |date=10 January 2019 |access-date=6 September 2021 |archive-date=18 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518131513/https://m.businesstoday.in/story/bill-on-10pc-reservation-for-upper-caste-poor-passes-parliament-test-10-things-to-know/1/308641.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=10% quota Bill becomes law |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/10-quota-bill-becomes-law/article61552946.ece |access-date=21 August 2022 |work=The Hindu |date=12 January 2019 |archive-date=21 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220821115430/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/10-quota-bill-becomes-law/article61552946.ece |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2016, Modi's administration launched the [[Ujjwala scheme]] to provide free [[liquefied petroleum gas]] (LPG) connections to rural households. The scheme led to an additional 24% of Indian households having access to LPG in 2019 as compared to 2014.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Ujjwala scheme boosts India's LPG consumption to a record high in FY19 |url=https://wap.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/ujjwala-scheme-boosts-india-s-lpg-consumption-to-a-record-high-in-fy19-119050300261_1.html |work=[[Business Standard]] |date=3 May 2019 |access-date=6 September 2021}}</ref> In 2022, the government eliminated LPG subsidies for all citizens except those covered by the Ujjwala programme.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=No LPG subsidy to households |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/oil-gas/no-lpg-subsidy-to-households-rs-200-lpg-dole-limited-to-ujjwala-beneficiaries/articleshow/91964500.cms |access-date=21 August 2022 |work=Economic Times |date=3 June 2022 |archive-date=21 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220821120233/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/oil-gas/no-lpg-subsidy-to-households-rs-200-lpg-dole-limited-to-ujjwala-beneficiaries/articleshow/91964500.cms |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2023, the Modi administration issued a notification constituting a high-level committee on [[One Nation, One Election]], a proposal aimed to synchronise all elections in the country either on a single day or within a specific time frame.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ministry of Law and Justice |first=Legislative Department |date=2 September 2023 |title=Publication of Notification regarding Constitution of High Level Committee to examine the issue of simultaneous elections |url=https://egazette.gov.in/WriteReadData/2023/248519.pdf |access-date=2 September 2023}}</ref> In September 2024, the bill for One Nation, One Election was approved by the Modi Cabinet.<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 September 2024 |title=One Nation One Election: Modi Govt accepts Kovind Panel's recommendations |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/one-nation-one-election-gets-modi-govts-nod/articleshow/113453807.cms?from=mdr |access-date=19 September 2024 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Madhukalya |first=Amrita |title='One Nation, One Election': Modi govt accepts Kovind panel's recommendations on simultaneous polls |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/one-nation-one-election-modi-govt-clears-kovind-panels-report-on-simultaneous-polls-3195667 |access-date=19 September 2024 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ONOE-HLC-Report |url=https://onoe.gov.in/HLC-Report-en#flipbook-df_manual_book/1/ |access-date=19 September 2024 |website=onoe.gov.in}}</ref>

Since May 2023, ethnic tensions between some groups have resulted in [[2023 Manipur violence|violent clashes]] in [[Manipur]]. After 1 month of the violence, nearly 100 were killed and more than 36,000 people were displaced.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Parashar |first=Utpal |title=98 killed in Manipur clashes, 36k moved to relief camps, says govt |website=Hindustan Times |date=3 June 2023 |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ethnic-violence-in-manipur-leaves-98-dead-and-310-injured-144-guns-recovered-as-curfew-lifted-in-some-districts-101685731158828.html |access-date=30 June 2023 |archive-date=30 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630040247/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ethnic-violence-in-manipur-leaves-98-dead-and-310-injured-144-guns-recovered-as-curfew-lifted-in-some-districts-101685731158828.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Modi has been criticised for his lack of reaction towards the violence.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Manipur: PM's silence adds to anger, frustration amid violence, flare-up |website=The Federal |date=17 June 2023 |url=https://thefederal.com/states/north-east/manipur-pms-silence-adds-to-anger-frustration-amid-violence-flare-up/ |access-date=30 June 2023 |archive-date=30 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630040248/https://thefederal.com/states/north-east/manipur-pms-silence-adds-to-anger-frustration-amid-violence-flare-up/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Hindutva ===
{{Further |Hindutva}}
[[File:Prime Minister Modi at Tirupati Balaji Temple.jpg|thumb|Modi at [[Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala|Venkateswara Temple]], Tirumala|left]]

The activities of a number of Hindu nationalist organisations increased in scope after Modi's appointment as prime minister, sometimes with the government's support.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/11/world/asia/modi-india-elections.html |title=Under Modi, a Hindu Nationalist Surge Has Further Divided India |last1=Gettleman |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Schultz |first2=Kai |last3=Raj |first3=Suhasini |last4=Kumar |first4=Hari |date=11 April 2019 |work=[[New York Times]] |access-date=29 August 2022 |archive-date=29 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829174347/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/11/world/asia/modi-india-elections.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Serhan |first=Yasmeen |title=The Hinduization of India Is Nearly Complete |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2022/05/narendra-modi-india-religion-hindu-nationalism/630169/ |work=[[The Atlantic]] |date=27 May 2022 |access-date=29 August 2022 |archive-date=29 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829174443/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2022/05/narendra-modi-india-religion-hindu-nationalism/630169/ |url-status=live }}</ref> These activities included a [[Ghar Wapsi|Hindu religious conversion programme]], a campaign against the supposed Islamic practice of "[[Love Jihad]]" (an [[Islamophobic]]{{refn |name=Islamophobia |<ref name="Farokhi" />{{rp |226–227 |q=The exponents of this conspiracy assert that innocent Hindu women are converted to Islam in order to increase the Muslim population, thereby waging jihad or holy war against Hindus (Gupta, 2009). By evoking demographic fears and anxiety, this campaign demonises Muslims and works to advance the patriarchal idea of saving Hindu girls from an imagined Muslim menace (Das, 2010).}}<ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|last1=Jenkins |first1=Laura Dudley |chapter=Persecution: The Love Jihad Rumor |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J22RDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA180 |title=Religious Freedom and Mass Conversion in India |year=2019 |doi=10.9783/9780812296006-007 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-9600-6 |s2cid=242173559 |quote=The masterplot of love jihad is not just literary imaginings but also a potent brew of Islamophobia and patriarchy that harms Muslims and women. Akin to some of the post-9/11 rhetoric in the United States, contemporary Hindu nationalists propagate "a mythical history of medieval Muslim tyranny and present-day existential threat, demanding mobilization and revenge." |access-date=6 May 2023 |archive-date=13 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513114814/https://books.google.com/books?id=J22RDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA180 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Sharma |first1=Ajita |title=Afrazul's murder: Law and love jihad |journal=Jindal Global Law Review |date=1 April 2020 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=77–95 |doi=10.1007/s41020-020-00114-5 |publisher=Springer |s2cid=220512241 |quote=The fake claim by the Hindu right-wing that love jihad forces Hindu women to love and marry a Muslim man and convert to Islam is perpetuating an already existing anti-Muslim narrative in the country. The love jihad phenomenon has thus become a tool of hate and anger towards Muslims. Afrazul's killing by Raigher is an extreme demonstration of this form of hate and anger towards Muslims.}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Upadhyay |first1=Nishant |title=Hindu Nation and its Queers: Caste, Islamophobia, and De/coloniality in India |journal=Interventions |date=18 May 2020 |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=464–480 |doi=10.1080/1369801X.2020.1749709 |url=https://www.academia.edu/43040799 |publisher=Routledge |s2cid=218822737 |via=Academia.edu |quote=Heterosexual couples who defy caste and religious structures often face violence, some of which results in death through honor killings and lynching targeting specifically Muslim and Dalit men. For instance, the Hindutva campaign against what it calls the "love jihad" is an attempt to protect Hindu women from Muslim men, as the latter are imagined/blamed to convert Hindu women to Islam through trickery and marriage (Gupta 2018b, 85). Needless to say, these claims are unfounded and Islamophobic imaginations of the Hindu Right. |access-date=30 March 2021 |archive-date=28 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328033737/https://www.academia.edu/43040799 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|last1=Frydenlund |first1=Iselin |editor1-first=Asbjørn |editor1-last=Dyrendal |editor2-first=David G. |editor2-last=Robertson |editor3-first=Egil |editor3-last=Asprem |chapter=Buddhist Islamophobia: Actors, Tropes, Contexts |title=Handbook of Conspiracy Theory and Contemporary Religion |series=Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion |volume=17 |year=2018 |pages=279–302 |doi=10.1163/9789004382022_014 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-38202-2 |s2cid=201409140 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yoN1DwAAQBAJ |via=Academia.edu |chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/37554959}}</ref>{{rp |289 |q=The third trope concerns capitalism and market competition, while the latter three consider another aspect of global Islamophobic discourses, namely that there is a plot to spread Islam around the world through population growth, or so-called Demographic Jihad. This in turn can be divided into three subfields according to the means by which Muslims are claimed to use in their Demographic Jihad to eradicate Buddhism: 'Birth Jihad', 'Rape Jihad', and 'Love Jihad'.}}}} [[conspiracy theory]])<ref name="Farokhi">{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Farokhi |first=Zeinab |chapter=Hindu Nationalism, News Channels, and "Post-Truth" Twitter: A Case Study of "Love Jihad" |editor-last=Boler |editor-first=Megan |pages=226–239 |editor-last2=Davis |editor-first2=Elizabeth |title=Affective Politics of Digital Media: Propaganda by Other Means |publisher=Routledge |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-00-016917-1 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_8T2DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT171 |chapter-url-access=limited |access-date=6 May 2023 |archive-date=6 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506153834/https://books.google.com/books?id=_8T2DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT171 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp |226–227 |q=This chapter examines the conspiracy theory of "Love Jihad" across traditional and social media discourse in India as a way to show how affective strategies promoting Islamophobia are employed through logics of "digital governmentality" (Badouard et al., 2016). "Love Jihad" is a campaign started by right-wing Hindu nationalists in 2009 (Gökarıksel et al., 2019) alleging that Muslim men feign love to lure non-Muslim women to marry them in order to convert them to Islam (Rao, 2011).}}<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Strohl |first=David James |date=11 October 2018 |title=Love jihad in India's moral imaginaries: religion, kinship, and citizenship in late liberalism |journal=Contemporary South Asia |publisher=Routledge |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=27–39 |doi=10.1080/09584935.2018.1528209 |s2cid=149838857 |issn=0958-4935 }}</ref>{{rp |1–2 |q=Since at least 2009, a host of activists have used grassroots campaigns and mass-media to spread rumours throughout India of a vast conspiracy by the Muslim community to train young men to seduce, marry, and convert Hindu women. Some politicians and activists draw on these conspiracy theories to drum up support from Hindus in electoral campaigns and to fuel moralising crusades throughout the country aimed at saving women from these imagined threats.}}<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Nair |first1=Rashmi |last2=Vollhardt |first2=Johanna Ray |date=6 May 2019 |title=Intersectional Consciousness in Collective Victim Beliefs: Perceived Intragroup Differences Among Disadvantaged Groups |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332904170 |journal=Political Psychology |publisher=Wiley |volume=40 |issue=5 |page=2 |doi=10.1111/pops.12593 |s2cid=164693982 |via=ResearchGate |quote=Muslims form about 15% of India's population and have suffered severe marginalization in education and employment, since the partition of Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan in 1947 (Alam, 2010). They have since faced recurrent riots (Varshney, 2003). Other hostilities include false accusations of love jihad (a conspiracy theory claiming Muslim men feign love with non-Muslim women to convert them to Islam) and attempts to convert Muslims to Hinduism by Hindu fundamentalist organizations (Gupta, 2009). |access-date=19 September 2020 |archive-date=19 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419133532/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332904170_Intersectional_Consciousness_in_Collective_Victim_Beliefs_Perceived_Intragroup_Differences_Among_Disadvantaged_Groups |url-status=live }}</ref> and attempts to celebrate [[Nathuram Godse]], the assassin of [[Mahatma Gandhi]], by members of the right-wing organisation [[Hindu Mahasabha]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=George |first=Varghese K. |date=9 May 2020 |title=Comment: Hindutva's extremist Twitterati now target Modi for Muslim appeasement |language=en-IN |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/comment-hindutvas-extremist-twitterati-now-target-modi-for-muslim-appeasement/article31545353.ece |access-date=15 January 2021 |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=22 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122074021/https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/comment-hindutvas-extremist-twitterati-now-target-modi-for-muslim-appeasement/article31545353.ece |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/04/world/asia/india-gandhi-nathuram-godse.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204193004/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/04/world/asia/india-gandhi-nathuram-godse.html |archive-date=4 February 2020 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |title=Gandhi's Killer Evokes Admiration as Never Before |first=Sameer |last=Yasir |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=4 February 2020 |access-date=5 February 2020}}</ref> Government officials, including the home minister, defended the conversion programmes.<ref name="Palshikar" />

Links between the BJP and the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS) grew stronger under Modi. The RSS provided organisational support to the BJP's electoral campaigns while the Modi administration appointed RSS-affiliated individuals to prominent government positions.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=2 March 2019 |title=Narendra Modi and the struggle for India's soul |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |url=https://www.economist.com/briefing/2019/03/02/narendra-modi-and-the-struggle-for-indias-soul |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301125100/https://www.economist.com/briefing/2019/03/02/narendra-modi-and-the-struggle-for-indias-soul |archive-date=1 March 2019 |access-date=27 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, [[Yellapragada Sudershan Rao]], who had previously been associated with the RSS, became the chairperson of the [[Indian Council of Historical Research]] (ICHR).<ref name="Ganguly 2014-10" /> Historians and former members of the ICHR, including those sympathetic to the BJP, questioned Rao's credentials as a historian and stated the appointment was part of an agenda of cultural nationalism.<ref name="Ganguly 2014-10" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Anita |last=Joshua |title=Choice of ICHR chief reignites saffronisation debate |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=16 July 2014 |access-date=20 August 2014 |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/choice-of-ichr-chief-reignites-saffronisation-debate/article6214483.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202181112/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/choice-of-ichr-chief-reignites-saffronisation-debate/article6214483.ece |archive-date=2 December 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Akshaya |last=Mukul |title=Right-wingers question ICHR chief selection |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=18 July 2014 |access-date=20 August 2014 |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Right-wingers-question-ICHR-chief-selection/articleshow/38581467.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140721002055/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Right-wingers-question-ICHR-chief-selection/articleshow/38581467.cms |archive-date=21 July 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> During its first term, the Modi administration appointed other RSS members to lead universities and research institutions, and recruitment of faculty members favouring the RSS increased. According to scholars [[Nandini Sundar]] and Kiran Bhatty, many of these appointees did not possess the qualifications for their positions.<ref name="Bhatty">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Bhatty |first1=Kiran |last2=Sundar |first2=Nandini |title=Sliding from majoritarianism toward fascism: Educating India under the Modi regime |journal=International Sociology |publisher=SAGE Publications |volume=35 |issue=6 |date=17 September 2020 |issn=0268-5809 |doi=10.1177/0268580920937226 |pages=632–650 |s2cid=224896271 }}</ref> The Modi administration also made numerous changes in government-approved history textbooks that de-emphasised the role of [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] and glorified that of Modi while also portraying Indian society as harmonious, and without conflict and inequity.<ref name="Bhatty" /><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Bhatty |first=Kiran |title=School education: Denials and delusions |editor-last1=Azad |editor-first1=Rohit |editor-last2=Chakraborty |editor-first2=Shouvik |editor-last3=Ramani |editor-first3=Srinivasan |editor-last4=Sinha |editor-first4=Dipa |encyclopedia=A quantum leap in the wrong direction? |date=2019 |isbn=978-93-5287-618-1 |oclc=1089418969 }}</ref>

