Narendra Modi: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Prime Minister of India since 2014}}

{{Use Indian English|date=October 2019}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}

| image              = Official Photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Potrait.png

| caption            = Official portrait, 2022

| president          = {{ubl|[[Pranab Mukherjee]]|[[Ram Nath Kovind]]|[[Droupadi Murmu]]}}

| 1namedata          = {{ubl|[[Mohammad Hamid Ansari]]|[[Venkaiah Naidu|M. Venkaiah Naidu]]|[[Jagdeep Dhankhar]]}}

| 1namedata1          = [[Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions|Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions]], [[Department of Space]], [[Department of Atomic Energy]]

| predecessor1        = [[Dr. Manmohan Singh]]

| 1namedata2          = {{unbulleted list

|[[Sumitra Mahajan]]

|[[Om Birla]]}}

| deputy2            = [[Rajnath Singh]]

| governor4          = {{ubl|[[Sunder Singh Bhandari]]|[[Kailashpati Mishra]]|[[Balram Jakhar]]|[[Nawal Kishore Sharma]]|[[S. C. Jamir]]|[[Kamla Beniwal]]}}

| constituency3      = [[Varanasi (Lok Sabha constituency)|Varanasi]]

| office5            = [[Member of the Legislative assembly (India)|Member]] of [[Gujarat Legislative Assembly]]

| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1950|9|17|df=y}}

| birth_place        = [[Vadnagar]], [[Bombay State]], [[India]] (present-day [[Gujarat]])

| party              =[[Bharatiya Janata Party]]

| spouse              = [[Jashodaben Modi]] ({{abbr|m.|married}}&nbsp;1968; estranged)<ref name=ndtvchild>{{#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          = [[7, Lok Kalyan Marg]], [[New Delhi]], [[Delhi]], India {{efn|previously known as 7, Race Course Road}}

| alma_mater          = [[University of Delhi]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br />[[Gujarat University]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]])

| awards              = [[#Awards and recognition|List of state honours]]<!--{{Flatlist|

| website            = {{hlist|{{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=Narendra Modi on the COVID-19 pandemic<br/>Recorded 19 March 2020}}

Modi was appointed Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001 due to [[Keshubhai Patel]]'s failing health and poor public image following the [[2001 Gujarat earthquake|earthquake in Bhuj]]. Modi was elected to the legislative assembly soon after. His administration has been considered complicit in the [[2002 Gujarat riots]] in which 1044 people were killed, three-quarters of whom were Muslim,{{efn|Sources describing Modi's administration as complicit in the 2002 violence.<ref name="Bobbio" /><ref name="The Clash Within" /><ref name="Shani" /><ref name="Buncombe" /><ref name="Jaffrelot2013" />}} or otherwise criticised for its management of the crisis. A Special Investigation Team appointed by the [[Supreme Court of India]] found no evidence to initiate prosecution proceedings against Modi personally.{{efn|In 2012, a court stated that investigations had found no evidence against Modi.<ref>{{#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}}</ref><ref>{{#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}}</ref>}} While his policies as chief minister—credited with encouraging economic growth—have received praise, 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.<ref name="Buncombe" /><ref name="Jaffrelot2013" />}}

Under Modi's tenure, India has experienced [[democratic backsliding]].<ref name=welzel-etal-2019>{{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|quote=(p.7) Our diagram ... reveals that India's score in comprehensive democracy is at best half the Western level, which conflicts with the standard democracy measures by Polity and Freedom House where India scores much higher. On the other hand, India's modest democracy performance in the V-Dem data fully confirms Alexander, Welzel, and Inglehart (2012) who argue that India's state of democracy is overestimated by standard measures and needs to take account of serious deficiencies in rule of law and human rights enforcement (cf. Inglehart and Welzel 2005; Welzel and Inglehart 2006; Alexander and Welzel 2011).’ The recent considerable drop of the ‘Indic East’ mainly reflects India's democratic backsliding under the Hindu-nationalist administration of Modi. (<small>p.4 The 'Indic East' comprises those nations in South Asia whose history was shaped by Indian culture.)</small>}}</ref><ref name=chidambaram-2022>{{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|quote=(T)he electoral success of populist parties has also coincided with a decline of democracy across the globe (Giinther and Liihrmann, 2018). The focal point in this regard is the rise of populist demagogues and authoritarian strongmen who have caused democratic decline by cracking down on political dissent and curbing the autonomy of the judiciary and the free press, thus creating the conditions for democratic backsliding and decline (Levitsky and Ziblatt, 2018). The path of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in India since 2014 seems to fit this description. The BJP's hegemonic control of Indian politics has been coterminous with aggressive cultural nationalist rhetoric manifesting itself as routinized intimidation and killing of journalists and political critics, vigilante lynching of Muslims, and a general clampdown on dissent (Kesavan, 2017). Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister and leader of the BJP epitomizes the populist strongman with his charismatic appeal, centralization of power (Vaishnav, 2019), and ability to connect with the masses through clever use of media (Martelli and Jaffrelot, 2017; Vaishnav, 2021). Not surprisingly, scholars and commentators looking at contemporary Indian politics converge on the idea that Modi's populist leadership of the BJP is the reason for the havoc being wreaked on democratic institutions in the country (Kinnvall, 2019; Chatterji et al., 2019; Basu, 2018; Chacko, 2018; Nilsen, 2018)}}</ref>{{Efn|name=lo9|group=lower-alpha|Sources describing that India has experienced a [[Democratic backsliding|backslide in democracy]]:<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{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|url=https://www.degruyter.com/view/journals/lehr/14/1/article-p49.xml|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}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{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}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=|first=|date=2021|title=India: Freedom in the World 2021 Country Report|url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/india/freedom-world/2021|journal=[[Freedom House]]|volume=|pages=|via=|quote=While India is a multiparty democracy, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has presided over discriminatory policies and increased violence affecting the Muslim population. The constitution guarantees civil liberties including freedom of expression and freedom of religion, but harassment of journalists, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and other government critics has increased significantly under Modi.}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>}} Following his party's victory in the [[2019 Indian general election|2019 general election]], his administration [[Revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir|revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir]], introduced the [[Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019|Citizenship Amendment Act]] and three controversial [[2020 Indian agriculture acts|farm laws]], which prompted [[Citizenship Amendment Act protests|widespread protests]] and [[2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest|sit-in]]s across the country, resulting in a formal [[repeal]] of the latter. Described as engineering a political realignment towards [[right-wing politics]], Modi remains a figure of controversy domestically and internationally over his Hindu nationalist beliefs and handling of the 2002 Gujarat riots, cited as evidence of a majoritarian and [[Social exclusion|exclusionary]] social agenda.{{efn|Sources discussing the controversy surrounding Modi.<ref name="Buncombe">{{#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><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://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Perspectives_on_Modern_South_Asia/m-EYXNnvMugC?hl=en&gbpv=0|oclc=682895189|editor=Visweswaran, Kamala|quote=The chief minister of Gujarat, a young up-and-coming leader of the Hindu nationalists called Narendra Modi, quoted Isaac Newton to explain the killings of Muslims. "Every action", he said, "has an equal and opposite reaction."|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|url=https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/3590a4efe3e1f4f0d5f37d4d1f8fa3fd1e353d97|access-date=30 August 2021}}</ref><ref name="Ganguly 2014" /><ref name="CBC">{{#invoke: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 name="Robinson">{{#invoke:cite news||title=India's Voters Torn Over Politician |first=Simon |last=Robinson |url=http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1693370,00.html |journal=[[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 name="Burke">{{#invoke: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=}}