In 2019, the Modi administration passed a [[Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019|citizenship law]] that provides a route to Indian citizenship for persecuted religious minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis or Christians,<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-50670393 Citizenship Amendment Bill: India's new 'anti-Muslim' law explained] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212192621/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-50670393 |date=12 December 2019 }}, BBC News, 11 December 2019.</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url=https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=195783 |title=Parliament passes the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019 |website=pib.gov.in |access-date=18 December 2019 |archive-date=16 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216092712/https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx%3Frelid%3D195783 |url-status=live }}</ref> but does not grant eligibility to Muslims.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/11/asia/india-citizenship-amendment-bill-intl-hnk/index.html |title=India passes controversial citizenship bill that excludes Muslims |first1=Helen |last1=Regan |first2=Swati |last2=Gupta |first3=Omar |last3=Khan |date=11 December 2019 |publisher=CNN |access-date=3 October 2022 |archive-date=15 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215224043/https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/11/asia/india-citizenship-amendment-bill-intl-hnk/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/12/11/787220640/india-passes-controversial-citizenship-bill-that-would-exclude-muslims |title=India Passes Controversial Citizenship Bill That Would Exclude Muslims |first1=Sam |last1=Gringlas |work=NPR |date=11 December 2019 |access-date=3 October 2022 |archive-date=15 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215032601/https://www.npr.org/2019/12/11/787220640/india-passes-controversial-citizenship-bill-that-would-exclude-muslims |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Slater" /> This was first time religion had been overtly used as a criterion for citizenship under Indian law; it attracted global criticism and prompted widespread [[Citizenship Amendment Act protests|protests]] that were halted by the [[COVID-19 pandemic in India|COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="Bhatty" /><ref name="Slater">{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Slater |first1=Joanna |title=Why protests are erupting over India's new citizenship law |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/why-indias-citizenship-law-is-so-contentious/2019/12/17/35d75996-2042-11ea-b034-de7dc2b5199b_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=18 December 2019 |access-date=18 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218215158/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/why-indias-citizenship-law-is-so-contentious/2019/12/17/35d75996-2042-11ea-b034-de7dc2b5199b_story.html |archive-date=18 December 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Jayal |first1=Niraja Gopal |title=Reconfiguring Citizenship in Contemporary India |journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies |volume=42 |issue=1 |year=2019 |pages=33–50 |issn=0085-6401 |doi=10.1080/00856401.2019.1555874 |s2cid=151037291|doi-access=free }}</ref> Counter-demonstrations against the protests developed into the [[2020 Delhi riots]], caused chiefly by Hindu mobs attacking Muslims.<ref>{{citation |title=Delhi's Muslims despair of justice after police implicated in riots |last1=Ellis-Peterson |first1=Hannah |last2=Azizur Rahman |first2=Shaikh |location=Delhi |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/16/delhis-muslims-despair-justice-police-implicated-hindu-riots |date=16 March 2020 |access-date=17 March 2020 |archive-date=17 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317023019/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/16/delhis-muslims-despair-justice-police-implicated-hindu-riots |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{citation |last1=Gettleman |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Abi-Habib |first2=Maria |title=In India, Modi's Policies Have Lit a Fuse |date=1 March 2020 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/world/asia/india-modi-hindus.html |access-date=1 March 2020 |archive-date=1 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301173003/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/world/asia/india-modi-hindus.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Fifty-three people were killed in the protests, two-thirds of whom were Muslim.<ref>{{citation |title='If We Kill You, Nothing Will Happen': How Delhi's Police Turned Against Muslims |first1=Jeffrey |last1=Gettleman |first2=Sameer |last2=Yasir |first3=Suhasini |last3=Raj |first4=Hari |last4=Kumar |others=Photographs by Loke, Atul |date=12 March 2020 |access-date=13 March 2020 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/world/asia/india-police-muslims.html |archive-date=13 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313011029/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/world/asia/india-police-muslims.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{citation |last1=Slater |first1=Joanna |last2=Masih |first2=Niha |date=6 March 2020 |title=In Delhi's worst violence in decades, a man watched his brother burn |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-delhis-worst-violence-in-decades-a-man-watched-his-brother-burn/2020/03/05/892dbb12-5e45-11ea-ac50-18701e14e06d_story.html |access-date=6 March 2020 |archive-date=7 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307070624/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-delhis-worst-violence-in-decades-a-man-watched-his-brother-burn/2020/03/05/892dbb12-5e45-11ea-ac50-18701e14e06d_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{citation |last1=Slater |first1=Joanna |last2=Masih |first2=Niha |date=2 March 2020 |title=What Delhi's worst communal violence in decades means for Modi's India |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/what-days-of-communal-violence-mean-for-modi-and-for-india/2020/03/01/3d649c18-5a68-11ea-8efd-0f904bdd8057_story.html |access-date=15 March 2020 |archive-date=3 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303203132/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/what-days-of-communal-violence-mean-for-modi-and-for-india/2020/03/01/3d649c18-5a68-11ea-8efd-0f904bdd8057_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=26 February 2020 |title=Modi slammed as death toll in New Delhi violence rises |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/modi-slammed-death-toll-delhi-violence-rises-200226192504695.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114013040/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/2/26/modi-slammed-as-death-toll-in-new-delhi-violence-rises |archive-date=14 January 2021 |access-date=30 November 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Varadarajan |first=Siddharth |date=27 February 2020 |title=Narendra Modi's Reckless Politics Brings Mob Rule to New Delhi |work=[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]] |url=https://thewire.in/communalism/narendra-modi-delhi-riots-mob-violence-bjp |url-status=live |access-date=19 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112145040/https://thewire.in/communalism/narendra-modi-delhi-riots-mob-violence-bjp |archive-date=12 January 2021}}</ref> On 5 August 2020, Modi visited [[Ayodhya]] after the [[2019 Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya dispute|Supreme Court in 2019]] ordered [[Ayodhya dispute|contested land in Ayodhya]] to be handed to a trust to build a Hindu temple and ordered the government to give alternative {{Convert |5 |acre}} of land to the [[Sunni Waqf Board]] for the purpose of building a mosque.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=10 November 2019 |title=Ayodhya verdict live: Country's unity strengthened after verdict, say religious leaders |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/ayodhya-verdict-live-updates-supreme-court-verdict-on-ram-mandir-babri-masjid-dispute/liveblog/71978224.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125010541/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/ayodhya-verdict-live-updates-supreme-court-verdict-on-ram-mandir-babri-masjid-dispute/liveblog/71978224.cms |archive-date=25 November 2020 |access-date=9 November 2019 |work=[[The Times of India]] |language=en}}</ref> Modi became the first PM to visit temples at [[Ram Janmabhoomi]] and [[Hanuman Garhi]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Modi becomes first PM to visit Ram Janmabhoomi, Hanumangarhi temple in Ayodhya |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/travel-tourism/modi-becomes-first-pm-to-visit-ram-janmabhoomi-hanumangarhi-temple-in-ayodhya/2046074/ |access-date=19 November 2020 |agency=[[Press Trust of India]] |work=[[The Financial Express (India)|The Financial Express]] |date=5 August 2020 |archive-date=29 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129155011/https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/travel-tourism/modi-becomes-first-pm-to-visit-ram-janmabhoomi-hanumangarhi-temple-in-ayodhya/2046074/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi pays obeisance at Tirumala Temple, in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.jpg|thumb|Modi pays obeisance at [[Tirumala Temple]] in Andhra Pradesh]]
Soon after Modi returned to power in 2019, he took three actions the RSS had long called for.<ref name="Bhatty" /> The practice of [[Triple talaq in India|Triple Talaq]] was made illegal and became a punishable act from 1 August 2019.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/lok-sabha-passes-triple-talaq-bill-over-to-rajya-sabha-now/articleshow/70381627.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107230128/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/lok-sabha-passes-triple-talaq-bill-over-to-rajya-sabha-now/articleshow/70381627.cms |title=Lok Sabha passes instant talaq bill; JDU walks out |website=[[The Economic Times]] |access-date=26 July 2019 |archive-date=7 November 2020 |date=25 July 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/triple-talaq-bill-passed-in-rajya-sabha-1575309-2019-07-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730134908/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/triple-talaq-bill-passed-in-rajya-sabha-1575309-2019-07-30 |title= Triple talaq bill passed in Rajya Sabha |website=[[India Today]] |access-date=30 July 2019 |archive-date=30 July 2019 |date=30 July 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/fresh-triple-talaq-bill-introduced-in-lok-sabha-oppositon-members-protest/articleshow/69891244.cms |title=Fresh triple talaq Bill introduced in Lok Sabha |website=[[The Economic Times]] |access-date=31 July 2019 |date=21 June 2019 |archive-date=23 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823070952/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/fresh-triple-talaq-bill-introduced-in-lok-sabha-oppositon-members-protest/articleshow/69891244.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> The administration repealed [[Article 370]] of the Indian constitution that granted autonomy to [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]],<ref>{{citation |last1=Akhtar |first1=Rais |title=Jammu and Kashmir, State, India |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Jammu-and-Kashmir |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619220652/https://www.britannica.com/place/Jammu-and-Kashmir |archive-date=19 June 2015 |url-status=live |publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica |last2=Kirk |first2=William |access-date=7 August 2019}} (subscription required)</ref><ref>{{citation |last1=Osmańczyk |first1=Edmund Jan |title=Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements: G to M |pages=1191– |year=2003 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fSIMXHMdfkkC&pg=PA1191 |access-date=8 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117140437/https://books.google.com/books?id=fSIMXHMdfkkC&pg=PA1191 |archive-date=17 January 2023 |url-status=live |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-415-93922-5}}</ref> and also [[The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019|abrogated its statehood]], reorganising it into the [[union territory|union territories]] [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], and [[Ladakh]].<ref name="Bhatty" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=5 August 2019 |title=Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Bill passed by Rajya Sabha: Key takeaways |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jammu-kashmir-bifurcation-ladakh-union-territory-key-takeaways-from-reorganisation-bill-article-370-amit-shah-5880177/ |access-date=16 August 2021 |website=The Indian Express |language=en |archive-date=5 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190805144345/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jammu-kashmir-bifurcation-ladakh-union-territory-key-takeaways-from-reorganisation-bill-article-370-amit-shah-5880177/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The region was placed under [[2019–2021 Jammu and Kashmir lockdown|a lockdown]] and internet services were suspended and were not completely restored until February 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://zeenews.india.com/india/as-4g-gets-restored-foriegn-envoys-expected-to-visit-jammu-and-kashmir-2341731.html |title=As 4G is restored in Jammu & Kashmir, Centre plans another trip for foreign envoys |work=Zee News |access-date=5 September 2022 |archive-date=5 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905140239/https://zeenews.india.com/india/as-4g-gets-restored-foriegn-envoys-expected-to-visit-jammu-and-kashmir-2341731.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Thousands of people, including hundreds of political leaders, were detained.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=At Least 2,300 People Have Been Detained During the Lockdown in Kashmir |url=https://time.com/5657293/india-kashmir-detention-security-lockdown/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821182839/https://time.com/5657293/india-kashmir-detention-security-lockdown/ |archive-date=21 August 2019 |magazine=Time |date=21 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Kashmir city on lockdown after calls for protest march |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/23/kashmir-city-srinagar-india-lockdown-calls-protest-march |work=The Guardian |date=23 August 2019 |access-date=5 September 2022 |archive-date=6 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206185115/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/23/kashmir-city-srinagar-india-lockdown-calls-protest-march |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Inside Kashmir's lockdown: 'Even I will pick up a gun' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-49294301 |work=BBC |date=10 August 2019 |access-date=5 September 2022 |archive-date=25 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025205015/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-49294301 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Thousands detained in Indian Kashmir crackdown, official data reveals |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-kashmir-detentions/thousands-detained-in-indian-kashmir-crackdown-official-data-reveals-idUSKCN1VX142 |work=Reuters |date=12 September 2019 |access-date=5 September 2022 |archive-date=31 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231164928/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-kashmir-detentions/thousands-detained-in-indian-kashmir-crackdown-official-data-reveals-idUSKCN1VX142 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Supreme Court of India did not hear constitutional challenges to the reorganisation or the Citizenship Amendment Act. According to Bhatty and Sundar, this is an example of the subversion of the Supreme Court and other major institutions, which were filled with appointees favouring the BJP.<ref name="Bhatty" />

During his campaign for [[2024 Indian general election]], Modi referred to [[Indian Muslims|Muslims]] as infiltrators with many children who would take India's wealth, if his political opponents gained power.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|author1=Hannah Ellis-Petersen |title=Narendra Modi accused of stirring tensions as voting in India continues |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/22/narendra-modi-accused-of-stirring-tensions-as-voting-in-india-continues |access-date=24 April 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=22 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|author1=Alex Travelli |author2=Suhasini Raj |title=Modi Calls Muslims 'Infiltrators' Who Would Take India's Wealth |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/22/world/asia/modi-speech-muslims.html |access-date=24 April 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=22 April 2024 |archive-date=24 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424001355/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/22/world/asia/modi-speech-muslims.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In a later interview, Modi said that regardless of the social class, there are more children in neighbourhoods plagued by poverty. He said he made no mention of Muslim or Hindu in his campaign speech.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title="I Never Said Hindu Or Muslim, I Talked About...": PM Modi |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/never-said-hindu-or-muslim-pm-narendra-modi-on-those-who-have-more-children-remark-5666246 |access-date=15 May 2024 |website=NDTV.com |archive-date=15 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515042145/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/never-said-hindu-or-muslim-pm-narendra-modi-on-those-who-have-more-children-remark-5666246 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=15 May 2024 |title='I will not do Hindu-Muslim': PM Narendra Modi amid 'infiltrators' row |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/i-will-not-do-hindu-muslim-pm-narendra-modi-amid-infiltrators-row-congress-manifesto-lok-sabha-elections-2024-101715743369272.html |access-date=15 May 2024 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en |archive-date=15 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515042308/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/i-will-not-do-hindu-muslim-pm-narendra-modi-amid-infiltrators-row-congress-manifesto-lok-sabha-elections-2024-101715743369272.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, factcheckers have refuted this claim of Modi and found numerous instances across his election campaign where he communally targeted the Muslims.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web| title=PM Modi denies Hindu-Muslim reference in election campaign speeches: Fact-check reveals otherwise | website=NORTHEAST NOW | date=15 May 2024 | url=https://nenow.in/lok-sabha-election-2024/pm-modi-denies-hindu-muslim-reference-in-election-campaign-speeches-fact-check-reveals-otherwise.html | access-date=18 May 2024 | archive-date=18 May 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518042754/https://nenow.in/lok-sabha-election-2024/pm-modi-denies-hindu-muslim-reference-in-election-campaign-speeches-fact-check-reveals-otherwise.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Majumder |first=Shinjinee |date=15 May 2024 |title=Did Modi target Muslims? Fact-checking PM's remarks in News 18 interview |url=https://www.altnews.in/did-modi-target-muslims-fact-checking-pms-remarks-in-news-18-interview/ |access-date=20 May 2024 |website=Alt News |language=en-GB |archive-date=20 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520070739/https://www.altnews.in/did-modi-target-muslims-fact-checking-pms-remarks-in-news-18-interview/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Economy ===
{{Main|Economic policy of the Narendra Modi government}}

[[File:Informal meeting of the BRICS during the 2019 G20 Osaka summit.jpg|thumb |[[BRICS]] leaders in 2019. Left to right: [[Xi Jinping|Xi]] (China), [[Vladimir Putin|Putin]] (Russia), [[Jair Bolsonaro|Bolsonaro]] (Brazil), Modi and [[Cyril Ramaphosa|Ramaphosa]] (South Africa) |left]]

The Modi government's economic policies focused on privatisation and liberalisation of the economy, and were based on a [[neoliberal]] framework.<ref name="Ruparelia" /><ref name="Shah 2015-10-10">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Shah |first1=Alpa |last2=Lerche |first2=Jens |url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2015/41/book-reviews/indias-democracy-illusion-inclusion.html |title=India's Democracy: Illusion of Inclusion |journal=[[Economic & Political Weekly]] |date=10 October 2015 |volume=50 |issue=41 |pages=33–36 |access-date=6 September 2021 |archive-date=28 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328113150/https://www.epw.in/journal/2015/41/book-reviews/indias-democracy-illusion-inclusion.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Modi liberalised India's [[foreign direct investment]] policies, allowing more foreign investment in several industries, including defence and railways.<ref name="Ruparelia" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-08-07/news/52555932_1_defence-sector-cent-fdi-railways-sector |work=[[The Times of India]] | title=Cabinet approves raising FDI cap in defence to 49 percent, opens up railways |date=7 August 2014 |access-date=27 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807044440/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-08-07/news/52555932_1_defence-sector-cent-fdi-railways-sector |archive-date=7 August 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/modi-presses-reform-for-india-but-is-it-enough-1416466742 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |first=Raymond |last=Zhong |title=Modi Presses Reform for India—But Is it Enough? |date=20 November 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329123224/http://www.wsj.com/articles/modi-presses-reform-for-india-but-is-it-enough-1416466742 |archive-date=29 March 2016 |access-date=29 March 2016 }}</ref> Other proposed reforms included making the forming of unions more difficult for workers, and making recruitment and dismissal easier for employers;<ref name="Shah 2015-10-10" /> some of these proposals were abandoned after protests.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Modi renews labour reforms push as jobs regain focus before polls |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/modi-renews-labour-reforms-push-as-jobs-regain-focus-before-polls/articleshow/63297358.cms |access-date=6 February 2019 |work=[[The Economic Times]] |date=14 March 2018 |archive-date=9 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124121/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/modi-renews-labour-reforms-push-as-jobs-regain-focus-before-polls/articleshow/63297358.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> The reforms drew strong opposition from unions: on 2 September 2015, eleven of the country's largest unions—including one affiliated with the BJP—struck.<ref name="Shah 2015-10-10" /> The [[Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh]] (Indian Workers Union), a constituent of the [[Sangh Parivar]] (Family of the RSS), stated the underlying motivation of labour reforms favoured corporations over labourers.<ref name="Ruparelia" />

The funds dedicated to poverty-reduction programmes and social welfare measures were greatly reduced by Modi's administration.<ref name="Manor">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Manor |first1=James |s2cid=155472230 |title=A Precarious Enterprise? Multiple Antagonisms during Year One of the Modi Government |journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies |year=2015 |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=736–754 |doi=10.1080/00856401.2015.1083644}}</ref> The money spent on social programmes declined from 14.6 per cent of GDP during the previous Congress government to 12.6 per cent during Modi's first year in office, and spending on health and family welfare declined by 15 per cent.<ref name="Ruparelia" /> The government lowered corporate taxes, abolished the [[Wealth Tax Act, 1957|wealth tax]], increased sales taxes, and reduced customs duties on gold and jewellery.<ref name="Ruparelia" /> In October 2014, the Modi government deregulated diesel prices.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/narendra-modi-government-deregulates-diesel-prices-681104 |title=Narendra Modi Government Deregulates Diesel Prices |first=Rahul |last=Shrivastava |date=18 October 2014 |publisher=[[NDTV]] |access-date=17 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129152524/http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/narendra-modi-government-deregulates-diesel-prices-681104 |archive-date=29 November 2016}}</ref> During Modi's first term, his government reduced spending on education as share of the budget: over five years, education spending dropped from 0.7 per cent of GDP to 0.5 per cent.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=How successive govts are flunking education budgets, NDA worse |website=India Today |date=31 January 2020 |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/diu/story/how-successive-govts-flunking-education-budgets-nda-worse-1641826-2020-01-31 |access-date=4 September 2022 |archive-date=4 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904100506/https://www.indiatoday.in/diu/story/how-successive-govts-flunking-education-budgets-nda-worse-1641826-2020-01-31 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Story in numbers: Spending on education in four years of Modi government |website=Business Standard News |date=4 February 2018 |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/story-in-numbers-spending-on-education-in-four-years-of-modi-government-118020400653_1.html |access-date=4 September 2022 |archive-date=4 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904102003/https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/story-in-numbers-spending-on-education-in-four-years-of-modi-government-118020400653_1.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Chowdhury |first=Shreya Roy |title=The Modi Years: What have school children gained in the last five years? |website=Scroll.in |date=26 January 2019 |url=https://scroll.in/article/909667/the-modi-years-what-have-school-children-gained-in-the-last-five-years |access-date=4 September 2022 |archive-date=4 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904100501/https://scroll.in/article/909667/the-modi-years-what-have-school-children-gained-in-the-last-five-years |url-status=live }}</ref> The percentage of the budget spent on children's nutrition, education, health, and associated programmes was almost halved between 2014 and 2022.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Children's Share in Budget Has Nearly Halved Since Modi Took Charge |website=The Wire |date=8 June 2021 |url=https://thewire.in/rights/modi-budget-share-for-children |access-date=4 September 2022 |archive-date=4 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904100726/https://thewire.in/rights/modi-budget-share-for-children |url-status=live }}</ref> Capital expenditure on transport infrastructure significantly rose, increasing from less than 0.4 per cent of GDP in 2014 to 1.7 per cent in 2023.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=13 March 2023 |title=India is getting an eye-wateringly big transport upgrade |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/03/13/india-is-getting-an-eye-wateringly-big-transport-upgrade |access-date=17 March 2023 |issn=0013-0613 |archive-date=16 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316152432/https://www.economist.com/asia/2023/03/13/india-is-getting-an-eye-wateringly-big-transport-upgrade |url-status=live }}</ref>

In September 2014, Modi introduced the [[Make in India]] initiative to encourage foreign companies to manufacture products in India with the goal of turning the country into a global manufacturing hub.<ref name="Ruparelia" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first=Gaurav |last=Choudhury |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/live-coverage-launch-of-modi-s-make-in-india-campaign/article1-1268119.aspx |title=Look East, Link West, says PM Modi at Make in India launch |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=25 September 2014 |access-date=17 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150817060606/http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/live-coverage-launch-of-modi-s-make-in-india-campaign/article1-1268119.aspx |archive-date=17 August 2015}}</ref> Supporters of economic liberalisation supported the initiative but critics said it would allow foreign corporations to capture a greater share of the Indian market.<ref name="Ruparelia" /> Modi's administration passed a land-reform bill that allowed it to acquire private agricultural land without conducting a social impact assessment, and without the consent of the farmers who owned it.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Guha |first1=Abhijit |title=Dangers of Indian Reform of the Colonial Land Acquisition Law |journal=Global Journal of Human-Social Science |year=2015 |volume=15 |issue=1}}</ref> The bill was passed via an executive order after it faced opposition in Parliament but was eventually allowed to lapse.<ref name="Sen" /> Modi's government passed the [[Goods and Services Tax (India)|Goods and Services Tax]], the biggest tax reform in the country since independence, subsuming around 17 taxes and became effective on 1 July 2017.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=3 years of Modi govt: 6 economic policies that have made BJP stronger, harder to defeat |url=http://m.businesstoday.in/story/from-demonetisation-to-gst-heres-what-pm-modi-did-on-economic-reforms-in-last-3-years-in-office/1/252249.html |work=[[Business Standard]] |date=16 May 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171030062641/http://m.businesstoday.in/story/from-demonetisation-to-gst-heres-what-pm-modi-did-on-economic-reforms-in-last-3-years-in-office/1/252249.html |archive-date=30 October 2017 }}</ref>

[[File:Narendra Modi launches Make in India.jpg|thumb |Modi at the launch of the [[Make in India]] programme]]

In his first cabinet decision, Modi set up a team to investigate [[black money]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=SIT formed to unearth black money – Narendra Modi Cabinet's first decision |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SIT-formed-to-unearth-black-money-Narendra-Modi-Cabinets-first-decision/articleshow/35636667.cms |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=27 May 2014 |access-date=17 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222203013/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SIT-formed-to-unearth-black-money-Narendra-Modi-Cabinets-first-decision/articleshow/35636667.cms |archive-date=22 December 2016 }}</ref> On 9 November 2016, the government [[2016 Indian banknote demonetisation|demonetised ₹500 and ₹1000 banknotes]] with the intention of curbing corruption, black money, terrorism and the use of counterfeit currency.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Rs 500, Rs 1000 currency notes stand abolished from midnight: PM Modi |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/narendra-modi-prime-minister-address-to-the-nation4364609 |work=[[The Indian Express]] |date=9 November 2016 |access-date=17 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215004810/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/narendra-modi-prime-minister-address-to-the-nation4364609/ |archive-date=15 February 2017 }}</ref> The move led to severe cash shortages,<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/demonetisation-chaos-grows-queues-get-longer-at-banks-atms-on-weekend-4371373/ |title=Demonetisation: Chaos grows, queues get longer at banks, ATMs on weekend |work=[[The Indian Express]] |date=12 November 2016 |access-date=17 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204213631/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/demonetisation-chaos-grows-queues-get-longer-at-banks-atms-on-weekend-4371373/ |archive-date=4 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/11/india-demonetisation-chaos-atms-run-dry-161109061403011.html |title=India demonetisation: Chaos as ATMs run dry |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |date=9 November 2016 |access-date=9 November 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110164223/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/11/india-demonetisation-chaos-atms-run-dry-161109061403011.html |archive-date=10 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/demonetisation-move-chaos-grows-queues-get-longer-at-banks-atms-on-weekend/article9337803.ece |title=Queues get longer at banks, ATMs on weekend |date=12 November 2016 |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=17 February 2017 |archive-date=9 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209124828/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Queues-get-longer-at-banks-ATMs-on-weekend/article16443670.ece |url-status=live }}</ref> and a steep decline in the Indian stock indices [[BSE SENSEX]] and [[NIFTY 50]],<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/business/markets/stock-market-news-november-9-2016/article9322930.ece |title=Sensex crashes 1,689 points on black money crackdown, U.S. election |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=9 November 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109070820/http://www.thehindu.com/business/markets/stock-market-news-november-9-2016/article9322930.ece |archive-date=9 November 2016 |date=9 November 2016 |last1=Rukhaiyar |first1=Ashish}}</ref> and sparked widespread protests throughout the country.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/11/28/world/asia/ap-as-india-currency-protest.html |title=Thousands Protest Across India Against Currency Policy |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=28 November 2016 |access-date=4 December 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201114411/http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/11/28/world/asia/ap-as-india-currency-protest.html?_r=0 |archive-date=1 December 2016}}</ref> It is estimated 1.5 million jobs were lost and that one per cent of the country's GDP was wiped out.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=30 August 2018 |title=Demonetisation drive that cost India 1.5m jobs fails to uncover 'black money' |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/30/india-demonetisation-drive-fails-uncover-black-money |access-date=31 July 2021 |website=the Guardian |language=en |archive-date=13 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813141814/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/30/india-demonetisation-drive-fails-uncover-black-money |url-status=live }}</ref> Several deaths were linked to the rush to exchange cash.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/11/india-demonetisation-takes-toll-poor-161116172745225.html |title=India: Demonetisation takes its toll on the poor |date=16 November 2016 |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |access-date=17 November 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117012410/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/11/india-demonetisation-takes-toll-poor-161116172745225.html |archive-date=17 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first=Shivam |last=Vij |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/11/15/demonetisation-death-toll-rises-to-25-and-its-only-been-6-days/ |title=Demonetisation Death Toll Rises To 25 And It's Only Been 6 Days |website=[[The Huffington Post]] |date=15 November 2016 |access-date=15 November 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116020908/http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/11/15/demonetisation-death-toll-rises-to-25-and-its-only-been-6-days/ |archive-date=16 November 2016}}</ref> In the subsequent year, the number of income tax returns filed for individuals rose by 25 per cent and the number of digital transactions steeply increased.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=PM Narendra Modi's demonetisation move pays off as income tax net widens |url=http://www.businesstoday.in/current/policy/narendra-modi-demonetisation-income-tax-returns-arun-jaitley/story/257957.html |work=[[Business Today (India)|Business Today]] |date=8 August 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815102938/http://www.businesstoday.in/current/policy/narendra-modi-demonetisation-income-tax-returns-arun-jaitley/story/257957.html |archive-date=15 August 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Demonetisation effect: Digital payments India's new currency; debit card transactions surge to over 1 billion |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/banking/finance/banking/digital-payments-indias-new-currency-debit-card-transactions-surge-to-over-1-billion/articleshow/58863652.cms |newspaper=[[The Economic Times]] |date=27 May 2017 |access-date=8 June 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170607055853/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/banking/finance/banking/digital-payments-indias-new-currency-debit-card-transactions-surge-to-over-1-billion/articleshow/58863652.cms |archive-date=7 June 2017 |last1=Bhakta |first1=Pratik }}</ref>