Narendra Damodardas Modi was born on 17 September 1950 to a [[Gujarati people|Gujarati]] [[Hindu]] family of grocers 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|name="foo"||group=}}<ref>{{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 News |date=30 December 2022}}</ref> Modi's family belonged to the [[Modh]]-[[Ghanchi]]-[[Teli]] (oil-presser) community,<ref name=":0a">{{#invoke:cite news||url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-narendra-modi-belongs-to-modh-ghanchi-caste-which-was-added-to-obcs-categories-in-1994-says-gujarat-government-1986389|title=Narendra Modi belongs to Modh-Ghanchi caste, which was added to OBCs categories in 1994, says Gujarat government|date=9 May 2014|work=[[DNA (newspaper)|DNA]]|access-date=19 May 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204174201/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-narendra-modi-belongs-to-modh-ghanchi-caste-which-was-added-to-obcs-categories-in-1994-says-gujarat-government-1986389|archive-date=4 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite news||url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pm-modi-brother-asks-teli-community-to-adopt-modi-prefix-4386125/|title=PM Modi's brother asks Teli community to adopt 'Modi' prefix|date=20 November 2016|work=[[The Indian Express]]|access-date=19 May 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309032700/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pm-modi-brother-asks-teli-community-to-adopt-modi-prefix-4386125/|archive-date=9 March 2017}}</ref><ref name="TOI Modh-Ghanchi-Teli"/> which is categorised as an [[Other Backward Class]] by the Indian government.<ref name="TOI Modh-Ghanchi-Teli">{{#invoke:cite news||url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Modi-is-a-Teli-Ghanchi-OBC-BJP/articleshow/34084111.cms|title='Modi is a Teli-Ghanchi OBC': BJP|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=23 April 2014|access-date=17 February 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206064221/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Modi-is-a-Teli-Ghanchi-OBC-BJP/articleshow/34084111.cms|archive-date=6 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:cite news||url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/the-office-of-prime-minister-a-largely-north-indian-upper-caste-hindu-affair-114050700846_1.html|title=The office of Prime Minister: A largely north Indian upper-caste, Hindu affair|last=Ghai|first=Rajat|date=7 May 2014|work=[[Business Standard|Business Standard India]]|access-date=19 May 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619200229/http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/the-office-of-prime-minister-a-largely-north-indian-upper-caste-hindu-affair-114050700846_1.html|archive-date=19 June 2017}}</ref>

Modi had only infrequently spoken of his family background during his 13 years as chief minister of Gujarat. In the run up to the 2014 national elections, he began to regularly draw attention to his low-ranking social origins and to having to work as a child in his father's tea shop on the [[Vadnagar railway station]] platform,<ref name=chatterji-Hansen-Jaffrelot-tea>{{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|quote=In 2014, Modi, in spite of being chief minister of Gujarat for thirteen years, presented himself as an alternative for and of the people because he came from a plebian background ... While he had not very often referred to this pedigree in Gujarat, he successfully projected himself as an ordinary man from humble origins during the 2014 election campaign. ... Modi highlighted his low social background (in belonging to the OBC caste) and that he had to work in his father's tea shop on the railway station platform when he was a child.}}</ref> a description that the evidence of neighbours does not entirely corroborate.<ref name=roberts-tea-stall>{{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|quote=Kamuben Modi's voice crackled with age—she was eighty-five—and the two largest toes on her left foot were missing. 'The house next door, where the family lived, was not in good condition. They had no attic, no proper roof, just a tin roof,' she recalled. Modi was a stubborn and forceful child, she said: 'I remember he would never get beaten by other children, he would beat the others.' As for helping with his father's business: 'He did not work, not regularly, on the tea stall. The mother wanted him to help, but he didn't.'}}</ref><ref name=adam-roberts-economist>{{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|quote=The railway station is single-track. Next to it, where the celebrity's father once ran a tea stall, is a motorbike-repair shop. Over the road is his modest, whitewashed former school. Only in a street nearby, beyond a Sufi shrine, do you find hints of the great man. Neighbours all introduce themselves with the same surname: Modi, Modi, Modi. Most of them recall something of the childhood of Narendra Modi, such as when he brought home a baby crocodile from a lake. They speak with respect more than fondness. He rarely helped his father with the tea stall. Friends from the school recall that he liked theatre and insisted on taking the part of a king. From childhood his passion was politics, and he soon joined the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) movement. A fellow RSS member recounts a playground scrap with Muslim rivals. A neighbour attended his teenage wedding. An unwilling groom, he soon fled town, leaving his wife behind. He rarely goes back.}}</ref> Modi completed his [[Higher Secondary Examination|higher secondary education]] in Vadnagar in 1967, where teachers described him as an average student and a keen gifted debater, with interest in theatre.<ref name="Jose Caravan">{{#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|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111220259/http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reportage/emperor-uncrowned?page=1,1|archive-date=11 November 2013}}</ref> Modi 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 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315130016/http://www.newkerala.com/news/2014/fullnews-24257.html |archive-date=15 March 2014 }}</ref>