Modi's administration has observed a decline in GDP growth and increasing joblessness compared to the previous administration under [[Manmohan Singh]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web| last1=Inamdar | first1=Nikhil | last2=Alluri | first2=Aparna | title=India economy: Seven years of Modi in seven charts | website=BBC News | date=21 June 2021 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-57437944 | access-date=30 June 2023 | archive-date=28 March 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328173824/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-57437944 | url-status=live }}</ref> During the first eight years of Modi's premiership, India's GDP grew at an average rate of 5.5 per cent compared to the rate of 7.03 per cent under the previous government.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Tiwari |first=Amitabh |title=PM Narendra Modi's 8 Years: How He Has Performed Compared to Manmohan Singh |website=TheQuint |date=30 May 2022 |url=https://www.thequint.com/opinion/pm-narendra-modis-8-years-how-he-has-performed-compared-to-manmohan-singh |access-date=30 June 2023 |archive-date=30 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630033944/https://www.thequint.com/opinion/pm-narendra-modis-8-years-how-he-has-performed-compared-to-manmohan-singh |url-status=live }}</ref> Income inequality increased.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=V. |first1=Harini |title=India's economy is booming. Now comes the hard part |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/15/india-economy-modi-faces-inequality-black-money-and-taxes.html |access-date=6 February 2019 |publisher=[[CNBC]] |date=14 November 2018 |archive-date=21 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121065518/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/15/india-economy-modi-faces-inequality-black-money-and-taxes.html |url-status=live }}</ref> An internal government report said in 2017, unemployment increased to its highest level in 45 years. The loss of jobs was attributed to the 2016 banknote demonetisation, and the effects of the [[Goods and Services Tax (India)|Goods and Services Tax]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Gettleman |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Kumar |first2=Hari |title=India's Leader Is Accused of Hiding Unemployment Data Before Vote |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/world/asia/india-unemployment-rate.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190131203108/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/world/asia/india-unemployment-rate.html |archive-date=31 January 2019 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=7 February 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=31 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Kumar |first1=Manoj |last2=Ghoshal |first2=Devjyot |title=Indian jobless rate at multi-decade high, report says, in blow to Modi |url=https://in.reuters.com/article/us-india-economy-jobs/indian-jobless-rate-at-multi-decade-high-report-says-in-blow-to-modi-idINKCN1PP0FX |date=31 January 2019 |access-date=7 February 2019 |work=[[Reuters]] |archive-date=9 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209003057/https://in.reuters.com/article/us-india-economy-jobs/indian-jobless-rate-at-multi-decade-high-report-says-in-blow-to-modi-idINKCN1PP0FX |url-status=live }}</ref> GDP growth was 6.12 per cent in the 2018–19 [[financial year]], with an inflation rate of 3.4 per cent.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2020/October/weo-report |access-date=8 April 2021 |website=[[International Monetary Fund|IMF]] |language=en |archive-date=6 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106150157/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2020/October/weo-report |url-status=live }}</ref> In the year 2019–20, the [[GDP]] growth rate slowed to 4.18 per cent, while inflation increased to 4.7 per cent.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Beniwal |first=Vrishti |date=20 May 2019 |title=Lok sabha election: 2019 general elections: The winner gets an economy riddled with problems |work=[[The Economic Times]] |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/2019-general-elections-the-winner-gets-an-economy-riddled-with-problems/articleshow/69406323.cms?from=mdr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220180312/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/2019-general-elections-the-winner-gets-an-economy-riddled-with-problems/articleshow/69406323.cms?from=mdr |archive-date=20 February 2020 |access-date=8 April 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Indian economy shrunk by 6.6 per cent during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–21, and was estimated to grow at 8.2 per cent the following financial year.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Sheel |first1=Alok |title=Assessing the Recent Indian Economic Growth |journal=Economic & Political Weekly |date=20 August 2022 |volume=57 |issue=34 |url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2022/34/commentary/assessing-recent-indian-economic-growth.html |access-date=21 August 2022 |archive-date=22 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822024849/https://www.epw.in/journal/2022/34/commentary/assessing-recent-indian-economic-growth.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2025, Modi's government announced reforms to the country's [[Goods and Services Tax (India)|goods and services tax]] and [[Indian labour law|labour laws]].<ref>https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/01/21/the-remarkable-recovery-of-narendra-modi</ref>

=== Health and sanitation ===
{{See also|Swachh Bharat Mission}}

In his first year as prime minister, Modi reduced the central government's healthcare spending.<ref name="Economist 2015-06-27"/> In January 2015, the Modi government launched its New Health Policy (NHP), which did not increase the government's spending on healthcare but emphasised the role of private healthcare organisations. This represented a shift away from the policy of the previous Congress government, which had supported programmes to assist public health goals, including a reduction in child and maternal mortality rates.<ref name="Sharma">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Sharma |first1=Dinesh C |s2cid=10544022 |title=India's BJP Government and health: 1 year on |journal=The Lancet |date=May 2015 |volume=385 |issue=9982 |pages=2031–2032 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60977-1 |pmid=26009217 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The [[National Health Mission]], which included public health programmes targeted at these indices, received nearly 20 per cent less funding<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Bagcchi |first1=Sanjeet |s2cid=206906898 |title=India cuts health budget by 20% |journal=[[The BMJ|BMJ]] |date=2 January 2015 |volume=350 |pages=h4 |issn=1756-1833 |pmid=25556025 |doi=10.1136/bmj.h4}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Karla |first1=Aditya |title=Govt to cut health budget by nearly 20 per cent for 2014–15 |url=https://www.businesstoday.in/current/policy/govt-cuts-health-budget-spending-near-20-percent-for-fy15/story/213819.html |work=[[businesstoday.in]] |agency=[[Reuters]] |publisher=[[Business Today (India)|Business Today]] |date=23 December 2014 |access-date=27 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428011803/https://www.businesstoday.in/current/policy/govt-cuts-health-budget-spending-near-20-percent-for-fy15/story/213819.html |archive-date=28 April 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> in 2015 than in the previous year. The Modi administration reduced the healthcare budget by a further 15% in its second year.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Adhil |last=Shetty |title=Budget 2015 disappointed healthcare sector |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/healthcare/budget-2015-disappointed-healthcare-sector/articleshow/46572657.cms |access-date=21 April 2018 |work=[[The Economic Times]] |date=15 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421232430/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/healthcare/budget-2015-disappointed-healthcare-sector/articleshow/46572657.cms |archive-date=21 April 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> The healthcare budget for the following year rose by 19%; private insurance providers positively viewed the budget but public health experts criticised its emphasis on the role of private healthcare providers and said it represented a shift away from public health facilities.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Mudur |first1=Ganapati |s2cid=40551136 |title=Rise in India's health budget is "disappointing," say experts |journal=[[The BMJ|BMJ]] |year=2016 |volume=352 |article-number=i1338 |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/edba3e082ac91d49f9cbddd3f4964099/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2043523 |url-access=subscription |access-date=24 April 2018 |doi=10.1136/bmj.i1338 |pmid=26944481}}</ref> The healthcare budget rose by 11.5% in 2018; the change included an allocation of {{INRConvert |20 |b}} for a [[Ayushman Bharat Yojana|government-funded health insurance programme]] and a decrease in the budget of the [[National Health Mission]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first1=Devika |last1=Bhattacharya |first2=Shailaja |last2=Neelakantan |title=Budget 2018 boost for healthcare: Lessons for 'Modicare' from Obamacare |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/budget-2018-boost-for-healthcare-lessons-for-modicare-from-obamacare/articleshow/62753639.cms |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=2 February 2018 |access-date=21 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180409064654/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/budget-2018-boost-for-healthcare-lessons-for-modicare-from-obamacare/articleshow/62753639.cms |archive-date=9 April 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi interacting with the Chief Ministers via video conferencing to discuss the situation emerging post Unlock 1.0 and plan ahead for tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, in New Delhi on June 16, 2020.jpg|thumb|Modi discussing the [[COVID-19 pandemic in India|COVID-19 pandemic]] with Chief Ministers via videoconferencing in June 2020]]

Modi emphasised his government's efforts at sanitation as a means of ensuring good health.<ref name="Sharma" /> On 2 October 2014, Modi launched the [[Swachh Bharat Mission]] ("Clean India") campaign. The campaign's stated goals included the elimination of [[open defecation]] and [[manual scavenging]] within five years.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Schmidt |first1=Charles W. |title=Beyond Malnutrition: The Role of Sanitation in Stunted Growth |journal=Environmental Health Perspectives |date=November 2014 |volume=122 |issue=11 |pages=A298–303 |doi=10.1289/ehp.122-a298 |pmid=25360801 |pmc=4216152}}</ref><ref name="Jeffrey">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Jeffrey |first1=Robin |s2cid=147169571 |title=Clean India! Symbols, Policies and Tensions |journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies |year=2015 |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=807–819 |doi=10.1080/00856401.2015.1088504}}</ref> As part of the programme, the Indian government began constructing millions of toilets in rural areas and encouraging people to use them.<ref name=Lakshmi>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Lakshmi |first=Rama |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/india-is-building-millions-of-toilets-but-toilet-training-could-be-a-bigger-task/2015/06/03/09d1aa9e-095a-11e5-a7ad-b430fc1d3f5c_story.html |title=India is building millions of toilets, but that's the easy part |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=4 June 2015 |access-date=3 October 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004140239/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/india-is-building-millions-of-toilets-but-toilet-training-could-be-a-bigger-task/2015/06/03/09d1aa9e-095a-11e5-a7ad-b430fc1d3f5c_story.html |archive-date=4 October 2015 }}</ref><ref name=Gahlot>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/04/03/globalpost-india-toilet/25236383/ |work=[[USA Today]] |first1=Mandakini |last1=Gahlot |title=India steps up efforts to encourage use of toilets |date=3 April 2015 |access-date=17 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816194615/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/04/03/globalpost-india-toilet/25236383/  |archive-date=16 August 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21607837-fixing-dreadful-sanitation-india-requires-not-just-building-lavatories-also-changing  |newspaper=[[The Economist]]  |title=The Final Frontier |date=19 July 2014 |access-date=17 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206112403/http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21607837-fixing-dreadful-sanitation-india-requires-not-just-building-lavatories-also-changing  |archive-date=6 February 2017 }}</ref> The government also announced plans to build new sewage treatment plants,<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-18/india-plans-1-3-billion-sewage-plants-in-towns-along-the-ganges |work=[[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]] |first=Archana  |last=Chaudhary |title=India Plans 1.3-Billion Sewage Plants in Towns Along the Ganges |date=18 May 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729185058/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-18/india-plans-1-3-billion-sewage-plants-in-towns-along-the-ganges |archive-date=29 July 2016 |access-date=30 March 2016 }}</ref> and planned to construct 60&nbsp;million toilets by 2019. The construction projects faced allegations of corruption and severe difficulty in getting people to use the newly constructed toilets.<ref name="Jeffrey" /><ref name=Lakshmi /><ref name=Gahlot /> Sanitation cover in India increased from 38.7% in October 2014 to 84.1% in May 2018 but use of the new sanitary facilities was lower than the government's targets.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Swachh Bharat full marks for access, usage not upto the mark  |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/swachh-bharat-full-marks-for-access-usage-not-up-to-the-mark/articleshow/66027457.cms  |work=[[The Times of India]]  |date=2 October 2018 |access-date=2 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002170307/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/swachh-bharat-full-marks-for-access-usage-not-up-to-the-mark/articleshow/66027457.cms  |archive-date=2 October 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref> In 2018, the [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) stated at least 180,000 diarrhoeal deaths in rural India were averted after the launch of the sanitation effort.<ref>* {{#invoke:cite|web|first=Rhythma |last=Kaul |title=How Swachh Bharat transformed the way public hospitals function |url=https://m.hindustantimes.com/india-news/how-swachh-bharat-transformed-the-way-public-hospitals-function/story-fPgFK331o3JLIPHGcc0GQN.html  |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=29 September 2018 |access-date=30 September 2018}}
* {{#invoke:cite|web|first=Sanchita |last=Sharma |title=How the Swachh Bharat mission has saved India's kids |url=https://m.hindustantimes.com/india-news/how-the-swachh-bharat-mission-has-saved-india-s-kids/story-G1AjRvhTTTBrv6OUMYq2fO.html |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=21 September 2018 |access-date=22 September 2018}}</ref>

In March 2020, in response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in India|COVID-19 pandemic]], the Modi administration invoked the [[Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897]] and [[Disaster Management Act, 2005]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Awasthi |first=Prashasti |date=12 March 2020 |title=Centre invokes 'Epidemic Act' and 'Disaster Management Act' to prevent spread of coronavirus |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/centre-invokes-epidemic-act-and-disaster-management-act-to-prevent-spread-of-coronavirus/article31049161.ece |url-status=live |access-date=19 May 2021 |website=@businessline |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313001617/https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/centre-invokes-epidemic-act-and-disaster-management-act-to-prevent-spread-of-coronavirus/article31049161.ece  |archive-date=13 March 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Sharma |first=Ayan |date=18 March 2020 |title=How Indian states are gearing up to tackle the coronavirus pandemic |url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2020/03/18/how-indian-states-are-gearing-up-to-tackle-the-coronavirus-pandemic |url-status=live |access-date=19 May 2021 |website=Newslaundry |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319164411/https://www.newslaundry.com/2020/03/18/how-indian-states-are-gearing-up-to-tackle-the-coronavirus-pandemic  |archive-date=19 March 2020 }}</ref> The same month, all commercial domestic and international flights were suspended.<ref name="Sanyal">{{#invoke:cite|web|date=12 March 2020 |editor-last=Sanyal |editor-first=Anindita |title=India Suspends All Tourist Visas Till April 15 Over Coronavirus: 10 Facts |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/coronavirus-impact-visas-to-india-suspended-till-april-15-2193382 |url-status=live |access-date=12 March 2020 |publisher=NDTV |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311221112/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/coronavirus-impact-visas-to-india-suspended-till-april-15-2193382  |archive-date=11 March 2020 }}</ref> Modi announced a 14-hour curfew on 22 March,<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=20 March 2020 |title=PM Modi calls for 'Janata curfew' on March 22 from 7 AM-9 PM |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/pm-modi-calls-for-janta-curfew-on-march-22-from-7-am-9-pm/article31110155.ece |url-status=live |access-date=26 April 2021 |website=The Hindu @businessline |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319164201/https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/pm-modi-calls-for-janta-curfew-on-march-22-from-7-am-9-pm/article31110155.ece  |archive-date=19 March 2020 }}</ref> and followed with a three-week "total lockdown" two days later.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=29 March 2021 |title=India Covid-19: PM Modi 'did not consult' before lockdown |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-56561095 |access-date=26 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Gettleman |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Schultz |first2=Kai |date=24 March 2020 |title=Modi Orders 3-Week Total Lockdown for All 1.3 Billion Indians |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/world/asia/india-coronavirus-lockdown.html |access-date=26 April 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Restrictions were gradually lifted beginning in April, and were completely revoked in November 2020.<ref name="Sanyal" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Ministry of Home Affairs Unlock 5.0 official guidelines on their official website |work=Ministry of Home Affairs |url=https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/MHAOrderDt_30092020.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=29 October 2020 |title=Unlock 6.0 latest guidelines: What do they mean for schools, colleges, other educational institutions |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-unlock-6-read-here-what-the-government-s-latest-guidelines-for-schools-colleges-educational-institutions-mean-indiacom-report-2853033 |access-date=11 November 2020 |website=DNA India |language=en}}</ref> A second wave of the pandemic that began in March 2021 was significantly more devastating than the first; some parts of India experienced shortages of vaccines, hospital beds, [[Gas cylinder|oxygen cylinders]] and other medical supplies.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Michael |last=Safi |title=India's shocking surge in Covid cases follows baffling decline |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/21/india-shocking-surge-in-covid-cases-follows-baffling-decline |work=The Guardian |date=21 April 2021 |access-date=29 April 2021}}</ref> In late April India reported over 400,000 cases in a 24-hour period, the first country to do so.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=30 April 2021 |title=Coronavirus: India becomes first country in the world to report over 4 lakh new cases on 30 April 2021 |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coronavirus-india-becomes-first-country-in-the-world-to-report-over-400000-new-cases-on-april-30-2021/article34453081.ece |access-date=2 May 2021 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> India began its [[COVID-19 vaccination in India|vaccination programme]] in January 2021;<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=#IndiaFightsCorona COVID-19  |url=https://www.mygov.in/covid-19  |website=MyGov.in  |date=16 March 2020 |publisher=Govt of India  |access-date=12 June 2021}}</ref><ref>[https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/daily-covid-19-vaccination-doses?tab=chart&country=~IND Daily COVID-19 vaccine doses administered – India], Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 May 2021.</ref> in January 2022, India announced it had administered about 1.7 billion doses of vaccines and that more than 720 million people were fully vaccinated.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=United with India: Supporting India's COVID-19 vaccination drive  |website=UNSDG  |date=2 May 2022 |url=https://unsdg.un.org/latest/stories/united-india-supporting-indias-covid-19-vaccination-drive  |access-date=8 May 2022}}</ref> In May 2022, the WHO estimated 4.7 million people had died of COVID-19 in India, mostly during the second wave in mid 2021—almost 10 times the Indian government's estimate. The Modi administration rejected the WHO's estimate.<ref name="Grimley" /><ref name="Biswas" />

=== Foreign policy ===
{{Further|Foreign policy of the Narendra Modi government|Asian foreign policy of the Narendra Modi government|Middle Eastern foreign policy of the Narendra Modi government|List of international prime ministerial trips made by Narendra Modi}}
[[File:TrumpModi.jpg|thumb|Modi with US president [[Donald Trump]] at [[Namaste Trump]] rally in [[Ahmedabad]], India]]

Foreign policy played a small role in Modi's election campaign and did not feature prominently in the BJP's election manifesto.<ref name="Hall">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Hall |first1=Ian |s2cid=154260676 |title=Is a 'Modi doctrine' emerging in Indian foreign policy? |journal=Australian Journal of International Affairs |year=2015 |doi=10.1080/10357718.2014.1000263 |volume=69 |issue=3 |pages=247–252}}</ref> Modi's foreign policy, similarly to that of the preceding Congress government, focused on improving economic ties, security and regional relations.<ref name="Hall" /> Modi continued Manmohan Singh's policy of "multi-alignment".<ref name="Hall" /> The Modi administration tried to attract foreign investment in the Indian economy from several sources, especially East Asia, with the use of slogans such as "[[Make in India]]" and "[[Digital India]]". The government also tried to improve relations with [[Middle Eastern foreign policy of the Narendra Modi government|Islamic nations in the Middle East]], such as [[Bahrain–India relations|Bahrain]], [[India–Iran relations|Iran]], [[India–Saudi Arabia relations|Saudi Arabia]] and the [[United Arab Emirates India relations|United Arab Emirates]], as well as with [[India–Israel relations|Israel]].{{Efn |"The Narendra Modi led government completed two years in power in May 2016 and the prime minister has made his mark on both the domestic and foreign policy fronts. It is important to assess how successful his initiatives have been in the arena of foreign affairs in comparison to his predecessors. In this regard, this paper identifies and examines the key trends and issues in foreign policy under the Modi led administration and the measures needed to translate speeches and policies into action. Modi government has also taken a serious node of relations with middle-east nations, as well as Iran and Israel."{{Sfn |Hall |2016 |pp=278-281}} |name= |group=}}

[[File:The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu and the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi meeting the State Counsellor of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, at the Ceremonial Reception, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi.jpg|thumb |Modi meeting [[Myanmar]]'s leader [[Aung San Suu Kyi]] in New Delhi in January 2018 |left]]

[[India-USA relations|India's relationship with the United States]] improved after Narendra Modi became PM.{{Sfnm |1a1=Hall |1y=2020 |1pp=283-285 |2a1=Gupta |2y=2019 |2pp=3-9 |3a1=Madan |3y=2020 |3pp=65}} During the run-up to the general election, there was wide-ranging scepticism about future of the strategic bilateral relationship under Modi's premiership; in 2005, while [[Chief Minister of Gujarat]], Modi was denied a US visa during the [[presidency of George W. Bush]] for his poor human-rights record.<ref name="Mann" /><ref name="Times of India 2005-03-18" /> Sensing Modi's victory well before the election, [[United States Ambassador to India|US Ambassador]] to India [[Nancy Powell]] contacted Modi as part of greater ''[[rapprochement]]'' from the West. Following Modi's 2014 appointment as India's PM, [[Presidency of Barack Obama|President Obama]] congratulated him over the telephone and invited Modi to visit the US.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=16 May 2014 |title=Readout of the President's Call with Prime Ministerial Candidate Narendra Modi of India |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/16/readout-president-s-call-prime-ministerial-candidate-narendra-modi-india |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201002320/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/16/readout-president-s-call-prime-ministerial-candidate-narendra-modi-india |archive-date=1 December 2020 |access-date=24 January 2021 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |work=[[whitehouse.gov]] |language=en}}</ref> The Modi government enjoyed a positive relationship with the US during the presidencies of Barack Obama and his successor [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Sammon |first=Alexander |date=23 January 2020 |title=Barack Obama's Legacy Is Narendra Modi |url=https://prospect.org/api/content/85a58d7c-3d60-11ea-b621-1244d5f7c7c6/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107210952/https://prospect.org/world/barack-obamas-legacy-is-narendra-modi/ |archive-date=7 November 2020 |access-date=24 January 2021 |website=[[The American Prospect]] |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=1 December 2017 |title=Obama, in reply to question on friendship with Modi, ends up praising Manmohan |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/barack-obama-pm-modi-manmohan-singh-indian-economy-1098222-2017-12-01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109093240/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/barack-obama-pm-modi-manmohan-singh-indian-economy-1098222-2017-12-01 |archive-date=9 November 2020 |access-date=24 January 2021 |website=[[India Today]] |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Prime Minister Of Bharat Shri Narendra Damodardas Modi & President Of The Russian Federation Mr. Vladimir Putin At The Grand Kremlin Palace.jpg|thumb|Modi and Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] in Moscow, Russia, 9 July 2024]]
During the first few months after his appointment as PM, Modi visited a number of countries in support of his policy, and attended the [[BRICS]], [[ASEAN]] and [[G20]] summits.<ref name="Hall" /> One of Modi's first visits as PM was to Nepal, during which he promised one billion US dollars in aid.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Mocko |first1=Anne |last2=Penjore |first2=Dorji |title=Nepal and Bhutan in 2014 |journal=Asian Survey |year=2015 |volume=55 |issue=1 |pages=75–81 |doi=10.1525/AS.2015.55.1.75 |hdl=1885/13357|hdl-access=free }}</ref> Modi also made several visits to the US;<ref name="Pant">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Pant |first1=Harsh V. |s2cid=154940836 |title=Modi's Unexpected Boost to India-U.S. Relations |journal=[[The Washington Quarterly]] |date=Fall 2014 |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=97–112 |doi=10.1080/0163660X.2014.978438}}</ref> this was described as an unexpected development because of the US's earlier denial of a US travel visa to Modi over his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. The visits were expected to strengthen diplomatic and trade relations between the two countries.<ref name="Pant" />

In 2015, the Indian parliament ratified a land-exchange deal with Bangladesh in the [[India–Bangladesh enclaves]], which the government of Manmohan Singh had initiated.<ref name="Sen" /> Modi's administration brought renewed attention to India's "Look East Policy", which was instituted in 1991. The policy, which was renamed the "Act East Policy", involved directing Indian foreign policy towards East Asia and [[Southeast Asia]].<ref name="Downie">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Downie |first1=Edmund |url=https://thediplomat.com/2015/02/manipur-and-indias-act-east-policy/ |title=Manipur and India's 'Act East' Policy |journal=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |date=25 February 2015 |access-date=26 February 2015}}</ref> The government signed agreements to improve land connectivity with [[Myanmar]] through the Indian state of [[Manipur]]; this represented a break with India's historic engagement with Myanmar, which prioritised border security over trade.<ref name="Downie" /> [[China–India relations]] rapidly deteriorated following the [[2020 China–India skirmishes]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Modi takes veiled dig at China on visit to disputed border area |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/7/3/modi-takes-veiled-dig-at-china-on-visit-to-disputed-border-area |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |date=3 July 2020 |access-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> Modi pledged aid of $900 million to Afghanistan, which he visited twice and was honoured with Afghanistan's highest civilian honour in 2016.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=15 August 2019 |title=President Ashraf Ghani's Congratulatory Message on the Occasion of India's 73rd Independence Day |url=https://president.gov.af/en/message/1049 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821153927/https://president.gov.af/en/message/1049 |archive-date=21 August 2019 |access-date=8 April 2021 |work=[[President of Afghanistan]] |language=en }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=PM Modi conferred Afghanistan's highest civilian honour |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pm-narendra-modi-afghanistan-highest-civilian-award-amir-amanullah-khan-award-2834312/ |date=4 June 2016 |access-date=17 February 2017 |work=[[The Indian Express]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231055730/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pm-narendra-modi-afghanistan-highest-civilian-award-amir-amanullah-khan-award-2834312/ |archive-date=31 December 2016}}</ref> In September 2022, Modi appeared to have developed a strong personal relationship with Russia's president [[Vladimir Putin]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=PM Modi And His Friendship With World Leaders |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/pm-modi-and-his-friendship-with-world-leaders/popular-global-leader/slideshow/94266838.cms |work=[[The Economic Times]] |date=17 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Kugiel |first1=Patryk |title=What Modi and Putin's 'unbreakable friendship' means for the EU |url=https://euobserver.com/opinion/156193 |work=[[EUobserver]] |date=3 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Mogul |first1=Rhea |title=India's words are anti-war, but New Delhi's actions are propping up Putin's regime |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/03/india/india-russia-war-putin-modi-intl-hnk/index.html |work=CNN |date=4 October 2022}}</ref>
[[File:Russian President Vladimir Putin with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping before the restricted-format meeting of the 2024 BRICS Summit.jpg|thumb|left| Modi with Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] and Chinese president [[Xi Jinping]]]]
India hosted the [[2023 G20 New Delhi summit]], during which the [[African Union]] joined the G20 as a permanent member.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=9 September 2023|title=African Union formally joins G20, PM Modi calls for 'trust and reliance'|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/african-union-formally-joins-g20-pm-modi-calls-for-trust-and-reliance-101694237313601.html|access-date=10 September 2023|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref> In an interview on 26 August 2023, Prime Minister Modi expressed optimism about the G20 countries' evolving agenda under India's presidency, shifting toward a human-centric development approach that aligns with the concerns of the [[Global South]], including addressing [[climate change]], [[debt restructuring]] through the G20's Common Framework for Debt, and a strategy for regulation of global [[cryptocurrencies]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=26 August 2023 |title=PM Narendra Modi interview highlights: From G20 presidency to India as a manufacturing destination, PM lays out his expansive vision for the country |url=https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/in-focus/story/pm-narendra-modi-interview-highlights-from-g20-presidency-to-india-as-a-manufacturing-destination-pm-lays-out-his-expansive-vision-for-the-country-395743-2023-08-26 |access-date=28 August 2023 |website=Business Today |language=en |archive-date=28 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828052845/https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/in-focus/story/pm-narendra-modi-interview-highlights-from-g20-presidency-to-india-as-a-manufacturing-destination-pm-lays-out-his-expansive-vision-for-the-country-395743-2023-08-26 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Exclusive: PM Modi calls for global framework on cryptocurrency. Here's what he said |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/business/story/exclusive-pm-modi-global-framework-cryptocurrency-here-what-he-said-2426908-2023-08-26 |access-date=28 August 2023 |website=India Today |date=26 August 2023 |language=en |archive-date=28 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828062356/https://www.indiatoday.in/business/story/exclusive-pm-modi-global-framework-cryptocurrency-here-what-he-said-2426908-2023-08-26 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=26 August 2023 |title='G20 की अध्यक्षता कर पूरी दुनिया को नई राह दिखा रहा भारत', Exclusive इंटरव्यू में बोले पीएम मोदी |url=https://www.aajtak.in/india/news/story/exclusive-interview-of-pm-narendra-modi-chairmanship-of-g-20-talks-on-russia-ukraine-war-and-china-ntc-1765996-2023-08-26 |access-date=28 August 2023 |website=आज तक |language=hi |archive-date=28 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828062357/https://www.aajtak.in/india/news/story/exclusive-interview-of-pm-narendra-modi-chairmanship-of-g-20-talks-on-russia-ukraine-war-and-china-ntc-1765996-2023-08-26 |url-status=live }}</ref> Modi's government faced scrutiny in the lead-up to the G20 meeting as multiple news sources reported that Indian authorities demolished [[slum]] neighbourhoods in [[New Delhi]], displacing marginalised residents.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=India, advocate for the global poor, clears slums as G20 draw near|url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/04/india/g20-summit-india-slum-home-demolitions-intl-hnk-dst/index.html|work=CNN|date=5 September 2023|language=en|access-date=5 September 2023|archive-date=5 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230905191512/https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/04/india/g20-summit-india-slum-home-demolitions-intl-hnk-dst/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Mehrotra|first1=Karishma|last2=Shih|first2=Gerry|title=As G-20 meetings come to India, Modi launches a public relations blitz|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/21/g20-india-modi-public-relations/|newspaper=Washington Post|date=20 March 2023|access-date=5 September 2023|archive-date=22 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322172652/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/21/g20-india-modi-public-relations/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Many New Delhi slums disappear ahead of G20 summit|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/g20-summit-slum-idAFKBN30B0H0|work=Reuters|date=5 September 2023|access-date=5 September 2023|archive-date=5 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230905191513/https://news.yahoo.com/many-delhi-slums-disappear-ahead-124043677.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Defence ===
[[File:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu visiting the Technology Exhibition, at Tel Aviv, Israel on July 06, 2017 (2).jpg|thumb|[[Benjamin Netanyahu]], the [[Prime Minister of Israel|prime minister of Israel]], and Modi visiting the Technology Exhibition, at [[Tel Aviv]], Israel in 2017|left]]

India's nominal military spending steadily increased under Modi.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Manghat |first1=Sajeet |title=Budget 2019: A 10 Percent Hike in Defence Capital Outlay |url=https://www.bloombergquint.com/union-budget-2019/budget-2019-a-10-percent-hike-in-defence-capital-outlay |access-date=8 April 2019 |work=[[BloombergQuint]] |date=1 February 2019}}</ref> During Modi's tenure, the military budget declined, both as a fraction of GDP and when adjusted for inflation.<ref name="Rajagopalan">{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Rajagopalan |first1=Rajeswari Pillai |title=Why India's New Defense Budget Falls Short |url=https://thediplomat.com/2019/02/why-indias-new-defense-budget-falls-short/ |access-date=8 April 2019 |work=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |date=9 February 2019}}</ref><ref name="Economist 2018-03-28">{{#invoke:cite|news|title=India spends a fortune on defence and gets poor value for money |url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2018/03/28/india-spends-a-fortune-on-defence-and-gets-poor-value-for-money |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215220546/https://www.economist.com/asia/2018/03/28/india-spends-a-fortune-on-defence-and-gets-poor-value-for-money |archive-date=15 February 2019 |access-date=8 April 2019 |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |date=28 March 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> A substantial portion of the military budget was devoted to personnel costs. Commentators wrote the budget was constraining Indian military modernisation.<ref name="Rajagopalan" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Sharma |first1=Kiran |title=India's arms modernization hampered by populist budget |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/India-s-arms-modernization-hampered-by-populist-budget |access-date=8 April 2019 |work=[[Nikkei Asia]] |date=17 February 2019}}</ref><ref name="Economist 2018-03-28" />

Under Modi, India launched military modernisation initiative aimed at strengthening defence preparedness and streamlining defence acquisition.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Matamis |first=Joaquin |date=22 May 2024 |title=India's Military Modernization Efforts Under Prime Minister Modi • Stimson Center |url=https://www.stimson.org/2024/indias-military-modernization-efforts-under-prime-minister-modi/ |access-date=7 September 2024 |website=Stimson Center |language=en-US}}</ref> Modi launched new policies under the "[[Atmanirbhar Bharat|Aatmanirbhar Bharat]]" campaign, promoting indigenous defence manufacturing with policies to procure key weapon systems domestically. The government has implemented several of the recommendations from the Shekatkar Committee to streamline defence procurement and rationalise spending. Efforts have been made to establish Integrated Theatre Commands (ITCs) to enhance jointness among the services, although challenges persist in their full operationalisation.<ref name="orf2023">{{Cite book |editor-first1=Anit |editor-last1=Mukherjee |editor-first2=Rajeswari Pillai |editor-last2=Rajagopalan |editor-first3=Nishant |editor-last3=Rajeev |date=18 July 2023 |title=Momentous Changes: Defence Reforms, Military Transformation, and India's New Strategic Posture |url=https://www.orfonline.org/public/uploads/posts/pdf/20231229195724.pdf |publisher=ORF: [[Observer Research Foundation]] / [[S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies]] |isbn=978-81-963864-0-5 }}</ref>

Modi promised to be "tough on Pakistan" during his election campaign and repeatedly called Pakistan an [[Pakistan and state-sponsored terrorism|exporter of terrorism]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Reversing roles |url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2016/10/06/reversing-roles?zid=306&ah=1b164dbd43b0cb27ba0d4c3b12a5e227 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612163106/https://www.economist.com/asia/2016/10/06/reversing-roles?zid=306&ah=1b164dbd43b0cb27ba0d4c3b12a5e227 |access-date=8 April 2019 |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |date=6 October 2016 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=PM slams Pakistan on terror: 10 quotes from Narendra Modi's speech in Kozhikode |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pm-narendra-modi-kozhikode-kerala-speech-bjp-pakistan-uri-attack-3048273 |work=[[The Indian Express]] |date=24 September 2016 |access-date=17 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119141653/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pm-narendra-modi-kozhikode-kerala-speech-bjp-pakistan-uri-attack-3048273/ |archive-date=19 November 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Shyam |last=Balasubramanian |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-terrorism-PM-Narendra-Modi-G20-Summit-China/articleshow/54016423.cms |title=One nation in South Asia spreading terrorism: PM Modi at G20 Summit |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=5 September 2016 |access-date=17 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170311060910/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-terrorism-PM-Narendra-Modi-G20-Summit-China/articleshow/54016423.cms |archive-date=11 March 2017 }}</ref> On 29 September 2016, the Modi administration said the Indian Army had conducted a [[2016 Indian Line of Control strike|surgical strike]] on terror [[launch pad]]s in [[Azad Kashmir]]; the Indian media said up to 50 terrorists and Pakistani soldiers had been killed in the strike.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-s-surgical-strikes-across-loc-full-statement-by-dgmo-lt-gen-ranbir-singh/story-Q5yrp0gjvxKPGazDzAnVsM.html |title=India's surgical strikes across LoC: Full statement by DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=29 September 2016 |access-date=2 October 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002024056/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-s-surgical-strikes-across-loc-full-statement-by-dgmo-lt-gen-ranbir-singh/story-Q5yrp0gjvxKPGazDzAnVsM.html |archive-date=2 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url=http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/uri-avenged-35-40-terrorists-9-pakistani-soldiers-killed-in-indian-surgical-strikes-say-tv-reports/397625/ |date=29 September 2016 |title=Uri avenged: 35–40 terrorists, 9 Pakistani soldiers killed in Indian surgical strikes, say TV reports |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002035024/http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/uri-avenged-35-40-terrorists-9-pakistani-soldiers-killed-in-indian-surgical-strikes-say-tv-reports/397625/ |archive-date=2 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first=Manjeet Singh |last=Negi |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/uri-avenged-inside-story-indian-army-surgical-strikes-pok/1/776433.html |title=Surgical strikes in PoK: How Indian para commandos killed 50 terrorists, hit 7 camps |work=[[India Today]] |date=29 September 2016 |access-date=1 October 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001032146/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/uri-avenged-inside-story-indian-army-surgical-strikes-pok/1/776433.html |archive-date=1 October 2016 }}</ref> Independent analysts said India's statement about the scope of the strike and the number of casualties had been exaggerated.<ref>{{cite web | last=Khan | first=M Ilyas | title=India's 'surgical strikes' in Kashmir: Truth or illusion? | website=BBC News | date=22 October 2016 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-37702790 | access-date=14 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Reversing roles | newspaper=The Economist | date=6 October 2016 | url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2016/10/06/reversing-roles | access-date=14 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=Sasikumar | first=Karthika | title=India's Surgical Strikes: Response to Strategic Imperatives | journal=The Round Table | publisher=Informa UK Limited | volume=108 | issue=2 | date=4 March 2019 | issn=0035-8533 | doi=10.1080/00358533.2019.1591768 | pages=159–174| s2cid=159140220 | url=https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/context/pols_pub/article/1028/viewcontent/India_E2_80_99s_20Surgical_20Strikes_20__20Response_20to_20Strategic_20Imperatives.pdf }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Singh| first=Sandeep| title=India's Surgical Strikes: Walking Into Pakistan's Trap? | work=The Diplomat| date=5 October 2016 | url=https://thediplomat.com/2016/10/indias-surgical-strikes-walking-into-pakistans-trap/ | access-date=21 September 2023}}</ref> Pakistan denied any surgical strikes to have taken place.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first1=Ellen |last1=Barry |first2=Salman |last2=Masood |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/30/world/asia/kashmir-india-pakistan.html |title=India Claims 'Surgical Strikes' Across Line of Control in Kashmir |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=29 September 2016 |access-date=1 October 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002083642/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/30/world/asia/kashmir-india-pakistan.html?_r=0 |archive-date=2 October 2016 }}</ref> In February 2019, India carried out [[2019 Balakot airstrike|airstrikes]] against a supposed terrorist camp in Pakistan; open source satellite imagery suggested no targets of significance were hit.<ref>{{citation |last1=Lalwani |first1=Sameer |last2=Tallo |first2=Emily |date=17 April 2019 |title=Did India shoot down a Pakistani F-16 in February? This just became a big deal: There are broader implications for India—and the United States |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/17/did-india-shoot-down-pakistani-f-back-february-this-just-became-big-deal/}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Hall |first=Ian |title = India's 2019 General Election: National Security and the Rise of the Watchmen |journal=The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs |volume= 108 |year=2019 |issue=5 |pages=507–519, 510 |doi=10.1080/00358533.2019.1658360 |s2cid=203266692 |hdl=10072/387751 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> [[India–Pakistan border skirmishes (2019)|Further military skirmishes]], including cross-border shelling and the loss of an Indian aircraft, occurred.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Slater |first1=Joanna |last2=Constable |first2=Pamela |author2-link=Pamela Constable |title=Pakistan captures Indian pilot after shooting down aircraft, escalating hostilities |language=en-US |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/pakistan-says-it-has-shot-down-two-indian-jets-in-its-airspace/2019/02/27/054461a2-3a5b-11e9-a2cd-307b06d0257b_story.html |date=27 February 2019 |access-date=3 March 2021 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=28 February 2019 |title=Skirmishing between India and Pakistan could escalate |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |url=https://www.economist.com/briefing/2019/02/28/skirmishing-between-india-and-pakistan-could-escalate |access-date=3 March 2021 |issn=0013-0613}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Gettleman |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Kumar |first2=Hari |last3=Yasir |first3=Sameer |date=2 March 2019 |title=Deadly Shelling Erupts in Kashmir Between India and Pakistan After Pilot Is Freed |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/02/world/asia/kashmir-shelling-india-pakistan.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302195309/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/02/world/asia/kashmir-shelling-india-pakistan.html |archive-date=2 March 2019 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=3 March 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Eight months after the incident, the Modi administration admitted that six Indian military personnel had been killed by [[friendly fire]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=India admits friendly fire downed Mi-17 helicopter in Kashmir|date=4 October 2019|location=Washington, DC|publisher=The Defense Post|url=https://www.thedefensepost.com/2019/10/04/india-mi-17-helicopter-kashmir-friendly-fire/ |quote=The Indian Air Force confirmed for the first time on Friday, October 4 that it shot down one of its own Mi-17 helicopters during clashes with Pakistan in February over Kashmir, killing all six on board.}}</ref>