When eight years old, Modi was introduced to the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS) and began attending its local ''shakhas'' (training sessions). There, Modi met [[Lakshmanrao Inamdar]], popularly known as Vakil Saheb, who inducted him 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 were founding members of the BJP's Gujarat unit in 1980.<ref name="Pathak TNN">{{#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>

In a custom traditional to Narendra Modi's caste, his family arranged a [[betrothal]] to a girl, [[Jashodaben Chimanlal Modi]], leading to their marriage when she was 17 and he was 18.<ref name=gowen1>{{#invoke:cite web||first=Annie|last=Gowen|work=[[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|quote="The wife, Jashodaben Chimanlal Modi, is a retired teacher who lives in a small town in Modi's home state of Gujarat ... Narendra Modi, the son of a man who sold tea in a railway station, comes from a lower caste called Ghanchi. He and his wife were promised to each other as young adolescents in keeping with the traditions of their community. They were then married in a small ceremony when she was 17 and he was 18."|access-date=30 August 2021}}</ref><ref name=shultz-kumar1>{{#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|quote="The marriage, which was arranged, occurred about 50 years ago in a small town in Gujarat when Mr. Modi and Ms. Chimanlal were teenagers"|access-date=31 August 2021}}</ref> Soon afterwards, he abandoned his bride,<ref name=gowen2>{{#invoke:cite web||first=Annie|last=Gowen|work=[[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 |quote="Narendra Modi left shortly thereafter to wander in the Himalayas with little more than a change of clothing in his rucksack, ...  Modi never returned to his wife but never divorced her, even as he became the high-profile chief minister of Gujarat and, last year, India's premier. He never publicly spoke of his wife"|access-date= 31 August 2021}}</ref> and left home, never divorcing her, but the marriage remaining unmentioned in Modi's public pronouncements for many decades.<ref name=shultz-kumar2>{{#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|quote="For most of his political career, Mr. Modi did not publicly acknowledge that he was married. He left his marital status blank on several election registration forms when he was chief minister of the state of Gujarat."|access-date=31 August 2021}}</ref> In April 2014, shortly before the national elections that swept him to power, Modi publicly affirmed that he was married and his spouse was Jashodaben; the couple has remained married, but estranged.<ref name=CNN1>{{#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|quote="Marriage: Jashodaben (Chimanlal) Modi (1968–present, separated) ... Entered into an arranged marriage as a teenager to Jashodaben Chimanlal. When he filed his nomination for prime minister, he was forced to acknowledge the marriage after almost 50 years of claiming to be single."|access-date=31 August 2021}}</ref> Reportedly, their marriage was never [[Consummation|consummated]], and he kept it a secret because otherwise he could not have become a ''pracharak'' in the puritan [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]].<ref name="IT13092013">{{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 ensuing two years travelling across Northern and North-eastern India, though few details of where he went have emerged.{{sfn|Marino|2014|p=25}} In interviews, Modi has described visiting Hindu ashrams founded by [[Swami Vivekananda]]: the [[Belur Math]] near [[Kolkata]], followed by the [[Advaita Ashrama]] in [[Almora]] and the [[Ramakrishna Mission]] in [[Rajkot]]. Modi remained only a short time at each, since he lacked the required college education.<ref>

* {{harvnb|Marino|2014|pp=30–33}}

* {{#invoke:cite news||url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-05-26/news/50099180_1_narendra-modi-swami-vivekananda-belurmath|title=Narendra Modi invited to Ramakrishna Mission's headquarter in Belurmath|work=[[The Economic Times]]|date=26 May 2014|access-date=17 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031144902/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-05-26/news/50099180_1_narendra-modi-swami-vivekananda-belurmath|archive-date=31 October 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Vivekananda has been described as a large influence in Modi's life.<ref name=ts0716>{{#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 the early summer of 1968, Modi reached the [[Belur Math]] but was turned away, after which Modi wandered through [[Calcutta]], [[West Bengal]] and [[Assam]], stopping in [[Siliguri]] and [[Guwahati]]. Modi then went to the [[Ramakrishna Ashram Marg metro station|Ramakrishna Ashram]] in [[Almora]], where he was again rejected, before travelling back to [[Gujarat]] via [[Delhi]] and [[Rajasthan]] in 1968–69. Sometime in late 1969 or early 1970, Modi 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}} There, Modi lived with his uncle, working in the latter's [[Cafeteria|canteen]] at the [[Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation]].{{sfn|Mukhopadhyay|2013|pp=131, 138}}