[[File:P20210924AS-1147-2 (51707173079).jpg|thumb |Modi along with [[Quadrilateral Security Dialogue|Quad]] leaders in [[Washington, D.C.]] in 2021]]

In May 2020, Chinese and Indian troops engaged in aggressive skirmishes along the [[Sino-Indian border]], including near the disputed [[Pangong Lake]], [[Ladakh]], and the [[Tibet Autonomous Region]] and near the border between [[Sikkim]] and the [[Tibet Autonomous Region]]. Additional clashes took place in eastern Ladakh along the [[Line of Actual Control]] (LAC).<ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Deepak |first=B. R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_fsOEAAAQBAJ |title=India and China: Beyond the Binary of Friendship and Enmity |date=2020 |publisher=[[Springer Nature]] |isbn=978-981-15-9500-4 |pages=11–14 |language=en |author-link=B. R. Deepak}}</ref> In 2020, there were high-profile [[2020 India-China skirmishes|skirmishes]] between the nations.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Karackattu |first=Joe Thomas |date=26 May 2020 |title=The Corrosive Compromise of the Sino-Indian Border Management Framework: From Doklam to Galwan |journal=[[Asian Affairs]] |volume=51 |issue=3 |pages=590–604 |doi=10.1080/03068374.2020.1804726 |issn=0306-8374 |s2cid=222093756}}</ref> A series of talks between India and China were held.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first=Banikinkar |last=Pattanayak |date=9 September 2020 |title=Border clash fails to dampen India-China trade |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/economy/border-clash-fails-to-dampen-india-china-trade/2078240/ |access-date=3 March 2021 |website=[[The Financial Express (India)|The Financial Express]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The first border clash reported in 2021 was on 20 January; this was referred to as a minor border clash in Sikkim.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first=Krishn |last=Kaushik |date=26 January 2021 |title=India, China troops clash in Sikkim; resolved, says Army |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-china-troops-clash-in-sikkim-resolved-says-army-7161620/ |access-date=3 March 2021 |website=[[The Indian Express]] |language=en}}</ref> Modi was from late 2022 criticised for maintaining silence over the [[2020–2021 China–India skirmishes#India's territorial loss|ceding]] of about 2,000 km<sup>2</sup> land to China since June 2020.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web| last=Hassan | first=Aakash | title=Indian government accused of ceding land in Himalayas to China | website=the Guardian | date=19 September 2022 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/19/indian-people-living-near-border-accuse-government-of-ceding-land-to-china}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web| last=Siddiqui | first=Imran Ahmed | title='Subjugation and surrender': Military veterans slam Modi government's continuing silence on Galwan | website=Telegraph India | date=16 June 2023 | url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/subjugation-and-surrender-military-veterans-slam-modi-governments-continuing-silence-on-galwan/cid/1945450}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Chellaney |first=Brahma |title=Modi's silence on China's land grabs will not be India's last word |website=Nikkei Asia |date=19 December 2022 |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Modi-s-silence-on-China-s-land-grabs-will-not-be-India-s-last-word |access-date=9 July 2023}}</ref>

In December 2021, Modi signed an agreement with Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] to extend military technical cooperation.<ref name="Siddiqui">{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Siddiqui |first1=Sabrina |last2=Leary |first2=Alex |last3=Roy |first3=Rajesh |date=5 March 2022 |title=Russian Invasion of Ukraine Strains U.S.'s Strategic Ties With India |language=en-US |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-invasion-of-ukraine-strains-u-s-s-strategic-ties-with-india-11646427835 |access-date=5 March 2022 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> The Modi government bought the [[S-400 missile system]], an anti-missile striking system, strengthening the relationship between the two nations.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=18 November 2021 |title=Explained: S-400 purchase & implications |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/s-400-purchase-air-defence-system-india-us-relation-7626388/ |access-date=6 March 2022 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> India refused to condemn the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]] and stayed neutral.<ref name="Siddiqui" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Tharoor |first=Shashi |date=2 May 2022 |title=Modi's Big Mistake |journal=Foreign Affairs |language=en-US |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/india/2022-04-27/modis-big-mistake |access-date=3 May 2022 |issn=0015-7120}}</ref> The Indian government's [[Operation Ganga]] initiative sought to return Indians stranded in Ukraine during the war. More than 19,000 Indian nationals were evacuated,<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=28 February 2022 |title=All you need to know Operation Ganga, launched to evacuate Indians from Ukraine |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/russia-ukraine-crisis-india-evacuation-operation-ganga-7794534/ |access-date=2 March 2022 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=31 Flights To Evacuate Over 6,300 Indians From Ukraine By March 8: Report |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/operation-ganga-ukraine-31-flights-to-evacuate-6300-indians-from-ukraine-by-march-8-report-2798420 |access-date=2 March 2022 |website=NDTV.com}}</ref> including some from neighbouring countries.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=28 February 2022 |title=PM Narendra Modi sends four Ministers to countries bordering Ukraine |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/four-union-ministers-to-travel-to-ukraines-neighbouring-countries-to-coordinate-evacuation-of-indians/article65092161.ece |access-date=2 March 2022 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

Following the [[2025 Pahalgam attack|April 2025 Pahalgam attack]] in Indian-administered [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] by [[The Resistance Front]], an offshoot of the Pakistan-based militant organisation [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]],<ref>{{#invoke:cite |journal |last1=Chesterton |first1=Hannah |last2=Bacon |first2=Tricia |title=How We Assess Violent Non-State Actor Risk: Power Versus Threat |journal=[[Studies in Conflict & Terrorism]] |date=2025 |pages=1–26 |doi=10.1080/1057610X.2025.2528321 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1057610X.2025.2528321 |issn=1057-610X |quote=The Resistance Front conducted limited attacks in Kashmir until April 2025, when it killed 26 tourists in Pahalgam, an attack that resulted in India and Pakistan's conflict in May 2025.}}</ref> the Modi government accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism and  suspended the [[Indus Waters Treaty]] and all bilateral trade. Pakistan rejected the accusation and in response suspended the [[Simla Agreement]] and all trade with India. On 7 May, India launched [[Operation Sindoor]]'','' against terror launch pads used by the [[Jaish-e-Mohammed]], [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]], and [[Hizbul Mujahideen]] in Pakistan-administered [[Azad Kashmir]] and [[Punjab, Pakistan|Pakistani Punjab]].<ref name="TheDiplomat_Lashkar">{{#invoke:cite |web |last=Shahid |first=Kunwar Khuldune |date=31 May 2025 |title=Pakistan and the Latest Reincarnation of Lashkar-e-Taiba |url=https://thediplomat.com/2025/05/pakistan-and-the-latest-reincarnation-of-lashkar-e-taiba/ |access-date=1 June 2025 |website=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |language=en-US |quote=However, mosques and madrassas associated with the LeT, JeM, and HM, openly function, which include some of the buildings hit by Indian strikes this month. Masjid Abbas in Kotli and Masjid Bilal in Muzaffarabad are both affiliated with the JeM, while the LeT-linked Shawai Nalla camp was also targeted. ... The LeT's Shawai Nalla camp was one of the few sites dedicated to militant training in the region.}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite |news |last1=Shahzad |first1=Asif |last2=Patel |first2=Shivam |date=7 May 2025 |title=Pakistan vows retaliation after Indian strike over tourist deaths |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/multiple-loud-explosions-heard-pakistani-kashmir-reuters-witness-2025-05-06/ |access-date=1 July 2025 |work=Reuters |language=en}}</ref> On 10 May, Pakistan retaliated by targeting Indian military sites along the border. Following a further increase in hostilities, the countries agreed to a ceasefire the same day and ended the conflict.<ref name="a616">{{#invoke:cite |web |date=10 May 2025 |title=India and Pakistan agree ceasefire: What does it mean? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/10/india-and-pakistan-agree-ceasefire-what-does-it-mean |access-date=20 May 2025 |website=Al Jazeera}}</ref>

=== Environment ===
[[File:Prime Minister Narendra Modi at India Pavilion in Paris during COP21 (23193999974).jpg|thumb|Modi (right) at [[CoP21 Climate Conference]], in Paris, announcing the founding of an International [[Solar Alliance]] (ISA). November 2015.|244x244px]]

While naming his cabinet, Modi renamed the Ministry of Environment and Forests the "[[Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change|Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change]]", and reduced its budget allocation by more than half in his administration's first budget.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last1=Shrivastava |first1=Kumar Sambhav |title=Too little in environment ministry's kitty |url=https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/too-little-in-environment-ministrys-kitty-45226 |website=www.downtoearth.org.in |date = 11 July 2014 |access-date=11 February 2022 |language=en}}</ref> The new ministry removed or diluted a number of laws related to environmental protection, and others related to industrial activity.<ref name="Ruparelia" /> The government also tried to reconstitute the [[National Board for Wildlife]] so it would no longer have representatives from NGOs but the [[Supreme Court of India]] blocked this move.<ref name="Kothari">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Kothari|first1=Ashish|date=27 September 2014|title=A Hundred Days Closer to Ecological and Social Suicide|url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2014/39/commentary/hundred-days-closer-ecological-and-social-suicide.html|journal=[[Economic & Political Weekly]]|volume=49|issue=39|pages=|jstor=i24478692|via=}}</ref> Other changes included a reduction of ministry oversight on small mining projects and ending the requirement for approval from tribal councils for projects inside forested areas. Modi also lifted a moratorium on new industrial activity in India's most-polluted areas.<ref name="Kothari" /> The changes were welcomed by businesspeople but criticised by environmentalists.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Barry|first1=Ellen|author-link=Ellen Barry (journalist)|last2=Bagri|first2=Neha Thirani|date=4 December 2014|title=Narendra Modi, Favoring Growth in India, Pares Back Environmental Rules|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/05/world/indian-leader-favoring-growth-sweeps-away-environmental-rules.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205061053/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/05/world/indian-leader-favoring-growth-sweeps-away-environmental-rules.html |archive-date=5 December 2014 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|access-date=4 February 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

[[File:PM visit Bandipur and Mudumalai Tiger Reserves, in Karnataka on April 9, 2023.jpg|thumb|Modi visiting the [[Bandipur Tiger Reserve|Bandipur]] and [[Mudumalai Tiger Reserve]], in Karnataka in 2023]]
Speaking with [[Assamese people|Assamese]] students in 2014, Modi downplayed [[climate change]], saying, "Climate has not changed. We have changed. Our habits have changed. Our habits have got spoiled. Due to that, we have destroyed our entire environment."<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=5 September 2014|title=Teachers Day speech: PM Modi says no climate change |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/north/story/teachers-day-speech-pm-modi-says-no-climate-change-207413-2014-09-05 |access-date=11 June 2022 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref> Later in his administration, however, he has called for [[climate action]],<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=12 December 2020 |title=India set to exceed climate targets: Modi |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/india-to-exceed-expectations-on-climate-pm/article33316533.ece |access-date=11 June 2022 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Kukreti |first=Ishan |title=Explainer: What Modi promised at the COP26 climate change meet – and what that means for India |url=https://scroll.in/article/1009701/explainer-what-modi-promised-at-the-cop26-climate-change-meet-and-what-that-means-for-india |access-date=11 June 2022 |website=Scroll.in |date=3 November 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref> especially with the proliferation of [[clean energy]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=PM Narendra Modi to address Renewable Energy players on initiatives in energy resources |work=The Economic Times |date=3 March 2022 |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/renewables/pm-narendra-modi-to-address-renewable-energy-players-on-initiatives-in-energy-resources/articleshow/89971530.cms |access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=2 May 2022 |title=PM Modi says India, Germany ties an example of success; both ink $10.5 bn green deal |url=https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/world/story/india-germany-ink-105-bn-green-development-deal-to-boost-clean-energy-use-332123-2022-05-02 |access-date=11 June 2022 |website=Business Today |language=en}}</ref> In 2015, Modi proposed the [[International Solar Alliance]] initiative to encourage investment in solar energy.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=ISA General Assembly promises to achieve USD 1 trillion investment in solar energy by 2030 |work=The Economic Times |date=21 October 2021 |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/renewables/isa-general-assembly-promises-to-achieve-usd-1-trillion-investment-in-solar-energy-by-2030/articleshow/87190267.cms?from=mdr |access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref> Holding developed countries responsible,<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=30 November 2015 |title=Narendra Modi pulls up rich nations on climate change |agency=PTI |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Narendra-Modi-pulls-up-rich-nations-on-climate-change/article60297100.ece |access-date=11 June 2022 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> Modi and his government have said India has had a negligible historical role in climate change. At the [[COP26]] conference, Modi announced India would target [[carbon neutrality]] by 2070 and expand its renewable energy capacity.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Shrivastava |first1=Rahul |title=Push for renewable by 2030, net-zero emissions by 2070: PM Modi's 5 commitments at COP26 summit |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pm-narendra-modi-cop26-global-climate-change-summit-glasgow-net-zero-carbon-emissions-1872187-2021-11-01 |access-date=21 November 2021 |agency=India Today |date=1 November 2021}}</ref> Indian environmentalists and economists applauded the decision, describing it as bold climate action.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=India pledges net-zero emissions by 2070 — but also wants to expand coal mining |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/11/03/1051805674/modi-india-cop26-coal-renewable-energy?t=1636899927203 |work=NPR |date=3 November 2021}}</ref> India has become the only major economy to be on track to meet its [[Paris Agreement]] goals.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=28 October 2021 |title=India largely on track to meet its Paris Climate Agreement targets, says new report |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/india-largely-on-track-to-meet-its-paris-climate-agreement-targets-says-new-report/article37204707.ece |access-date=11 June 2022 |work=Business Line |agency=PTI}}</ref> It has achieved 10 per cent of ethanol blending five months ahead of schedule.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=6 June 2022 |title=10% ethanol blending ahead of schedule: PM |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/10-ethanol-blending-ahead-of-schedule-pm-101654454203532.html |access-date=11 June 2022 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref>

=== Democratic backsliding ===
{{Main|Premiership of Narendra Modi#Democratic backsliding}}

{{See also|Democratic backsliding in India|Internet censorship in India|Godi media|Protests against Narendra Modi}}
Under Modi's tenure, India has experienced [[democratic backsliding]].{{Efn|name=lo9}} His rule is known for weakening of democratic institutions, [[individual rights]], and [[freedom of expression]].<ref>{{citation |last1=Welzel |first1=Christian |title=Democratization |pages=4, 7 |year=2019 |editor1-last=Welzel |editor1-first=Christian |chapter=Introduction |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0IN8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA7 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-873228-0 |last2=Inglehart |first2=Ronald |last3=Bernhangen |first3=Patrick |last4=Haerpfer |first4=Christian W. |editor2-last=Inglehart |editor2-first=Ronald |editor3-last=Bernhangen |editor3-first=Patrick |editor4-last=Haerpfer |editor4-first=Christian W.}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Chidambaram |first=Soundarya |title=Routledge Handbook of Autocratization in South Asia |pages=130–148 |year=2022 |editor-last=Widmalm |editor-first=Sten |chapter=India's Inexorable Path to Autocratization: Looking beyond Modi and the populist lens |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fNBUEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT138 |publisher=Routledge |doi=10.4324/9781003042211-11 |s2cid=245210210 |doi-access=free}}</ref> According to one study, "The BJP government incrementally but systemically attacked nearly all existing mechanisms that are in place to hold the political executive to account, either by ensuring that these mechanisms became subservient to the political executive or were captured by party loyalists".<ref name="Khaitan">{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Khaitan|first=Tarunabh|date=26 May 2020|title=Killing a Constitution with a Thousand Cuts: Executive Aggrandizement and Party-state Fusion in India|journal=Law & Ethics of Human Rights|language=en|volume=14|issue=1|pages=49–95|doi=10.1515/lehr-2020-2009|s2cid=221083830|issn=2194-6531|doi-access=free|hdl=11343/241852|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Welzel|first=Christian Peter|date=2017|title=A Tale of Culture-Bound Regime Evolution|url=http://fox.leuphana.de/portal/de/publications/a-tale-of-culturebound-regime-evolution-the-centennial-democratic-trend-and-its-recent-reversal(2b6baaf4-3942-4491-92ca-55782d455a62).html|journal=Democratization|language=en|doi=10.1080/13510347.2018.1542430|issn=1351-0347|s2cid=148625260}}</ref> The Modi government has used state power to intimidate and stifle critics in the media and academia, undermining freedom of expression and alternative sources of information.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first=Lydia|last=Finzel|title=Democratic Backsliding in India, the World's Largest Democracy|url=https://www.v-dem.net/en/news/democratic-backsliding-india-worlds-largest-democracy/|date=24 February 2020|access-date=27 November 2020|website=www.v-dem.net|publisher=[[V-Dem Institute]]|archive-date=27 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227182459/https://www.v-dem.net/en/news/democratic-backsliding-india-worlds-largest-democracy/}}</ref><ref name="Ganguly 2020-09">{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Ganguly|first=Sumit|title=India's Democracy Is Under Threat|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/09/18/indias-democracy-is-under-threat/|date=18 September 2020|access-date=27 November 2020|website=[[Foreign Policy]]|language=en-US|archive-date=4 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204223518/https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/09/18/indias-democracy-is-under-threat/|url-status=live}}</ref> His administration has been criticised for using a democratic mandate to undermine democratic processes, including focusing on Hindu-nationalist priorities rather than economic development. Modi's second term as PM, in particular, saw the erosion of civil rights and [[Freedom of the press in India|press freedom]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Ding|first1=Iza|last2=Slater|first2=Dan|date=2 January 2021|title=Democratic decoupling|journal=Democratization|volume=28|issue=1|pages=63–80|doi=10.1080/13510347.2020.1842361|s2cid=231643689|issn=1351-0347}}</ref>

== Public perception and image ==
{{Main|Public image of Narendra Modi}}

{{Conservatism in India|Politicians}}

Modi is the longest-serving prime minister outside the [[Indian National Congress]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 June 2024 |title=The rise and journey of Narendra Modi as the leader reshaping India: timeline |url=https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha/the-rise-and-journey-of-narendra-modi-timeline/article68245652.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240628060552/https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha/the-rise-and-journey-of-narendra-modi-timeline/article68245652.ece |archive-date=28 June 2024 |access-date=25 June 2024 |work=The Hindu |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> and has received [[Opinion polling on the Narendra Modi premiership|consistently high approval ratings]] during his premiership.<ref name="Kaul2">{{#invoke:cite|book|last1=Kaul|first1=Volker|title=Minorities and Populism – Critical Perspectives from South Asia and Europe|last2=Vajpeyi|first2=Ananya|publisher=[[Springer Publishing]]|year=2020|isbn=978-3-030-34098-8|page=22}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Global Leader Approval Ratings|url=https://morningconsult.com/global-leader-approval/|access-date=9 September 2022|website=[[Morning Consult]]|language=en-US|archive-date=28 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128023901/https://morningconsult.com/global-leader-approval/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=PM Narendra Modi continues to be most popular global leader with approval rating of 74%: Survey|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-narendra-modi-continues-to-be-most-popular-global-leader-with-approval-rating-of-74-survey/articleshow/93527036.cms|access-date=9 September 2022|website=[[The Times of India]]|date=12 August 2022|language=en|archive-date=9 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909053544/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-narendra-modi-continues-to-be-most-popular-global-leader-with-approval-rating-of-74-survey/articleshow/93527036.cms|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Image ===
Modi is considered to be a [[Vegetarianism|vegetarian]] and a [[Teetotalism|teetotaller]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Raj|last=Singh|url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/politics/national/10-facts-to-know-about-narendra-modi-pm-india-6602.html?page=4|title=B'day Spl: 10 facts to know about Prime Minister Narendra Modi|date=17 September 2015|access-date=23 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923163307/https://www.indiatvnews.com/politics/national/10-facts-to-know-about-narendra-modi-pm-india-6602.html?page=4|archive-date=23 September 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Luke|last=Harding|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/aug/18/india.lukeharding|title=Profile: Narendra Modi|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=18 August 2003|access-date=17 April 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517022009/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/aug/18/india.lukeharding|archive-date=17 May 2014}}</ref> On 31 August 2012, he posted on [[Google Hangouts]], becoming the first Indian politician to interact with citizens on a live chat.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Narendra Modi on Google Hangout, Ajay Devgn to host event |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/social-media/Narendra-Modi-on-Google-Hangout-Ajay-Devgn-to-host-event/articleshow/16068578.cms?referral=PM|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=31 August 2012|access-date=3 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=People ask, Narendra Modi answers on Google Plus Hangout|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/modi-answers-netizens-on-google-plus-hangout/287292-37.html|publisher=[[CNN-IBN]]|date=1 September 2012|access-date=3 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904041147/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/modi-answers-netizens-on-google-plus-hangout/287292-37.html|archive-date=4 September 2012}}</ref> Modi regularly wears an ironed, half-sleeved ''[[kurta]]'', and his suit has his name repeatedly embroidered in the pinstripes, which he wore during a state visit by US president [[Barack Obama]], which drew public and media attention, and criticism.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/06/06/heres-what-narendra-modis-fashion-says-about-his-politics/ |title=Here's what Narendra Modi's fashion says about his politics |first=Swati |last=Sharma |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=6 June 2014 |issn=0190-8286 |access-date=24 January 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025062736/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/06/06/heres-what-narendra-modis-fashion-says-about-his-politics/ |archive-date=25 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://runway.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/narendra-modi-a-leader-who-is-what-he-wears/?_r=0 |title=Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India: A Leader Who Is What He Wears |first=Vanessa |last=Friedman |work=[[The New York Times]]: On The Runway |date=3 June 2014 |access-date=24 January 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128114450/http://runway.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/narendra-modi-a-leader-who-is-what-he-wears/?_r=0 |archive-date=28 January 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|book|last1=Price|first1=Lance|author-link1=Lance Price|title=The Modi Effect: Inside Narendra Modi's campaign to transform India|publisher=[[Quercus (publisher)|Quercus]]|isbn=978-1-62365-938-7|pages=179–180|date=24 March 2015}}</ref>{{clarification needed|reason=Specify criticism.|date=January 2025}} Scholars and biographers have described Modi's personality as energetic, eccentric, arrogant, and charismatic.<ref name="Stepan" />{{sfn|Marino|2014|pp=60–70}}