In Ahmedabad, Modi renewed his acquaintance with Inamdar, who was based at the Hedgewar Bhavan (RSS headquarters) in the city.<ref name="vakilsaheb">{{#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 name="livemint-modi-growth">{{#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, as per his remarks, joined a [[Jana Sangh]] Satyagraha in Delhi led by [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] to enlist for the battlefield during 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 disallowed open support for the [[Mukti Bahini]], and Modi says he was put in [[Tihar Jail]] for a short period.<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=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]], he stopped working for his uncle and became a full-time ''[[pracharak]]'' (campaigner) for the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|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 against the Indian government in New Delhi, for which he was arrested (as per his claim); this has been cited as a reason for Inamdar electing to mentor him.{{sfn|Marino|2014|pp=35–40}} Many years later Modi would co-author a biography of Inamdar, published in 2001.<ref>{{#invoke:cite news||title=Mentoring Modi |first=Prateek |last=Goyal |date=18 May 2014 |url=http://www.punemirror.in/pune/cover-story/Mentoring-Modi/articleshow/35270364.cms |work=[[Pune Mirror]] |access-date=21 June 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621191042/http://www.punemirror.in/pune/cover-story/Mentoring-Modi/articleshow/35270364.cms |archive-date=21 June 2015 }}</ref> Modi's claim that he was part of a Satyagraha led to a political war.<ref name=tribune /> Applications were filed with the [[Prime Minister's Office (India)|PMO]] under the [[Right to Information Act, 2005|RTI Act]] seeking details of his arrest. In reply, the PMO claimed that it maintains official records on Modi only since he took charge as the Prime Minister of India in 2014. Despite this claim, the official website of the PMO contains specific information about Modi which dates back to 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]] degree in [[political science]] from the [[School of Open Learning]] (SOL)<ref name=SOL>{{#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 [[University of Delhi]],<ref name="IT13092013" /> graduating with a [[Academic grading in India|third class]].<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> Five years later, in 1983, he received a [[Master of Arts]] 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|url-status=dead|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 name="GU Modi">{{#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 his educational qualification.<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> Replying to an RTI query, the SOL said it did not have any data of students who received a BA degree in 1978.<ref name=SOL /> Jayantibhai Patel, a former political science professor of Gujarat University, claimed that 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 June 1975, Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]] declared a [[The Emergency (India)|state of emergency]] in India which 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 co-ordinating 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. He became involved in printing pamphlets opposing the government, sending them to Delhi and organising demonstrations.{{sfn|Marino|2014|p=43}}{{sfn|Mukhopadhyay|2013|p=150}} Modi was also involved with creating a network of safe houses for individuals 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 book in [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], ''Sangharsh Ma Gujarat'' (''In the Struggles of Gujarat''), describing events during the Emergency.<ref name="Aakar-PoetModi">{{#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|url-status=dead|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=6 January 2016}}</ref> Among the people he met in this role was trade unionist and socialist activist [[George Fernandes]], as well as several other national political figures.{{sfn|Marino|2014|pp=38–43, 46–50}} In his travels during the Emergency, Modi was often forced to move in disguise, 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}}

== Chief Minister of Gujarat ==

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 Frontline" /><ref name="Phadnis BS">{{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 |work=[[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/20060828024053/http://www.frontline.in/fl1821/18210300.htm|archive-date=28 August 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 Caravan" /> Although [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]] leader L. K. Advani did not want to ostracise Patel and was concerned about Modi's lack of experience in government, Modi declined an offer to be Patel's [[Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat|deputy chief minister]], telling Advani and [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] that he was "going to be fully responsible for Gujarat or not at all". On 3 October 2001 he replaced Patel as Chief Minister of Gujarat, with the responsibility of preparing the BJP for the December 2002 elections.<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> Modi was sworn in as Chief Minister on 7 October 2001,<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=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141011204504/http://www.thehindujobs.com/thehindu/2001/10/08/stories/02080001.htm|archive-date=11 October 2014}}</ref> and entered the Gujarat state legislature on 24 February 2002 by winning a by-election to the [[Rajkot West|Rajkot – II]] constituency, defeating Ashwin Mehta of the INC.<ref>{{#invoke:cite news||last1=Venkatesan|first1=V.|title=A victory and many pointers|url=http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl1905/19050240.htm|volume=19 – Issue 05|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>

The government of Gujarat itself is generally considered by scholars to have been complicit in the riots,<ref name="Shani" /><ref>{{Citation |last=Santhosh |first=R. |title=Muslims in Contemporary India |date=2015-08-11 |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781317403586/chapters/10.4324/9781315682570-31 |work=Routledge Handbook of Contemporary India |pages=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=2022-12-22}}</ref> (with some blaming chief minister Modi explicitly<ref name="The Clash Within" /><ref>{{Citation |last1=Nielsen |first1=Kenneth Bo |title=Hindu nationalist statecraft and Modi's authoritarian populism |date=2021-12-30 |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781003042211/chapters/10.4324/9781003042211-10 |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=978-1-003-04221-1 |access-date=2022-12-22 |last2=Nilsen |first2=Alf Gunvald|s2cid=245165294 }}</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 |pages=287 |edition=6 |publisher=Routledge |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781315628806-8 |isbn=978-1-315-62880-6}}</ref>) and has otherwise received heavy criticism for its handling of the situation.<ref name="NYT">{{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> Several scholars have described the violence as a [[pogrom]], while others have called it an example of [[state terrorism]].<ref>{{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 name="Pandey 2005">{{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 name="Baruah 2012">{{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}}</ref> Summarising academic views on the subject, [[Martha Nussbaum]] said: "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="The Clash Within" /> The Modi government imposed a curfew in 26 major cities, issued shoot-at-sight orders and called for the army to patrol the streets, but was unable to prevent the violence from escalating.<ref name="articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com" /><ref name="Curfew imposed in 26 cities" /> 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, and the camps were often unable to meet the needs of those living there.<ref name="Hampton 2002">{{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 subject to further discrimination when the state government announced that compensation for Muslim victims would be half of that offered to Hindus, although this decision was later reversed after the issue was taken to court.<ref name="Gujarat Model">{{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}}</ref> During the riots, police officers often did not intervene in situations where they were able.<ref name="The Clash Within" /><ref name="Murphy 2010" /><ref name="Gujarat 2002">{{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=}}</ref>

Modi's personal involvement in the 2002 events has continued to be debated. During the riots, Modi said that "What is happening is a chain of action and reaction."<ref name="The Clash Within" /> Later in 2002, Modi said the way in which he had handled the media was his only regret regarding the episode.<ref>{{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 | df=dmy-all }}</ref> In March 2008, the [[Supreme Court of India|Supreme Court]] reopened several cases related to the 2002 riots, including that of the [[Gulbarg Society massacre]], and established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the issue.<ref name="NYT" /><ref name="ZakiavsModi-timeline" /><ref name="NHRCvsGujarat-2009-judgment">{{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|url-status=dead|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 (widow of [[Ehsan Jafri]], who was killed in the Gulbarg Society massacre), in April 2009 the court also asked the SIT to investigate the issue of Modi's complicity in the killings.<ref name="ZakiavsModi-timeline">{{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|url-status=dead|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="ZakiavsModi-timeline" /><ref>{{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, he said that Modi could be prosecuted based on the available evidence.<ref name="hindu-raju-report">{{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>{{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 gave 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 that there was no evidence against the chief minister.<ref name="2013 Clean chit">{{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 wherein she challenged the clean chit given to the Modi in the riots by the Special Investigation Team, and upheld previous rulings that no evidence was found against him.<ref>{{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}}</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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>

During Modi's second term the rhetoric of the government shifted from [[Hindutva]] to Gujarat's economic development.<ref name="Phadnis BS" /><ref name="Bobbio" /><ref name="India Review">{{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}}</ref> Modi curtailed the influence of [[Sangh Parivar]] organisations such as the [[Bharatiya Kisan Sangh]] (BKS) and the [[Vishva Hindu Parishad]] (VHP).<ref name="Umat TNN">{{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=29 March 2016}}</ref> When the BKS staged a farmers' demonstration Modi ordered their eviction from state-provided houses, and his decision to demolish 200 illegal temples in [[Gandhinagar]] deepened the rift with the [[Vishva Hindu Parishad]].<ref name="Umat TNN" /><ref>{{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> Nonetheless, Modi retained connections with some Hindu nationalists. Modi wrote a foreword to a 2014 textbook by [[Dinanath Batra]], which stated that ancient India possessed technologies including [[test-tube babies]].<ref name=testtubes>{{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|2004 Lok Sabha elections]]. After the elections 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 name="TellisWills">{{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>{{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|url-status=dead|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> Questions about Modi's relationship with Muslims were also raised by many Western nations. Modi was barred from entering the United States by the [[United States Department of State|State Department]], in accordance with the recommendations of the [[United States Commission on International Religious Freedom|Commission on International Religious Freedom]],<ref name="2005 ban" /><ref name="visa denied">{{cite news|last=|first=|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 [[List of people barred or excluded from the United States|denied a US visa]] under this law.<ref name="2005 ban">{{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]] refused to admit him because of what they saw as his role in the riots. As Modi rose to prominence in India, the UK<ref>{{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>{{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, he was invited to Washington, D.C.<ref>{{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 name="newyorker-may14">{{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|244x244px|Modi meeting with then [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]], [[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>{{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]] "&nbsp;for his reluctance to revive anti-terror legislation" such as the 2002 [[Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002|Prevention of Terrorism Act]].<ref name="Telegraph India">{{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 |url-status=dead |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 authored ''Karmayog'', a 101-page booklet discussing manual scavenging. In it, Modi argued that scavenging was a "spiritual experience" for Valmiks, a sub-caste of [[Dalit]]s.<ref>{{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|url-status=live|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>{{cite web|last=|first=|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> However, this book was not circulated at that time because of the election code of conduct.<ref>{{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 authorized the deployment of 30 high-speed boats for coastal surveillance.<ref>{{cite news|last=|first=|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=10 December 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>{{cite news|last=|first=|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|url-status=dead|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>{{cite news|last=|first=|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 election campaign in 2007 and 2012 contained elements of Hindu nationalism. Modi only attended Hindu religious ceremonies, and had prominent associations with Hindu religious leaders. During his 2012 campaign he twice refused to wear articles of clothing gifted by Muslim leaders.<ref name="India Review" /> He did, however, maintain relations with [[Dawoodi Bohra]].<ref name="India Review" /> His campaign included references to issues known to cause religious polarisation, including to Afzal Guru and the [[Death of Sohrabuddin Sheikh|killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh]]. The BJP did not nominate any Muslim candidates for the assembly election of 2012.<ref name="India Review" /> 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="India Review" /> While campaigning for the 2012 Gujarat Legislative Assembly elections, Modi made extensive use of holograms and other technologies allowing him to reach a large number of people,<ref name="Jaffrelot T&NM" /> something he would repeat in the 2014 general election. Modi won the constituency of Maninagar, defeating Shweta Bhatt of the INC.<ref name="big win">{{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>{{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 his election as prime minister, Modi resigned as the chief minister and as an MLA from [[Maninagar]]. [[Anandiben Patel]] succeeded him as the chief minister.<ref>{{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>

[[File:Sardar Sarovar Dam 2006, India.jpg|thumb|The [[Sardar Sarovar Dam]] during a 2006 height increase|244x244px]]

As Chief Minister, Modi favoured privatisation and [[small government]], which was at odds with the philosophy of the RSS, usually described as anti-privatisation and anti-globalisation. His policies during his second term have been credited with reducing corruption in the state. He established financial and technology parks in Gujarat and during the 2007 [[Vibrant Gujarat]] summit, real-estate investment deals worth {{INRConvert|6.6|t|year=2007}} were signed.<ref name="Phadnis BS" />

The governments led by Patel and Modi supported NGOs and communities in the creation of groundwater-conservation projects. By December 2008, 500,000 structures had been built, of which 113,738 were [[check dam]]s, which helped recharge the [[aquifer]]s beneath them.<ref name="Shah BS">{{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>{{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 BS" /> The boom in cotton production and its semi-arid land use<ref name="Farm growth Hindu">{{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 percent from 2001 to 2007.<ref>{{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}} {{subscription required}}</ref> Public irrigation measures in central and southern Gujarat, such as the [[Sardar Sarovar Dam]], were less successful. The Sardar Sarovar project only irrigated 4–6% of the area intended.<ref name="Shah BS" /> In 2008 Modi offered land in Gujarat to [[Tata Motors]] to set up a plant manufacturing the [[Nano (car)|Nano]] after a popular agitation had forced the company to move out of West Bengal. Several other companies followed the Tata to Gujarat.<ref name="Modi-nomics" />

The Modi government finished the process of bringing electricity to every village in Gujarat that its predecessor had almost completed.<ref name="Business Standard Vibrant Gujarat">{{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. Although early protests by farmers ended when those who benefited found that their electricity supply had stabilised,<ref name="Shah BS" /> according to an assessment study corporations and large farmers benefited from the policy at the expense of small farmers and labourers.<ref name="Shah 2008">{{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}}</ref>

[[File:Modi at GNLU.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=Modi speaking at flower-decked podium|Modi addressing graduates of the [[Gujarat National Law University]] in 2012|left]]