The nomination of Modi for the prime-ministership drew attention to his reputation as "one of contemporary India's most controversial and divisive politicians".<ref name="Basu" /><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130702/jsp/nation/story_17071479.jsp|title=Boomerang warning in article on 'polarising' Modi|last=Ramaseshan|first=Radhika|work=[[The Telegraph (India)|The Telegraph]]|location=Kolkata|date=2 July 2013|access-date=15 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111231449/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130702/jsp/nation/story_17071479.jsp|archive-date=11 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Specials/Coverage/Gujarat-Assembly-Elections-2012/Chunk-HT-UI-GujaratAssemblyElections2012-BlogPostsAshokMalik/Popular-but-polarising-can-Narendra-Modi-be-PM/SP-Article10-956550.aspx |title=Popular but polarising: can Narendra Modi be PM? |last=Malik |first=Ashok |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=8 November 2012 |access-date=15 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210144412/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Specials/Coverage/Gujarat-Assembly-Elections-2012/Chunk-HT-UI-GujaratAssemblyElections2012-BlogPostsAshokMalik/Popular-but-polarising-can-Narendra-Modi-be-PM/SP-Article10-956550.aspx |archive-date=10 February 2013 }}</ref> During the 2014 election campaign, the BJP projected an image of Modi as a strong, masculine leader who would be able to take difficult decisions.<ref name="Basu" /><ref name="Chhibber" /><ref name="Jaffrelot 2015-06" /><ref name="Chacko" /><ref name="Srivastava" /> Campaigns in which he has participated have focused on Modi as an individual, an unusual tactic for the BJP and RSS.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2015-06" /> Modi has relied upon his reputation as a politician able to bring about economic growth and development.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news| title=NaMo, Ram the new mantra on Dalal Street! | url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/analysis/namo-ram-the-new-mantra-on-dalal-street/articleshow/22576714.cms | work=[[The Economic Times]] | date=15 September 2013 | access-date=16 September 2013 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111133246/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/analysis/namo-ram-the-new-mantra-on-dalal-street/articleshow/22576714.cms | archive-date=11 January 2015 }}</ref> Modi's role in the 2002 Gujarat riots continues to attract criticism and controversy.<ref name="Buncombe2">{{#invoke:cite|news|title=A rebirth dogged by controversy |first=Andrew |last=Buncombe |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-rebirth-dogged-by-controversy-2357157.html |work=[[The Independent]] |date=19 September 2011 |access-date=10 October 2012 |location=London |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225024707/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-rebirth-dogged-by-controversy-2357157.html |archive-date=25 December 2011 }}</ref> Modi's hardline Hindutva ideology and the policies adopted by his government continue to draw criticism, and have been seen as evidence of a majoritarian and exclusionary social agenda.<ref name="Buncombe" /><ref name="Stepan" /><ref name="Manor" /><ref name="Jaffrelot 2015-06" />

=== Approval ratings ===
{{Main|Opinion polling on the Narendra Modi premiership}}

[[File:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi interacting with the school children after addressing the Nation, on the occasion of 71st Independence Day from the ramparts of Red Fort, in Delhi on August 15, 2017.jpg|thumb|Modi interacting with the school children after delivering his address on [[Independence Day (India)|Independence Day]] in New Delhi, 15 August 2017]]

During his premiership, Modi has received consistently high approval ratings; at the end of his first year in office, he received an overall approval rating of 87% in a [[Pew Research]] poll, with 68% of respondents rating him "very favourably" and 93% approving of his government.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Indians adore Modi|last=Zainulbhai|first=Hani|url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/09/17/indians-adore-modi/|date=17 September 2015|access-date=17 February 2017|website=[[Pew Research]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114103530/http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/09/17/indians-adore-modi/|archive-date=14 November 2016}}</ref> Modi's approval rating remained largely consistent at around 74% during his second year in office, according to a nationwide poll conducted by instaVaani.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=PM Modi's approval rating remains high 2 years into term: poll|url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/TkDwBkcX7kpm9VL80zTU4N/Narendra-Modis-approval-rating-remains-high-Poll.html|date=23 May 2016|access-date=28 May 2016|newspaper=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160526050459/http://www.livemint.com/Politics/TkDwBkcX7kpm9VL80zTU4N/Narendra-Modis-approval-rating-remains-high-Poll.html|archive-date=26 May 2016|last1=Shashidhar|first1=Karthik}}</ref> At the end of his second year in office, an updated Pew Research poll showed Modi continued to receive high overall approval ratings of 81%, with 57% of those polled rating him "very favourably".<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first=Bruce|last=Stokes|title=India and Modi: The Honeymoon Continues|url=http://www.pewglobal.org/2016/09/19/india-and-modi-the-honeymoon-continues/|date=19 September 2016|access-date=17 February 2017|website=[[Pew Research]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217154037/http://www.pewglobal.org/2016/09/19/india-and-modi-the-honeymoon-continues/|archive-date=17 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Nida |last=Najar |title=PM Narendra Modi retains broad support in India despite criticism, poll finds |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/pm-narendra-modi-retains-broad-support-in-india-despite-criticism-poll-finds/articleshow/54418680.cms |work=[[The Economic Times]] |date=20 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116235640/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/pm-narendra-modi-retains-broad-support-in-india-despite-criticism-poll-finds/articleshow/54418680.cms |archive-date=16 November 2016 |access-date=17 November 2016}}</ref> At the end of his third year in office, a further Pew Research poll showed Modi with an overall approval rating of 88%, his highest yet, with 69% of people polled rating him "very favourably".<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first1=Bruce|last1=Stokes|first2=Dorothy|last2=Manevich|first3=Hanyu|last3=Chwe|title=Three Years In, Modi Remains Very Popular|url=http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/11/14093908/Pew-Research-Center_India-Modi-Report_2017.11.15.pdf|date=15 November 2017|access-date=16 November 2017|website=[[Pew Research]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115174444/http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/11/14093908/Pew-Research-Center_India-Modi-Report_2017.11.15.pdf|archive-date=15 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> A poll conducted by ''[[The Times of India]]'' in May 2017 showed 77% of respondents rated Modi as "very good" and "good".<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Modi Govt gets high approval rating at three-year mark in TOI online poll|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/modi-government/news/modi-govt-gets-high-approval-rating-at-three-year-mark-in-toi-online-poll/articleshow/58808743.cms|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=23 May 2017|access-date=14 August 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821144103/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/modi-government/news/modi-govt-gets-high-approval-rating-at-three-year-mark-in-toi-online-poll/articleshow/58808743.cms|archive-date=21 August 2017}}</ref> In early 2017, a survey by Pew Research Center showed Modi to be the most popular figure in Indian politics.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=PM Narendra Modi 'By Far' Most Popular Figure in Indian Politics: Pew Survey|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pm-modi-by-far-most-popular-figure-in-indian-politics-says-survey-by-american-think-tank-pew-1776032|date=16 November 2017|publisher=[[NDTV]]|access-date=26 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201040218/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pm-modi-by-far-most-popular-figure-in-indian-politics-says-survey-by-american-think-tank-pew-1776032|archive-date=1 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In a weekly analysis by [[Morning Consult]] called the Global Leader Approval Rating Tracker, Modi had the highest net approval rating as of 22 December 2020 of all government leaders in the 13 countries being tracked.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=2 January 2021|title=Modi's high approval rating a matter of pride for all Indians: Nadda|url=http://www.ptinews.com/news/12078819_Modi--s-high-approval-rating-a-matter-of-pride-for-all-Indians--Nadda|access-date=7 January 2021|website=[[Press Trust of India]]}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Global Leader Approval Tracker|url=https://morningconsult.com/form/global-leader-approval/|access-date=7 January 2021|website=[[Morning Consult]]|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== In popular culture ===
{{See also|:Category:Cultural depictions of Narendra Modi}}
''Modi Kaka Ka Gaon'' (Modi uncle's town), a 2017 Indian [[Hindi]]-language drama film by Tushar Amrish Goel, is the first [[biopic]] about Modi. It stars Vikas Mahante in the titular role.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Modi Kaka Ka Gaon Movie Review {1/5}: Critic Review of Modi Kaka Ka Gaon by Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/modi-kaka-ka-gaon/movie-review/62314057.cms|work=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=11 June 2021|last1=Noorani |first1=Reza }}.</ref> ''[[PM Narendra Modi]]'', a 2019 Hindi-language biographical drama film by [[Omung Kumar]], stars [[Vivek Oberoi]] in the titular role and covers Modi's rise to the premiership.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Bhatnagar|first=Gaurav Vivek|date=20 March 2019|title=Does the Release of 'PM Narendra Modi' Violate Model Code of Conduct?|url=https://thewire.in/film/release-of-pm-narendra-modi-does-not-violate-model-code-of-conduct-say-ex-ec-chiefs|access-date=19 March 2021|work=[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]}}</ref> An Indian web series called ''[[Modi: Journey of a Common Man]]'', which is based on the same premise, was released in May 2019 on the [[video streaming]] platform [[Eros Now]] with [[Ashish Sharma]] portraying Modi.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Farooqui |first1=Maryam |title=With an eye on Lok Sabha polls, Eros Now to stream web series on PM Modi in April |url=https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/with-an-eye-on-lok-sabha-polls-eros-now-to-stream-web-series-on-pm-modi-in-april-3704771.html |access-date=10 February 2021 |work=[[moneycontrol.com]]|date=27 March 2019}}</ref>

[[7 RCR (TV series)|''7 RCR'']] (''[[7, Race Course Road]]''), a 2014 Indian [[docudrama]] political television series which charts the political careers of prominent Indian politicians, covered Modi's rise to the PM's office in the episodes "Story of Narendra Modi from 1950 to 2001", "Story of Narendra Modi in Controversial Years from 2001 to 2013", "Truth Behind Brand Modi", "Election Journey of Narendra Modi to 7 RCR", and "Masterplan of Narendra Modi's NDA Govt", with Sangam Rai in the role of Modi.<ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1nBPAfwVRA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/p1nBPAfwVRA| archive-date=12 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=First episode of 7 RCR on Narendra Modi|date=12 January 2014|access-date=12 January 2014|publisher=[[ABP News]] via [[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> [[India: The Modi Question]], a 2023 [[BBC]] documentary, examines Modi's role in the 2002 Gujarat riots and his record as Prime Minister of India. The Indian government banned the documentary, drawing widespread criticism.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=23 January 2023 |title=India invokes emergency laws to ban BBC Modi documentary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/23/india-emergency-laws-to-ban-bbc-narendra-modi-documentary |access-date=26 January 2023 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Lakshman |first=Sriram |date=25 January 2023 |title=BBC documentary: Second part of 'The Modi Question' airs in the U.K. |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/bbc-documentary-second-part-of-the-modi-question-airs-in-the-uk/article66429896.ece |access-date=25 January 2023 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web| title=India's government scrambles to block a film about Modi's role in anti-Muslim riots | website=NPR | date=25 January 2023 | url=https://www.npr.org/2023/01/25/1151359378/modi-question-bbc-documentary-india-censorship-2002-gujarat-riots | access-date=26 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news| title=As India Tries to Block a Modi Documentary, Students Fight to See It | first = Samir | last = Yasir | work=The New York Times | date=25 January 2023 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/world/asia/india-bbc-modi-documentary.html | access-date=26 January 2023}}</ref>

Other portrayals of Modi include those by [[Rajit Kapur]] in the film ''[[Uri: The Surgical Strike]]'' (2019) and [[Vikram Gokhale]] in the web-television series ''[[Avrodh: The Siege Within]]'' (2020), both of which are based on the [[2016 Uri attack]] and the [[2016 Indian Line of Control strike|subsequent Indian surgical strikes]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Uri: The Surgical Strike|url=https://www.zee5.com/global/movies/details/watch-uri-the-surgical-strike-full-movie-online/0-0-33204|access-date=11 June 2021|website=[[ZEE5]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Watch Avrodh Web Series Online|url=https://www.sonyliv.com/shows/avrodh-1700000236|access-date=22 June 2021|website=[[SonyLIV]]|language=en|archive-date=14 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714025027/https://www.sonyliv.com/shows/avrodh-1700000236}}</ref> Gokhale reprised the role in the sequel ''[[Avrodh: The Siege Within 2]]'' (2022)'','' which is based on the [[2016 Indian banknote demonetisation]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Avrodh 2: The Siege Within' to release on June 24 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/news/hindi/avrodh-2-the-siege-within-to-release-on-june-24/articleshow/92076509.cms |access-date=21 August 2022 |website=The Times of India |date=8 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Pratap Singh played a character based on Modi in ''[[Chand Bujh Gaya]]'' (2005) which is set against the backdrop of the Gujarat riots.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Salam|first1=Ziya Us|date=13 August 2004|archive-date=11 June 2021|title=Ideology shackled|work=[[The Hindu]]|location=Chennai|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/ideology-shackled/article28576898.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611095848/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/ideology-shackled/article28576898.ece|url-access=subscription|access-date=7 January 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

Modi appeared in [[Man vs. Wild#Special India episodes|an episode]] of [[Discovery Channel India|Discovery Channel]]'s show ''[[Man vs. Wild]]'' with the host [[Bear Grylls]] in July 2019,<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Man vs Wild with Bear Grylls and PM Modi|url=https://www.discoveryplus.in/show/man-vs-wild-with-bear-grylls-and-pm-modi|publisher=[[Discovery+]]|language=en|access-date=11 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=PM Modi rows boat, makes weapon, goes on a wild adventure for Man vs Wild TV show|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pm-narendra-modi-bear-grylls-on-man-vs-wild-show-1574682-2019-07-29|website=[[India Today]]|date=29 July 2019|access-date=14 August 2019}}</ref> becoming the second world leader after Barack Obama to appear in the reality show.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first=Hemant|last=Singh|title=World leaders including PM Narendra Modi with Bear Grylls in Man vs Wild Program at Discovery India|url=https://m.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/world-leaders-with-bear-grylls-in-man-vs-wild-program-at-discovery-india-1564489280-1|website=[[Jagran Josh]]|access-date=14 August 2019|date=13 August 2019}}</ref> In the show, Modi treks through jungles, and talks about nature and wildlife conservation with Grylls.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Man Vs Wild: PM Modi walks in jungles of Jim Corbett with Bear Grylls, talks about conserving nature|url=https://m.businesstoday.in/story/man-vs-wild-pm-modi-walks-in-jungles-of-jim-corbett-with-bear-grylls-talks-about-conserving-nature/1/372196.html|website=[[Business Today (India)|Business Today]]|date=13 August 2019|access-date=14 August 2019}}</ref> The episode was recorded in [[Jim Corbett National Park]], [[Uttarakhand]], and was broadcast in India and 180 other countries.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Taking Cue from PM's 'Man vs Wild' Episode, Tourism Ministry Makes 'Wildlife' Theme for Incredible India|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/taking-cue-from-pms-man-vs-wild-episode-tourism-ministry-makes-wildlife-theme-for-incredible-india-2266653.html|website=[[News18]]|date=12 August 2019|access-date=14 August 2019}}</ref> Modi hosts ''[[Mann Ki Baat]]'', a monthly radio programme on [[All India Radio]], and has conducted the competition ''[[Pariksha Pe Charcha]]'', and discussions for students and the issues they face in examinations.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Mann Ki Baat|url=https://pmonradio.nic.in/|access-date=11 June 2021|website=[[pmonradio.nic.in]]}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=5 April 2021|title=Pariksha Pe Charcha 2021|url=https://mygov.in/campaigns/ppc-2021/|access-date=11 June 2021|website=[[MyGov.in]]|language=en}}</ref>

== Awards and recognition ==
{{Main|List of awards and honours received by Narendra Modi|List of things named after Narendra Modi}}