A contentious debate surrounds the assessment of Gujarat's economic development during Modi's tenure as chief minister.<ref name="Basu 2014" /> The state's GDP growth rate averaged 10% during Modi's tenure, a value similar to other highly industrialised states, and above that of the country as a whole.<ref name="Modi-nomics">{{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/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Gujarat also had a high rate of economic growth in the 1990s, before Modi took office, and some scholars have stated that growth did not much accelerate during Modi's tenure.<ref name="Ghatak">{{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}}</ref> Under Modi, Gujarat topped the [[World Bank]]'s "ease of doing business" rankings among Indian states for two consecutive years.<ref>{{cite news|title = Gujarat tops ease of doing business ranking among states – The Economic Times on Mobile|url = http://m.economictimes.com/news/economy/indicators/gujarat-tops-ease-of-doing-business-ranking-among-states/articleshow/48964454.cms|access-date = 16 September 2015|newspaper = [[The Economic Times]]|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180110175758/https://m.economictimes.com/news/economy/indicators/gujarat-tops-ease-of-doing-business-ranking-among-states/articleshow/48964454.cms|archive-date = 10 January 2018|url-status=live|df = dmy-all|date = 15 September 2015}}</ref> In 2013, Gujarat was ranked first among Indian states for "economic freedom" by a report measuring governance, growth, citizens' rights and labour and business regulation among the country's 20 largest states.<ref name="Modi-nomics" /><ref>{{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|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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" /> Tax breaks for businesses were easier to obtain in Gujarat than in other states, as was land. Modi's policies to make Gujarat attractive for investment included the creation of [[Special Economic Zones]], where labour laws were greatly weakened.<ref name="India Review" />

Despite its growth rate, Gujarat had a relatively poor record on human development, poverty relief, nutrition and education during Modi's tenure. In 2013, Gujarat ranked 13th in the country with respect to rates of poverty and 21st in education. Nearly 45 percent of children under five were underweight and 23 percent were undernourished, putting the state in the "alarming" category on the [[India State Hunger Index]].<ref>{{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="Hariss 2015" /> A study by [[UNICEF]] and the Indian government found that Gujarat under Modi had a poor record with respect to [[immunisation]] in children.<ref name="Economist 2015">{{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>

Over the decade 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="Gujarat Model" /> It showed a marginal improvement in rates of infant mortality, and its position with respect to individual consumption declined.<ref name="Gujarat Model" /> With respect to the quality of education in government schools, the state ranked below many Indian states.<ref name="Gujarat Model" /> The social policies of the government generally did not benefit Muslims, [[Dalit]]s, and [[Adivasi]]s, and generally increased social inequalities.<ref name="Gujarat Model" /> Development in Gujarat was generally limited to the urban middle class, and citizens in rural areas or from lower castes were increasingly marginalised. In 2013 the state ranked 10th of 21 Indian states in the [[Human Development Index]].<ref name="Jaffrelot2013">{{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="Gujarat Model" />

{{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|left|Narendra Modi hands over his resignation as [[Maninagar (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Maninagar]] MLA to the Speaker of the [[Gujarat Vidhan Sabha]].|240x240px]]

{{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}}

[[File:Narendra Modi meets his mother after winning the 2014 elections.jpg|thumb|Modi meets his mother after winning the [[2014 elections in India|2014 elections]].|244x244px]]During the campaign, Modi focused on the corruption scandals under the previous INC government, and played on his image as a politician who had created a high rate of GDP growth in Gujarat.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2015" /> Modi projected himself as a person who could bring about "development", without focus on any specific policies.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2015" /> His message found support among young Indians and among middle-class citizens. 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="T&NM 2015" /> Prior to the election Modi's image in the media had centered around his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, but during the campaign the BJP was able to shift this to a focus on Modi's [[neoliberalism|neoliberal]] ideology and the Gujarat model of development.<ref name="T&NM 2015" /> The BJP sought to identify itself with political leaders known to have 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 rhetoric based on Hindutva in several states.<ref name="Palshikar">{{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" /><ref name="Chacko" /><ref name="Ganguly 2014">{{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|url=https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/0d1972096ec288e4b0c58679a16bf66172fdb31e|access-date=30 August 2021}}</ref> Communal tensions were played upon especially in Uttar Pradesh and the states of 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" />

The BJP's campaign was assisted by its wide influence in the media.<ref name="Hariss 2015">{{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}}</ref> Modi's campaign blitz cost around {{INRConvert|50|b}}<ref name="Basu 2014" /> and the BJP received extensive financial support from corporate donors.<ref>{{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}}</ref> In addition to more conventional campaign methods, Modi made extensive use of social media,<ref name="Basu 2014" /><ref name="Jaffrelot 2015" /> and addressed more than 1000 rallies via [[hologram]] appearances.<ref name="Ganguly 2014" />

The BJP won 31% of the vote,<ref name="Stepan" /> and more than doubled its tally 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="T&NM 2015">{{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}}</ref><ref name="Chacko" /> Voter dissatisfaction with the INC, as well as with regional parties in North India, was another reason for the success of the BJP,<ref name="Chacko" /> as was the support from the RSS.<ref name="Jaffrelot 2015" /> In states such as Uttar Pradesh in which the BJP performed well, it drew exceptionally high support from upper-caste Hindus, although the 10 percent of Muslim votes won was more than it had won before. It 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 that the election constituted a political realignment away from [[progressivism|progressive parties]] and towards the right-wing.<ref name="Ganguly 2014" /><ref name="Basu 2014" /><ref name="Chacko">{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</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 name="Kaur 2015">{{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}}</ref>

Modi himself was a candidate for the Lok Sabha in two constituencies: [[Varanasi]] and [[Vadodara (Lok Sabha constituency)|Vadodara]].<ref name="grand roadshow">{{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 INC in Vadodara by {{formatnum:570128}} votes.<ref>{{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> Modi, who was unanimously elected leader of the BJP, was appointed prime minister by India's president.<ref name=appointment-prez>{{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]] 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 name=appointment-IE>{{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 that an MP cannot represent more than one constituency, he vacated the Vadodara seat.<ref>{{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 | url-status=dead | 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 | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

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

The campaign was started by [[Amit Shah]] on 8 April 2019. In the campaign, Modi was targeted by the opposition on corruption allegations over [[Rafale deal]] with [[France/Government|France government]]. Highlighting this [[Rafale deal controversy|controversy]] the campaign "[[Chowkidar Chor Hai]]" was started, which was contrary to "[[Main Bhi Chowkidar]]" slogan.<ref>{{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 made defence and national security among the foremost topics for the [[Campaigning in the 2019 Indian general election|election campaign]], especially after [[2019 Pulwama attack|Pulwama attack]], and the retaliatory attack of [[2019 Balakot airstrike|Balakot airstrike]] was counted as an achievement of the [[Premiership of Narendra Modi|Modi administration]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=30 November 2019|title=Book review: How Pulwama made Modi's Balakot response his 1971 moment|work=[[Business Standard|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>{{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>{{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 elections as a candidate from [[Varanasi (Lok Sabha constituency)|Varanasi]]. He won the seat by defeating Shalini Yadav of the [[Samajwadi Party]], who fought on [[Samajwadi Party|SP]]-[[Bahujan Samaj Party|BSP]] alliance by a margin of {{formatnum:479505}} votes.<ref>{{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>{{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 the prime minister for a second time by the [[National Democratic Alliance]],<ref>{{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}}</ref> after the alliance won the election for the second time by securing 353 seats in the [[Lok Sabha]] with the [[BJP]] alone won 303 seats.<ref>{{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>{{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 – Politics News, Firstpost|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>

== Prime Minister ==

{{For timeline|Timeline of the premiership of Narendra Modi}}[[File:Shri Narendra Modi sworn in as Prime Minister.jpg|thumb|Narendra Modi takes the oath of office as the [[Prime Minister of India]], with 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|Narendra Modi takes the oath of office as the [[Prime Minister of India]] for the [[Second swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi|second time]], with President [[Ram Nath Kovind]] administering the oath.]]

After the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] led [[National Democratic Alliance]] won a landslide in the [[2014 Indian general election|2014 Lok Sabha election]], Modi was [[First swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi|sworn in as the Prime Minister of India]] on 26 May 2014. He became the first Prime Minister born after India's [[Indian Independence Act 1947|independence]] from the [[British Empire]] in 1947.<ref name="TOI-20140520">{{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 started his second term after the National Democratic Alliance won again in the [[2019 Indian general election|2019 Lok Sabha election]]. On 6 December 2020, Modi became the 4th longest serving Prime Minister of India and the longest serving Non-[[Indian National Congress|Congress]] Prime Minister.<ref>{{cite news |url =https://www.ndtv.com/people/pm-narendra-modi-becomes-longest-serving-non-congress-prime-minister-2279112|title =PM Modi Becomes Longest Serving Non-Congress Prime Minister|publisher=[[NDTV]]|date =13 August 2020|author1 =Akhilesh Sharma|author2 =Divyanshu Dutta Roy|access-date =24 August 2020}}</ref>

Modi's first year as prime minister saw significant centralisation of power.<ref name="Manor" /><ref name="Wyatt">{{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}}</ref> Initially lacking a majority in the [[Rajya Sabha]], or upper house of Indian Parliament, Modi passed a number of ordinances to enact his policies, leading to further centralisation of power.<ref name="Ronojoy">{{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> The government also passed a bill increasing the control that it had over the appointment of judges, and reducing that of the [[Judiciary of India|judiciary]].<ref name=Stepan /> In December 2014 Modi abolished the [[Planning Commission (India)|Planning Commission]], replacing it with the National Institution for Transforming India, or [[NITI Aayog]].<ref name="Reuters 2015">{{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=4 October 2015 | df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref name="Sengupta">{{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> The move had the effect of concentrating the power previously with the planning commission in the person of the prime minister.<ref name="Ronojoy" /><ref name="Reuters 2015" /><ref name="Sengupta" /><ref name="Ruparelia">{{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 name="Patnaik">{{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}}</ref> The planning commission had received heavy criticism in previous years for creating inefficiency in the government, and of not filling its role of improving social welfare: however, since the economic liberalisation of the 1990s, it had been the major government body responsible for measures related to social justice.<ref name="Sengupta" />

The Modi government launched investigations by the [[Intelligence Bureau (India)|Intelligence Bureau]] against numerous civil society organisations and foreign non-governmental organisations in the first year of the administration. The investigations, on the grounds that these organisations were slowing economic growth, was criticised as a [[witch-hunt]]. International [[humanitarian aid]] organisation [[Medecins Sans Frontieres]] was among the groups that were put under pressure.<ref name="Manor" /> Other organisations affected included the [[Sierra Club]] and [[Avaaz]].<ref name="Ruparelia" /> Cases of sedition were filed against individuals criticising the government.<ref name="Manor" /> This led to discontent within the BJP regarding Modi's style of functioning and drew comparisons to the governing style of Indira Gandhi.<ref name="Manor" /><ref name="Ronojoy" />

Modi repealed 1,200 obsolete laws in first three years as prime minister; a total of 1,301 such laws had been repealed by previous governments over a span of 64 years.<ref>{{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>{{cite web |first=Vishwa|last=Mohan|title=1,159 obsolete laws scrapped by Modi govt; 1,301 junked in previous 64 years |url=http://timesofindia.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 }}</ref><ref>{{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 also launched the [[Digital India]] programme, with the goal of ensuring that government services are available electronically, building infrastructure to provide high-speed Internet access to rural areas, boosting manufacturing of electronic goods in the country, and promoting [[digital literacy]].<ref>{{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>{{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 was passed to reserve 10% of educational admission and government jobs for economically disadvantaged individuals.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> The Indian government launched the [[Ujjwala scheme]] in 2016 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>{{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 subsidies for LPG for all citizens except those covered by the Ujjwala program.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

{{Further|Hindutva}}

[[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.|left|230x230px]]

The activities of a number of Hindu nationalist organisations increased in scope after Modi's election as Prime Minister, sometimes with the support of the government.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> These activities included a Hindu [[Ghar Wapsi|religious conversion]] programme, a campaign against the alleged Islamic practice of "[[Love Jihad]]", and attempts to celebrate [[Nathuram Godse]], the assassin of [[Mahatma Gandhi]], by members of the right wing [[Hindu Mahasabha]].<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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> Officials in the government, including the Home Minister, defended the conversion programmes.<ref name="Palshikar" />