In March 2012 and June 2014, Narendra Modi appeared on the cover of the Asian edition of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time Magazine]]'', becoming one of the few Indian politicians to have done so.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Jyoti |last=Thottam |url=https://world.time.com/2012/03/16/why-narendra-modi-is-indias-most-loved-and-loathed-politician/ |title=Why Narendra Modi is India's Most Loved and Loathed Politician |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=16 March 2012 |access-date=17 April 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403122046/http://world.time.com/2012/03/16/why-narendra-modi-is-indias-most-loved-and-loathed-politician/ |archive-date=3 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/magazine/south-pacific/108674/june-2nd-2014-vol-183-no-21-asia-europe-middle-east-and-africa-south-pacific/ |title=Narendra Modi: The New Face of India |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=2 June 2014 |access-date=22 December 2020 |volume=183 |number=21 }}</ref> In 2014, ''[[CNN-News18]]'' (formally ''CNN-IBN'') news network awarded Modi [[CNN–News18 Indian of the Year|Indian of the Year]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/list-of-winners-of-indian-of-the-year-2014/534516-3.html |title=List of winners of Indian of the Year 2014 |date=17 March 2015 |access-date=17 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508145221/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/list-of-winners-of-indian-of-the-year-2014/534516-3.html |publisher=[[CNN-IBN]] |archive-date=8 May 2015}}</ref> In June 2015, Modi was featured on the [[List of covers of Time magazine (2010s)|cover of Time Magazine]].<ref>{{cite magazine |first1=Nancy |last1=Gibbs |first2=Zoher |last2=Abdoolcarim |first3=Nikhil |last3=Kumar |url=https://time.com/3849492/narendra-modi-interview/ |title=Exclusive Interview With Narendra Modi: 'We Are Natural Allies' |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=7 May 2015 |access-date=22 December 2020}}</ref> In 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020 and 2021, he was named one of Time magazine's [[Time 100|100 Most Influential People in the World]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/70845/ |title=The 100 Most Influential People: Narendra Modi |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |location=US |first=Fareed |last=Zakaria |date=23 April 2014 |access-date=25 April 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425010914/http://time.com/70845/ |archive-date=25 April 2014 }}
* {{cite magazine |url=http://time.com/3823155/narendra-modi-2015-time-100/ |title=The 100 Most Influential People: Narendra Modi |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |location=US |first=Barack |last=Obama |date=16 April 2015 |access-date=15 December 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214231710/http://time.com/3823155/narendra-modi-2015-time-100/ |archive-date=14 December 2016 }}
* {{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/collection/2017-time-100/4736335/narendra-modi/ |title=The 100 Most Influential People: Narendra Modi |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |location=US |first=Pankaj |last=Mishra |date=20 April 2017 |access-date=25 April 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425072553/http://time.com/collection/2017-time-100/4736335/narendra-modi/ |archive-date=25 April 2017 }}
* {{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888327/narendra-modi-india/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923090954/https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888327/narendra-modi-india/ |title=The 100 Most Influential People of 2020: Narendra Modi |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |location=US |first=Karl |last=Vick |date=22 September 2020 |archive-date=23 September 2020 |access-date=23 September 2020 }}
* {{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2021/6096023/narendra-modi-leader/ |title=The 100 Most Influential People of 2021: Narendra Modi |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |location=US |first=Fareed |last=Zakaria |date=15 September 2021 |access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> In its [[Forbes list of the World's Most Powerful People|list of the world's most powerful people]], ''[[Forbes Magazine]]'' ranked Modi 15th in 2014 and 9th in 2015, 2016 and 2018.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Narendra Modi |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/narendra-modi/ |newspaper=[[Forbes]] |date=November 2018 |access-date=6 November 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106101820/http://www.forbes.com/profile/narendra-modi/ |archive-date=6 November 2014 }}
* {{#invoke:cite|news|title=2014 Ranking Of The World's Most Powerful People |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2014/11/05/2014-ranking-of-the-worlds-most-powerful-people/?sh=61b961e04d93 |newspaper=[[Forbes]] |date=5 November 2014 |access-date=6 November 2014 }}
* {{#invoke:cite|news|title=Russian President Vladimir Putin Tops Forbes' 2015 Ranking Of The World's Most Powerful People |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2015/11/04/russian-president-vladimir-putin-tops-forbes-2015-ranking-of-the-worlds-most-powerful-people/?sh=599c3a213548 |newspaper=[[Forbes]] |date=4 November 2015 |access-date=6 November 2015 }}
* {{#invoke:cite|news|first=David M. |last=Ewalt |title=The World's Most Powerful People 2015 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewalt/2015/11/04/the-worlds-most-powerful-people-2015/ |newspaper=[[Forbes]] |date=4 November 2015 |access-date=15 December 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222020237/http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewalt/2015/11/04/the-worlds-most-powerful-people-2015/ |archive-date=22 December 2016 }}
* {{#invoke:cite|news|first=David M. |last=Ewalt |title=The World's Most Powerful People 2016 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewalt/2016/12/14/the-worlds-most-powerful-people-2016/ |newspaper=[[Forbes]] |date=14 December 2016 |access-date=15 December 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214153005/http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewalt/2016/12/14/the-worlds-most-powerful-people-2016/#26ec03f2368d |archive-date=14 December 2016 }}
* {{#invoke:cite|news|title=Forbes Releases 2018 List Of The World's Most Powerful People |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2018/05/08/forbes-releases-2018-list-of-the-worlds-most-powerful-people/?sh=55fcee49719c |newspaper=[[Forbes]] |date=8 May 2018 |access-date=6 November 2018 }}
* {{#invoke:cite|news|first=David M. |last=Ewalt |title=The World's Most Powerful People 2018 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewalt/2018/05/08/the-worlds-most-powerful-people-2018/ |newspaper=[[Forbes]] |date=8 May 2018 |access-date=10 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509222602/https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewalt/2018/05/08/the-worlds-most-powerful-people-2018/ |archive-date=9 May 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015, Modi was ranked the [[50 Most Influential (Bloomberg Markets ranking)|13th Most Influential Person in the World]] by ''[[Bloomberg Markets]] Magazine''.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|publisher=[[Bloomberg L.P.]] |author=Dieterich, Robert S. |title=Bloomberg Markets 50 Most Influential |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-markets-most-influential/#intro |date=September 2015 |access-date=9 June 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006192842/http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-markets-most-influential |archive-date=6 October 2015}}</ref> In 2021, ''Time'' called Modi the third "pivotal leader" of independent India after [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] and [[Indira Gandhi]], who "dominated the country's politics like no one since them".<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=16 September 2021 |title=PM Narendra Modi features in Time Magazine's list of 100 most influential people of 2021; 'dominating the country's politics', says report |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/pm-narendra-modi-features-in-time-magazines-list-of-100-most-influential-people-of-2021-dominating-the-countrys-politics-says-report/2331131/ |access-date=18 September 2021 |website=The Financial Express |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=PM Modi In TIME Magazine's '100 Most Influential People 2021' List; Mamata Banerjee, Adar Poonawalla Also Feature |url=https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/time-magazine-lists-pm-modi-in-100-most-influential-people-2021-mamata-banerjee-adar-poonawalla-feature-too-7471231.html |access-date=18 September 2021 |website=Moneycontrol |date=15 September 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Modi was ranked fifth on ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune Magazine]]''{{'}}s first annual list of the "World's Greatest Leaders" in 2015.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://fortune.com/worlds-greatest-leaders/2015/narendra-modi-5/ |title=World's Greatest Leaders 2015: Narendra Modi |work=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] |access-date=17 February 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222212308/http://fortune.com/worlds-greatest-leaders/2015/narendra-modi-5/ |archive-date=22 February 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.businessinsider.in/Narendra-Modi-and-Kailash-Satyarthi-are-worlds-greatest-leaders-says-Fortune-Magazine/articleshow/46715870.cms |title=Narendra Modi and Kailash Satyarthi are world's greatest leaders, says Fortune Magazine |work=[[Business Insider]] |date=27 March 2015 |access-date=5 April 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330220128/http://www.businessinsider.in/Narendra-Modi-and-Kailash-Satyarthi-are-worlds-greatest-leaders-says-Fortune-Magazine/articleshow/46715870.cms |archive-date=30 March 2015 }}</ref> In 2017, [[Gallup International Association]] (GIA) conducted a poll and ranked Modi third-top leader of the world.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/world/gia-poll-modi-ranks-third-after-merkel-macron-in-global-ratings-of-top-world-leaders-best-ever-rank-for-an-indian-pm-4298471.html |title=GIA poll: Modi ranks third after Merkel, Macron in global ratings of top world leaders; best ever rank for an Indian PM |website=firstpost.com |date=11 January 2018 |access-date=12 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first=Abhishek |last=Rana |url=https://www.newsfolo.com/india/gia-poll-2017-narendra-modi-ranks-third-highest-indian-prime-minister/134669/ |title=GIA Poll 2017: Narendra Modi ranks third, the highest for an Indian Prime Minister |date=12 January 2018 |access-date=13 January 2018 |website=www.newsfolo.com}}</ref> In 2016, a wax statue of Modi was unveiled at [[Madame Tussauds]] [[wax museum]] in [[London]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pm-narendra-modi-wax-statue-madame-tussauds-musuem-london-2774822/ |title=London: PM Modi's wax statue unveiled at Madame Tussaud's Museum |work=[[The Indian Express]] |date=28 April 2015 |access-date=25 April 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425121838/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pm-narendra-modi-wax-statue-madame-tussauds-musuem-london-2774822/ |archive-date=25 April 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://wap.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/narendra-modi-s-wax-statue-unveiled-at-madame-tussaud-s-musuem-116042801127_1.html |title=Narendra Modi's wax statue unveiled at Madame Tussaud's Museum |work=[[Business Standard]] |date=28 April 2016 |access-date=25 April 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608192334/http://wap.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/narendra-modi-s-wax-statue-unveiled-at-madame-tussaud-s-musuem-116042801127_1.html |archive-date=8 June 2016 }}</ref>

[[File:Narendra Modi figure at Madame Tussauds London (33783646132).jpg|thumb|upright|Narendra Modi's wax statue at [[Madame Tussauds]], London]]

In 2015, Modi was named one of ''Time''{{'}}s "30 Most Influential People on the Internet" because he was the [[List of most-followed Twitter accounts|second-most-followed politician]] on [[Twitter]] and [[Facebook]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/3732203/the-30-most-influential-people-on-the-internet/ |title=The 30 Most Influential People on the Internet |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=5 March 2015 |access-date=6 March 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321233428/http://time.com/3732203/the-30-most-influential-people-on-the-internet/ |archive-date=21 March 2015 }}</ref> In 2018, he was the third-most-followed world leader on Twitter and the [[List of most-followed Instagram accounts|most-followed world leader]] on [[Instagram]] and Facebook.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/narendra-modi-sushma-swaraj-twitter-5253685/|title=PM Modi third most followed world leader on Twitter, Sushma Swaraj most popular among women leaders|date=11 July 2018|access-date=20 October 2023|newspaper=[[Indian Express]]}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Surabhi |last=Agarwal |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/with-41-7-million-followers-modi-becomes-most-followed-world-leader-on-facebook/articleshow/58863602.cms |work=[[The Economic Times]] |title=With 41.7 million followers, Modi becomes most followed world leader on Facebook |date=27 May 2017 |access-date=28 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/trending-news/story/narendra-modi-most-followed-instagram-1403501-2018-12-06 |title=PM Narendra Modi most followed world leader on Instagram |work=[[India Today]] |date=6 December 2018 |access-date=7 December 2018}}</ref> In October 2018, Modi received United Nations' highest environmental award, the [[Champions of the Earth]], for policy leadership by "pioneering work in championing" the [[International Solar Alliance]] and "new areas of levels of cooperation on environmental action".<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url=https://www.unep.org/championsofearth/node/50 |title=Narendra Modi – Policy Leadership Award: Champions of the Earth |website=[[United Nations Environment Programme|web.unep.org]] |access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/pm-narendra-modi-receives-uns-champions-of-the-earth-award/articleshow/66051710.cms?from=mdr |title=PM Narendra Modi receives UN's Champions of the Earth Award |date=3 October 2018 |work=[[The Economic Times]] |access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref> Modi was conferred the 2018 [[Seoul Peace Prize]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|url=https://www.mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/30532/Prime+Minister+Modi+Awarded+the+2018+Seoul+Peace+Prize |title=Prime Minister Modi Awarded the 2018 Seoul Peace Prize |website=[[Ministry of External Affairs (India)|Ministry of External Affairs]], [[Government of India]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513151012/https://www.mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl%2F30532%2FPrime+Minister+Modi+Awarded+the+2018+Seoul+Peace+Prize |date=24 October 2018 |archive-date=13 May 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=3 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/pm-modi-receives-seoul-peace-prize-for-2018/articleshow/68108358.cms |title=PM Modi receives Seoul Peace Prize for 2018 |date=22 February 2019 |website=[[The Economic Times|Economic Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020210409/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/pm-modi-receives-seoul-peace-prize-for-2018/articleshow/68108358.cms |archive-date=20 October 2020 |access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref>

Following his [[Second oath of office ceremony of Narendra Modi|second oath of office ceremony]] as Prime Minister of India, a picture of Modi was displayed on the facade of the [[Abu Dhabi National Oil Company]] (ADNOC) building in [[Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/general/adnoc-marks-modis-inauguration-as-prime-minister-of-india-12 |title=Video: ADNOC marks Modi's inauguration as Prime Minister of India |work=[[Khaleej Times]] |date=31 May 2019 |access-date=31 May 2019}}</ref> The Texas India Forum hosted a community event, ''[[Howdy Modi]]'', in honour of Modi on 22 September 2019 at [[NRG Stadium]] in [[Houston, Texas]]. The event was attended by over 50,000 people and several American politicians, including President [[Donald Trump]], making it the largest gathering for an invited [[List of diplomatic visits to the United States|foreign leader visiting the United States]] other than the [[Pope]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title='Howdy, Modi!': Trump hails Indian PM at 'historic' Texas rally |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49788492 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923000151/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49788492/ |publisher=[[BBC]] |archive-date=23 September 2019 |access-date=25 September 2019 |date=22 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Texas India Forum – Howdy Modi |url=https://www.howdymodi.org/ |website=howdymodi.org |access-date=25 September 2019}}</ref> At the event, Modi was presented with the [[List of Keys to the City in the United States#Texas|Key to the City]] of Houston by Mayor [[Sylvester Turner]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Haidar |first1=Suhasini |title='Howdy Modi' in Houston: After Modi show, Trump tweets: 'The USA Loves India!' |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/howdy-modi-event-in-houston-live-updates/article29481830.ece |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=23 September 2019 |language=en-IN |date=22 September 2019}}</ref> The [[Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]] awarded Modi the [[Goalkeepers (Gates Foundation)|Global Goalkeeper Award]] on 24 September 2019 in New York City, in recognition of the [[Swachh Bharat Mission]] and "the progress India has made in providing safe sanitation under his leadership".<ref>{{#invoke:cite tweet||main|author=Gates Foundation |author-link=Gates Foundation |user=gatesfoundation |number=1176654725229490176 |date=24 September 2019 |title=Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the Global Goalkeeper Award at tonight's Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards. This award recognizes the progress India has made in providing safe sanitation under his leadership. https://t.co/QSMD4UqxiU |language=en }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Gwyn |last=D'Mello |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/technology/news/bill-gates-foundation-gave-pm-narendra-modi-global-goalkeeper-award-for-swachh-bharat-impact-376502.html |title=Bill Gates' Foundation Gave PM Narendra Modi 'Global Goalkeeper' Award For Swachh Bharat Impact |work=[[indiatimes.com]] |date=26 September 2019 |access-date=27 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Narendra Modi: 'Global Goalkeeper' award for PM Modi for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/global-goalkeeper-award-for-pm-modi-for-swachch-bharat-abhiyan/articleshow/71285839.cms |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=25 September 2019 |access-date=25 September 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

In 2020, Modi was among eight world leaders who were awarded the parody [[Ig Nobel Prize]] in Medical Education "for using the [[COVID-19 pandemic in India|COVID-19 viral pandemic]] to teach the world that politicians can have a more immediate effect on life and death than scientists and doctors can".<ref>{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Tanne |first1=Janice Hopkins |title=Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, and other leaders win Ig Nobel awards for teaching people about life and death |url=https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3675 |access-date=19 September 2020 |journal=[[The BMJ|BMJ]] |date=18 September 2020 |volume=370 |article-number=m3675 |language=en |doi=10.1136/bmj.m3675 |pmid=32948527}}</ref> On 21 December 2020, US president Donald Trump awarded Modi the [[Legion of Merit]] for improving [[India–United States relations]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Lakshman |first=Sriram |date=22 December 2020 |title=PM Modi awarded 'Legion of Merit' by Donald Trump |language=en-IN |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/donald-trump-presents-legion-of-merit-to-pm-modi/article33390370.ece |access-date=22 December 2020 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|date=22 December 2020 |title=Donald Trump awards PM Narendra Modi with Legion of Merit for elevating India-US ties |url=https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/news/india/donald-trump-awards-pm-narendra-modi-with-legion-of-merit-for-elevating-india-us-ties/articleshow/79849619.cms |access-date=22 December 2020 |work=[[Mumbai Mirror]] |language=en |agency=[[Asian News International]]}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Aiyappa |first=Vikash |date=22 December 2020 |archive-date=22 December 2020 |title=The message Trump sent out by awarding PM Modi the Legion of Merit |url=https://www.oneindia.com/india/the-message-trump-sent-out-by-awarding-pm-modi-the-legion-of-merit-3192605.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201222085346/https://www.oneindia.com/india/the-message-trump-sent-out-by-awarding-pm-modi-the-legion-of-merit-3192605.html |access-date=22 December 2020 |work=[[oneindia.com]] |language=en}}</ref> On 24 February 2021, [[Gujarat Cricket Association]] controversially renamed Motera Stadium in [[Ahmedabad]]—[[List of cricket grounds by capacity|the largest cricket stadium in the world]]—[[Narendra Modi Stadium]].<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Activists Urge PM to Rename Narendra Modi Stadium After Sardar Patel, Sign Letter in Blood |website=The Wire |date=26 February 2021 |url=https://thewire.in/rights/activists-urge-pm-to-rename-narendra-modi-stadium-after-sardar-patel-sign-letter-in-blood |access-date=1 May 2024}}</ref>
[[File:PM Narendra Modi being conferred with the ‘Order of the Druk Gyalpo’ - Bhutan.jpg|thumb|Prime Minister Modi being conferred with the [[Order of the Dragon King]], Bhutan's highest civilian decoration by the [[King of Bhutan]]]]
In July 2024, during a visit to Russia, Modi was awarded the [[Order of St. Andrew]], Russia's highest civilian award, for his effort in the development of the bilateral ties between India and Russia.<ref>{{cite magazine |first1=Vivek |last1=Kumar |editor1-first=Gaurav C |editor1-last=Sawant |date=10 July 2024 |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pm-modi-receives-russias-highest-civilian-honour-during-moscow-trip-2564460-2024-07-09 |title=PM Modi receives Russia's highest civilian honour during Moscow trip |magazine=[[India Today]] |access-date=11 July 2024}}</ref> In March, the [[King of Bhutan]] conferred Modi with the [[Order of the Dragon King]], the highest decoration of Bhutan. It was the first such award to a non-Bhutanese head of government.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Why PM Modi became the first foreign head of govt to get Bhutan's top civilian award |url=https://www.firstpost.com/world/pm-narendra-modi-bhutan-highest-civilian-award-13751835.html |work=Firstpost |date=22 March 2024 |access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref>

Later in November 2024, during a diplomatic visit to Nigeria, Modi was conferred the [[Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger]] by the Nigerian president. This is one of the country's highest honours, making him the second foreign dignitary to receive the award, after [[Queen Elizabeth II]] in 1969.<ref>{{cite web |title=PM Modi Receives Nigeria's GCON Award: 2nd Foreign Dignitary after Queen Elizabeth |url=https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pm-modi-receives-nigerias-gcon-award-2nd-foreign-dignitary-after-queen-elizabeth-7040499 |website=NDTV |date=17 November 2024 |access-date=17 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Usigbe, Leon |title=Tinubu Confers Nigeria's Second-Highest Honour on Prime Minister Modi |url=https://tribuneonlineng.com/tinubu-confers-nigerias-second-highest-honour-on-prime-minister-modi/ |website=Tribune Online |date=17 November 2024 |access-date=17 November 2024}}</ref> President [[Bola Tinubu]] stated that the award was presented in recognition of Nigeria's appreciation for the growing partnership between the two countries.<ref>{{cite web |author=Angbulu, Stephen |title=Tinubu Confers National Honour of GCON on Indian PM Modi |url=https://punchng.com/just-in-tinubu-confers-national-honour-of-gcon-on-indian-pm-modi/?amp |website=Punch Newspapers |date=17 November 2024 |access-date=17 November 2024}}</ref> Upon his arrival, Modi was presented with the symbolic "Key to the City" of [[Abuja]] by Minister [[Nyesom Wike]], a gesture symbolising trust and honour from the people of Nigeria.<ref>{{cite web |author=Roushan, Anurag |title=PM Modi Gets Unique Welcome in Nigeria, Presented with 'Key to the City' of Abuja: What Does It Mean? |url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world/pm-narendra-modi-visits-nigeria-presented-with-key-to-the-city-of-abuja-what-does-it-mean-2024-11-17-962011 |website=India TV News |date=17 November 2024 |access-date=17 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=PM Modi Presented with 'Key to the City' of Abuja on Arrival in Nigeria |url=https://aninews.in/videos/national/pm-modi-presented-with-key-to-the-city-of-abuja-on-arrival-in-nigeria-pm-modi-on-3-nation-visit/ |website=ANI News |access-date=17 November 2024}}</ref> In December 2024, Modi was conferred the [[Order of Mubarak the Great]], the highest national honour of [[Kuwait]].<ref>{{cite news |title=PM Modi awarded Order of Mubarak Al-Kabeer: What is this Kuwaiti honour, its significance |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/everyday-explainers/pm-modi-order-of-mubarak-al-kabeer-kuwait-significance-9739171/ |access-date=6 January 2025 |work=Indian Express |date=23 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bhattacherjee |first1=Kallol |title=Modi gets Kuwait's highest honour 'The Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer', signs defence pact |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kuwait-bestows-highest-honour-the-order-of-mubarak-al-kabeer-to-pm-modi/article69015471.ece |access-date=6 January 2025 |work=The Hindu |date=22 December 2024}}</ref> Modi was named a [[Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean|Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key]], the highest honour conferred by [[Mauritius]], in March 2025.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bharadwaj |first1=Jai |title=PM Modi honoured with Mauritius' highest award, strengthening India-Mauritius ties |url=https://www.theaustraliatoday.com.au/pm-modi-honoured-with-mauritius-highest-award-strengthening-india-mauritius-ties/ |access-date=6 April 2025 |work=Australia Today}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=PM Modi Receives Mauritius' Highest National Award; See Pics Here |url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/pm-modi-receives-mauritius-highest-national-award-see-pics-here |website=Free Press Journal |access-date=6 April 2025}}</ref> In April 2025, Modi was awarded the [[Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana]], the highest Sri Lankan award to a foreign leader, in Colombo by the Sri Lankan President [[Anura Kumara Dissanayake]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=PM honoured with Mithra Vibhushana medal by Sri Lanka for boosting bilateral ties |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pm-modi-in-sri-lanka-pm-honoured-with-mithra-vibhushana-medal-by-sri-lanka-for-boosting-bilateral-ties-2704458-2025-04-05 |magazine=India Today |date=5 April 2025 |access-date=5 April 2025}}</ref>