[[File:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi at the Centenary Year Convocation of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), in Varanasi.jpg|thumb|Modi in the academic costume of [[Banaras Hindu University]] at the 100th convocation |245x245px]]

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 a number of individuals affiliated with the RSS to prominent government positions.<ref name="Orange Evolution">{{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" /> Historians and former members of the ICHR, including those sympathetic to the BJP, questioned his credentials as a historian, and stated that the appointment was part of an agenda of cultural nationalism.<ref name="Ganguly 2014" /><ref name=saffronisation>{{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 name=right_wing>{{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> Over its first term the Modi administration appointed other RSS members to lead universities and research institutions, and recruitment of faculty members favoring the RSS increased. Scholars [[Nandini Sundar]] and Kiran Bhatty write that many of these appointees did not possess the qualifications for their positions.<ref name="Bhatty Sundar pp. 632–650">{{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. These changes de-emphasizing the role of [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], and glorifying that of Modi himself, while also portraying Indian society as harmonious, without conflict or inequity.<ref name="Bhatty Sundar pp. 632–650"/><ref name="Bhatty 2019">{{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>

The Modi administration passed a [[Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019|citizenship law]] in 2019 which provided a pathway to Indian citizenship for [[Religious persecution|persecuted religious]] minorities from [[Afghanistan]], [[Bangladesh]] and [[Pakistan]] who are [[Hindus]], [[Sikhs]], [[Buddhists]], [[Jain]]s, [[Parsis]] or [[Christians]].<ref name="BBC explained">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-50670393 Citizenship Amendment Bill: India's new 'anti-Muslim' law explained], BBC News, 11 December 2019.</ref><ref name="PIBPassesBill">{{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}}</ref> The law does not grant such eligibility to [[Muslims]].<ref name="CNNExcludes">{{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 |publisher=CNN |quote=The government, ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said the bill seeks to protect religious minorities who fled persecution in their home countries.}}</ref><ref name="NPRExcludes">{{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 |publisher=NPR |first1=Sam |last1=Gringlas}}</ref><ref name="Washington Post" /> This was first time religion had been overtly used as a criterion for citizenship under [[Indian law]]: it attracted global [[criticism]], and sparked widespread [[Citizenship Amendment Act protests|protests]] that were halted by the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="Bhatty Sundar pp. 632–650"/><ref name="Washington Post">{{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>{{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|quote="While some elements of religious difference had... been covertly smuggled in earlier, this bill seeks to do so overtly."}}</ref> Counter-demonstrations against the protests developed into the [[2020 Delhi riots]], caused chiefly by Hindu mobs attacking Muslims.<ref name="guardian-3-16-20-1">{{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}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes-Analysis-March1">{{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}}</ref> Of the 53 people killed, two-thirds were Muslim.<ref name=nytimes-2020-3-12-two-thirds>{{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}}</ref><ref name="wapo-3-6-20-slater-1">{{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}}</ref><ref name="wapo-3-2-20-slater-1">{{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}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=26 February 2020|title=Modi slammed as death toll in New Delhi violence rises|publisher=[[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>{{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 a [[Ayodhya dispute|contested land in Ayodhya]] to be handed over to a trust to build the Hindu temple and ordered the government to give alternate 5 acre land to Sunni Waqf Board for the purpose of building a mosque.<ref>{{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> He became the first prime minister to visit [[Ram Janmabhoomi]] and [[Hanuman Garhi]].<ref>{{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}}</ref>

Soon after Modi returned to power in 2019, he took three actions long called for by the RSS.<ref name="Bhatty Sundar pp. 632–650" /> The practice of [[Triple talaq in India|Triple Talaq]] was made illegal, and a punishable act from 1 August 2019.<ref>{{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>{{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>{{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}}</ref> The administration scrapped [[Article 370]] of the Indian constitution, which granted autonomy to [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], and also [[The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019|abrogated its statehood]], reorganizing it into two [[union territory|union territories]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] and [[Ladakh]].<ref name="Bhatty Sundar pp. 632–650" /><ref name=":6">{{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}}</ref> The region was placed under [[2019–2021 Jammu and Kashmir lockdown|a lockdown]] with internet services suspended: services were not completely restored until February 2021.<ref>{{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}}</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/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 August 2019 |magazine=Time |date=21 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref><ref name="reuters">{{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}}</ref> The Supreme Court did not hear constitutional challenges to the reorganisation or the Citizenship Amendment Act: Bhatty and Sundar describe this as an example of the subversion of the Supreme Court and other major institutions, wherein they were filled with appointees favoring the BJP.<ref name="Bhatty Sundar pp. 632–650" />

=== Economic policy ===

[[File:Informal meeting of the BRICS during the 2019 G20 Osaka summit.jpg|thumb|Modi with other BRICS leaders in 2019. Left to right: [[Xi Jinping|Xi]], [[Vladimir Putin|Putin]], [[Jair Bolsonaro|Bolsonaro]], Modi and [[Cyril Ramaphosa|Ramaphosa]].|left|240x240px]]

The economic policies of Modi's government focused on privatisation and liberalisation of the economy, based on a [[neoliberal]] framework.<ref name="Ruparelia" /><ref name="Shah & Lerche">{{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}}</ref> Modi liberalised India's [[foreign direct investment]] policies, allowing more foreign investment in several industries, including in defence and the railways.<ref name="Ruparelia" /><ref>{{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 | df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{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 | df=dmy-all }}</ref> Other proposed reforms included making it harder for workers to form unions and easier for employers to hire and fire them;<ref name="Shah & Lerche" /> some of these proposals were dropped after protests.<ref name="ET March 2018">{{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}}</ref> The reforms drew strong opposition from unions: on 2 September 2015, eleven of the country's largest unions went on strike, including one affiliated with the BJP.<ref name="Shah & Lerche" /> The [[Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh]], a constituent of the Sangh Parivar, stated that the underlying motivation of labour reforms favoured corporations over labourers.<ref name="Ruparelia" />