== Electoral history ==
{{Main|Electoral history of Narendra Modi}}

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align: center;"
|+Election results
!Year
!Office
!Constituency
! colspan="1" |Party
!Votes for Modi
!%
!Opponent
! colspan="1" |Party
!Votes
!%
!Margin
!Result
!{{Refh}}
|-
|2002^
| rowspan="4" |[[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|Member of the Legislative Assembly]]
|[[Rajkot II]]
| rowspan="8" |[[Bharatiya Janata Party]]<br />[[File:Logo of the Bharatiya Janata Party.svg|frameless|30px]]
|45,298
|57.32
|Ashwinbhai Narbheshankar Mehta
| rowspan="5" |[[Indian National Congress]]<br />[[File:Hand INC.svg|frameless|30px]]
|30,570
|38.68
|{{yes2|14,728}}
| style="background:#9EFF9E;color:#000;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="yes table-yes2 notheme" |Won
|<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|first1=Uday|last1=Mahurkar|title=Rajkot II by-elections: Narendra Modi pushes his own image as a rising star of BJP|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/nation/story/20020225-narendra-modi-pushes-his-own-image-as-a-rising-star-of-bjp-795944-2002-02-25|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715180705/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/nation/story/20020225-narendra-modi-pushes-his-own-image-as-a-rising-star-of-bjp-795944-2002-02-25|date=25 February 2002|archive-date=15 July 2020|access-date=15 January 2021|website=[[India Today]]|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|[[2002 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election|2002]]
| rowspan="3" |[[Maninagar (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Maninagar]]
|113,589
|73.29
|[[Yatinbhai Oza]]
|38,256
|24.68
|{{yes2|75,333}}
| style="background:#9EFF9E;color:#000;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="yes table-yes2 notheme" |Won
|{{Sfnm|1a1=Marino|1y=2014|1pp=98|2a1=Bal Narendra|2y=2014|2pp=67-69}}
|-
|[[2007 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election|2007]]
|139,568
|69.53
|[[Dinsha Patel]]
|52,407
|26.11
|{{yes2|87,161}}
| style="background:#9EFF9E;color:#000;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="yes table-yes2 notheme" |Won
|<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Bhatt|first=Sheela|date=27 November 2007|title=Union minister Dinsha Patel to take on Modi in Maninagar|url=https://www.rediff.com/news/2007/nov/27gujpoll1.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035902/https://www.rediff.com/news/2007/nov/27gujpoll1.htm|archive-date=4 March 2016|access-date=15 January 2021|website=[[Rediff]]}}</ref>
|-
|[[2012 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election|2012]]
|120,470
|75.38
|Shweta Sanjiv Bhat
|34,097
|21.34
|{{yes2|86,373}}
| style="background:#9EFF9E;color:#000;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="yes table-yes2 notheme" |Won
|<ref name="NDTV 2012-12-20" />
|-
|[[2014 Indian general election|2014]]
| rowspan="4" |[[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha]]
|[[Vadodara (Lok Sabha constituency)|Vadodara]]
|845,464
|72.75
|[[Madhusudan Mistry]]
|275,336
|23.69
|{{yes2|570,128}}
| style="background:#9EFF9E;color:#000;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="yes table-yes2 notheme" |Won
|<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|title=General Election To Lok Sabha Trends & Result 2014|url=http://eciresults.nic.in/ConstituencywiseS0620.htm?ac=20|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517135238/http://eciresults.nic.in/ConstituencywiseS0620.htm?ac=20|archive-date=17 May 2014|access-date=15 January 2021|website=[[Election Commission of India|ECI]]}}</ref>
|-
|2014
| rowspan="3" |[[Varanasi (Lok Sabha constituency)|Varanasi]]
|581,022
|56.37
|[[Arvind Kejriwal]]
|[[Aam Aadmi Party]]<br />[[File:AAP Symbol.png|30px]]
|209,238
|20.30
|{{yes2|371,784}}
| style="background:#9EFF9E;color:#000;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="yes table-yes2 notheme" |Won
|<ref name="NDTV 2014-04-09" />
|-
|[[2019 Indian general election|2019]]
|674,664
|63.62
|Shalini Yadav
|[[Samajwadi Party]]<br />[[File:Indian Election Symbol Cycle.png|30px]]
|195,159
|18.40
|{{yes2|479,505}}
| style="background:#9EFF9E;color:#000;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="yes table-yes2 notheme" |Won
|<ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=23 May 2019|title=Varanasi Election Result 2019: PM Modi' Varanasi is the star constituency|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/constituency-watch/may-10-lok-sabha-2019-constituency-pm-modi-is-the-sitting-mp-from-ups-varanasi/story-AOwwWeUUmyrgpI90ChDYQP.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528121737/https://www.hindustantimes.com/constituency-watch/may-10-lok-sabha-2019-constituency-pm-modi-is-the-sitting-mp-from-ups-varanasi/story-AOwwWeUUmyrgpI90ChDYQP.html|archive-date=28 May 2020|access-date=15 January 2021|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|[[2024 Indian general election|2024]]
|612,970
|54.24
|[[Ajay Rai]]
|[[Indian National Congress]]<br />[[File:Hand INC.svg|frameless|30px]]
|460,457
|40.74
|{{yes2|152,513}}
| style="background:#9EFF9E;color:#000;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="yes table-yes2 notheme" |Won
|<ref>{{cite news |title=Bullish Wins & Bearish Losses: Here are the key contests and results of 2024 Lok Sabha polls |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/lok-sabha/india/bullish-wins-bearish-losses-here-are-the-key-contests-of-2024-lok-sabha-results/articleshow/110713130.cms |work=Economic Times |date=6 June 2024 |access-date=27 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727153249/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/lok-sabha/india/bullish-wins-bearish-losses-here-are-the-key-contests-of-2024-lok-sabha-results/articleshow/110713130.cms |archive-date=27 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite|web|date=4 June 2024 |title=Varanasi Lok Sabha Election Results 2024: PM Modi wins Varanasi seat for 3rd consecutive time, defeats Congress's Ajay Rai |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/lok-sabha/story/varanasi-lok-sabha-election-results-2024-live-updates-pm-narendra-modi-ajai-rai-bjp-nda-congress-india-bloc-2548670-2024-06-04 |access-date=5 June 2024 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref>
|}

^ = February 2002 by-poll

== Writing career ==

In 2008, Modi published a Gujarati book titled ''Jyotipunj'', which contains profiles of RSS leaders. The longest was of [[M. S. Golwalkar]], under whose leadership the RSS expanded and whom Modi refers to as ''Pujniya Shri Guruji'' ("Guru worthy of worship").<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Narendra Modi on MS Golwalkar, translated by Aakar Patel – Part 1 |url=http://www.caravanmagazine.in/vantage/modi-golwalkar-part-1 |work=[[The Caravan]] |date=31 May 2014 |access-date=20 June 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610003500/http://www.caravanmagazine.in/vantage/modi-golwalkar-part-1 |archive-date=10 June 2015 }}</ref> According to ''[[The Economic Times]]'', Modi's intention was to explain the workings of the RSS to his readers, and to reassure RSS members he remained ideologically aligned with them.

After becoming the prime minister he also authored a book called [[Exam Warriors]], a guide for children to commendably face exams. Modi has written eight other books, mostly containing short stories for children.<ref>{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Jyotipunj: Narendra Modi writes on 'my organisation, my leaders' |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/jyotipunj-narendra-modi-writes-on-my-organisation-my-leaders/articleshow/2936428.cms |work=[[The Economic Times]] |date=9 April 2008 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621040809/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2008-04-09/news/27702974_1_rss-workers-pracharak-rss-leaders |archive-date=21 June 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Modi has penned the lyrics of two Gujarati [[Garba (dance)|garba]] songs; ''Garbo'', sung by [[Dhvani Bhanushali]] and composed by [[Tanishk Bagchi]], and ''Maadi'', sung by [[Divya Kumar (singer)|Divya Kumar]] and composed by [[Meet Bros]]. The songs were released on the occasion of autumn [[Navratri]] in 2023.<ref>{{cite news|title=PM Narendra Modi unveils new Garba song penned by him, Maadi|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/navratri-2023-garbo-song-trends-lyrics-by-prime-minister-narendra-modi/article67419990.ece|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=14 October 2023 |access-date=1 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=PM Narendra Modi unveils new Garba song penned by him, Maadi|date=15 October 2023 |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/music/pm-narendra-modi-unveils-new-garba-song-penned-by-him-maadi-101697345237635.html|publisher=[[Hindustan Times]]|access-date=1 August 2024}}</ref>

''[[Abundance in Millets]]'', a song by [[Falu]] and Gaurav Shah that featured a speech given by Modi for the promotion of [[millet]], received a nomination in the [[Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance|Best Global Music Performance]] category for the [[66th Annual Grammy Awards|2024 Grammy Awards]].<ref>{{cite web|title=2024 Grammys: See The Full Winners & Nominees List|url=https://www.grammy.com/news/2024-grammys-nominations-full-winners-nominees-list|access-date=1 July 2024|website=Grammy.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Song Featuring PM Modi Nominated For Grammy Awards|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/song-featuring-pm-narendra-modi-nominated-for-grammy-awards-4565922|access-date=15 December 2023|website=NDTV.com}}</ref>

== Bibliography ==
{{Main list|Bibliography of Narendra Modi
}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Modi |first=Narendra |title=Aapatkal Me Gujarat |date=2004 |publisher=[[Prabhat Prakashan]] |language=hi |isbn=81-7315-466-X |edition=Samskarana 1 |location=New Delhi |oclc=56367646|ref=none}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Modi |first=Narendra |title=Convenient Action: Gujarat's Response to Challenges of Climate Change |date=2011 |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers]] India |isbn=978-0-230-33192-1 |location=New Delhi |oclc=696558495 |author-mask=7|ref=none}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Modi |first=Narendra |title=A Journey: Poems by Narendra Modi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WsGeAwAAQBAJ |date=22 April 2014 |publisher=[[Rupa Publications]] |trans-title=Bhaav Yatra |translator-last=Mantha |translator-first=Ravi |isbn=978-81-291-3386-1 |author-mask=7|ref=none}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Modi |first=Narendra |title=Jyotipunj |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_2dtCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA19 |year=2015 |publisher=[[Prabhat Prakashan]] |language=hi |isbn=978-93-5186-231-4 |author-mask=7|ref=none}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Modi |first=Narendra |title=Social Harmony |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hGNtCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA12 |year=2015 |publisher=[[Prabhat Prakashan]] |isbn=978-93-5048-980-2|trans-title=Samajik Samarasta |author-mask=7|ref=none}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Modi |first=Narendra |title=India's Singapore Story |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WDt1CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA19 |date=21 December 2015 |publisher=[[ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute]] |isbn=978-981-4695-73-2 |author-mask=7|ref=none}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Modi |first=Narendra |title=Mann Ki Baat: A Social Revolution on Radio |year=2017 |publisher=BlueKraft Digital Foundation |isbn=978-93-5035-990-7 |author-mask=7|ref=none}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Modi |first=Narendra |title=[[Exam Warriors]] |date=3 February 2018 |publisher=[[Penguin Books|Penguin India]] |isbn=978-0-14-344150-2 |author-mask=7|ref=none}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Modi |first=Narendra |title=President Pranab Mukherjee: A Statesman |publisher=The Statesman |year=2018 |isbn=978-81-929255-5-4 |location= |pages= |translator-last=Joshi |translator-first=Varun |author-mask=7 |orig-date=2017|ref=none}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Modi |first=Narendra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u1_RoAEACAAJ |title=Abode of Love |publisher=Rajpal Publishers |year=2018 |isbn=978-93-5064-238-2 |location= |pages= |trans-title=Premtirth |author-mask=7|ref=none}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Modi |first=Narendra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rbXlDwAAQBAJ |title=Letters to Mother |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |year=2020 |isbn=978-93-5357-632-5 |location= |pages= |trans-title=Sakshi Bhaav |author-mask=7|ref=none}}

{{refend}}

== See also ==
* [[List of current heads of state and government]]
* [[List of prime ministers of India]]
* [[Opinion polling on the Narendra Modi premiership]]

== References ==
=== Notes ===
{{Reflist|30em|group=lower-alpha}}

=== Citations ===
<references />

=== Sources ===
{{Refbegin|2}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=otDdrQEACAAJ |title=Bal Narendra: Childhood Stories of Narendra Modi |date=2014 |publisher=Rannade Prakashan |isbn=978-93-83923-78-6 |location= |pages= |language=en |ref={{SfnRef|Bal Narendra|2014}}}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last1=Chandrasekaran |first1=Natarajan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J3axDwAAQBAJ |title=Bridgital Nation (Solving Technology's People Problem) |last2=Purushottam |first2=Roopa |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2019 |isbn=978-93-5305-636-0 |location=Mumbai, India |oclc=1124852952 |ref={{SfnRef|Natarajan and Pooja|2019}} |author-link=Natarajan Chandrasekaran}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Guha |first=Ramachandra |author-link=Ramachandra Guha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fB49up3Z0TkC&q=India+After+Gandhi:+The+History+of+the+World%27s+Largest+Democracy |title=India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy |year=2007 |publisher=[[HarperCollins|Harper Perennial]] |isbn=978-0-06-095858-9 |location= |pages=}}
* {{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Gupta |first1=Surupa |last2=Mullen |first2=Rani D |last3=Basrur |first3=Rajesh |last4=Hall |first4=Ian |last5=Blarel |first5=Nicolas |last6=Pardesi |first6=Manjeet S |last7=Ganguly |first7=Sumit |title=Indian Foreign Policy under Modi: A New Brand or Just Repackaging? |journal=International Studies Perspectives |date=1 February 2019 |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=1–45 |ref={{sfnref|Gupta|2019}} |doi=10.1093/isp/eky008 |hdl=10072/386057 |hdl-access=free}}
* {{#invoke:cite|journal|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00358533.2016.1180760?journalCode=ctrt20 |last1=Hall |first1=Ian |year=2016 |title=Multialignment and Indian Foreign Policy under Narendra Modi |journal=[[The Round Table (journal)|The Round Table]] |volume=105 |issue=3 |pages=271–286 |doi=10.1080/00358533.2016.1180760 |s2cid=156737878}}
* {{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Hall |first=Ian |title=Modi and the Reinvention of Indian Foreign Policy |journal=Strategic Analysis |year=2020 |volume=44 |issue=3 |pages=282–284 |doi=10.1080/09700161.2020.1784679 |via= |s2cid=222003451 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09700161.2020.1784679?journalCode=rsan20}}
* {{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Jain |first1=Varsha |last2=E |first2=Ganesh B |date=2018<!--this is the "received date" on the source--> |title=Understanding the Magic of Credibility for Political Leaders: A Case of India and Narendra Modi |journal=Journal of Political Marketing |volume=19 |issue=1–2 |pages=15–33 |doi=10.1080/15377857.2019.1652222 |s2cid=202247610 |issn=1537-7857}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Kanrad|first=Bharat|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QoxmDwAAQBAJ|title=Staggering Forward: Narendra Modi and India's Global Ambition|publisher=[[Viking (publisher)|Viking Publishers]]|year=2018|isbn=978-93-5305-195-2|location=|pages=2–541}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last1=Kochanek |first1=Stanley A. |last2=Hardgrave |first2=Robert L. |title=India: Government and Politics in a Developing Nation |year=2007 |publisher=[[Cengage Learning]] |isbn=978-0-495-00749-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pSyRgcSQhuIC}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Komireddi|first=K. S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pAulDwAAQBAJ&q=Books+on+premiership+of+Narendra+Modi|title=Malevolent Republic: A Short History of the New India|date= 2019|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-1-78738-294-7|location=|pages=|language=en}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Madan |first=Tanvi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PmrLDwAAQBAJ&q=Books+on+premiership+of+Narendra+Modi |title=Fateful Triangle: How China Shaped US-India Relations During the Cold War |date=2020 |publisher=Penguin Random House India Private Limited |isbn=978-93-5305-756-5 |location= |pages= |language=en}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Marino |first=Andy |author-link=Andy Marino (British writer) |title=Narendra Modi: A Political Biography |year=2014 |publisher=[[HarperCollins Publishers India]] |isbn=978-93-5136-218-0 |location= |pages= |url=https://archive.org/details/narendramodipoli0000mari|url-access=limited|via=Internet Archive}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Mukhopadhyay |first=Nilanjan |title=Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times |year=2013 |location= |publisher=[[Amazon India|Westland]] |isbn=9-789-383-26048-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q2_3rQEACAAJ&q=Narendra+Modi:+The+Man,+The+Times |oclc=837527591}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Mahurkar |first=Uday |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BJ4kDwAAQBAJ&q=doi+on+premiership+of+Narendra+Modi |title=Marching with a Billion: Analysing Narendra Modi's Government at Midterm |date= 2017 |publisher=Random House Publishers India Pvt. Limited |isbn=978-93-86495-84-6 |location= |pages= |language=en |author-link=Uday Mahurkar}}
* {{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Panda |first=Jaganath P. |date=2016 |title=Narendra Modi and his mode of governance |journal=Journal of Asian Public Policy |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=95–97 |doi=10.1080/17516234.2016.1165444 |s2cid=155201252 |issn=1751-6234 |doi-access=free}}
* {{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Rao |first=Shakuntala |date=2 July 2020 |title=Narendra Modi's social media election campaign and India's delegative democracy |journal=[[The Communication Review]] |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=223–241 |doi=10.1080/10714421.2020.1829306 |s2cid=224981212 |issn=1071-4421}}
* {{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Sen|first=Ronojoy|date=3 May 2016|title=Narendra Modi's makeover and the politics of symbolism|journal=Journal of Asian Public Policy|volume=9|issue=2|pages=98–111|doi=10.1080/17516234.2016.1165248|s2cid=155130008|issn=1751-6234}}
{{refend}}
{{sfn whitelist|CITEREFMarino2014|CITEREFMukhopadhyay2013|CITEREFGuha2007|CITEREFPanda2016|CITEREFMahurkar2017|CITEREFGuha2007|CITEREFKochanekHardgrave2007|CITEREFNatarajan_and_Pooja2019|CITEREFRao2020|CITEREFKanrad2018|CITEREFHall2016|CITEREFHall2020|CITEREFSen2016|CITEREFJainE2018|CITEREFKomireddi2019|CITEREFGupta2019|CITEREFMadan2020|CITEREFBal_Narendra2014}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Chatterjee|first=Ankita|date=1 September 2020|title=Humour in Narendra Modi memes on new media|journal=South Asian Popular Culture|volume=18|issue=3|pages=227–245|doi=10.1080/14746689.2020.1815450|s2cid=222214793|issn=1474-6689}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Gokhale|first=Nitin A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3pZADwAAQBAJ&q=narendra+modi|title=Securing India The Modi Way: Pathankot, Surgical Strikes and More|year=2017|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]]|isbn=978-93-86643-88-9|language=en}}
* Hall, Ian. ''Modi and the reinvention of Indian foreign policy'' (Bristol University Press, 2019) 221pp.
* Jaffrelot, Christophe. "Narendra Modi between Hindutva and subnationalism: the Gujarati asmita of a Hindu Hriday Samrat." ''India Review'' 15.2 (2016): 196–217.
* Jaffrelot, Christophe. ''Modi's India: Hindu nationalism and the rise of ethnic democracy'' (Princeton University Press, 2019)
* {{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Jain|first1=Varsha|last2=B. E.|first2=Ganesh|date=2018<!--this is the "received date" on the source-->|title=Understanding the Magic of Credibility for Political Leaders: A Case of India and Narendra Modi|journal=Journal of Political Marketing|volume=19|issue=1–2|pages=15–33|doi=10.1080/15377857.2019.1652222|s2cid=202247610|issn=1537-7857}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last1=Kamath|first1=M. V.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fkHjngEACAAJ|title=The Man of the Moment: Narendra Modi|last2=Randeri|first2=Kalindi|date=2013|publisher=Wide Canvas|isbn=978-93-259-6838-7|location=|pages=|language=en|oclc=1000812046|author-link=M. V. Kamath}}
* Kaul, Nitasha. "Rise of the political right in India: Hindutva-development mix, Modi myth, and dualities." ''Journal of Labor and Society'' 20.4 (2017): 523-548. [https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/download/74aa973779543b6c3eaa7fa9c2efe2110048da63058d4e66fd4efd992b603d0c/176191/NK%20JLS%20Final.pdf online]
* Mahurkar, Uday. ''Centrestage: inside the Narendra Modi model of governance'' (Random House India, 2014).
* {{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Maiorano|first=Diego|date=3 April 2015|title=Early Trends and Prospects for Modi's Prime Ministership|journal=The International Spectator|volume=50|issue=2|pages=75–92|doi=10.1080/03932729.2015.1024511|s2cid=155228179|issn=0393-2729}}
* {{#invoke:cite|book|last=Mohan|first=C. Raja|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oRXmCQAAQBAJ|title=Modi's World: Expanding India's Sphere of Influence|date=1 June 2015|publisher=[[HarperCollins Publishers India]]|isbn=978-93-5177-206-4|location=|pages=|language=en}}
* Price, Lance. ''The Modi Effect – Inside Narendra Modi's Campaign To Transform India'' (2015)
* Sardesai, Rajdeep, et al.  ''2019: How Modi Won India'' (2019)
* {{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Schakel|first1=Arjan H.|last2=Sharma|first2=Chanchal Kumar|last3=Swenden|first3=Wilfried|date=27 May 2019|title=India after the 2014 general elections: BJP dominance and the crisis of the third party system|journal=Regional & Federal Studies|volume=29|issue=3|pages=329–354|doi=10.1080/13597566.2019.1614921|s2cid=182486831|issn=1359-7566|doi-access=free|hdl=20.500.11820/9018a8ee-2771-4e06-9b96-f0461c410e2f|hdl-access=free}}
* Waikar, Prashant. "Reading Islamophobia in Hindutva: an analysis of Narendra Modi's political discourse." ''Islamophobia Studies'' Journal (2018).
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Scholia|Q1058}}
{{Library resources box|about=Narendra Modi|viaf=95532763|lccn=2002016337}}
* {{#invoke:Official website|main}}
* {{Official website|1=http://loksabhaph.nic.in/Members/MemberBioprofile.aspx?mpsno=4589|name=Profile on Lok Sabha website}}
* {{WorldCat|id=lccn-no2002016337}}
* {{DNA India|prime-minister-narendra-modi}}
* {{Guardian topic|world/narendra-modi}}
* {{New York Times topic|person/narendra-modi}}
* {{IMDb name|id=5177533|name=Narendra Modi}}
* {{C-SPAN|99032}}

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