Narendra Modi, the 14th Prime Minister of India, has a background in the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. His tenure has been marked by economic policies, controversial decisions, and nationalist actions, amidst criticism and praise.
Narendra Modi, the current Prime Minister of India, was born on 17 September 1950 in Vadnagar, Gujarat, to a Gujarati Hindu family of grocers. He was the third of six children.
Narendra Modi was born on September 17, 1950.
Modi completed his higher secondary education in Vadnagar in 1967. His teachers described him as an average student and a keen, gifted debater with an interest in theatre.
Modi's first-known political activity as an adult was in 1971 when he joined a Jana Sangh Satyagraha in Delhi led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee to enlist to fight in the Bangladesh Liberation War.
In 1978, Modi received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in political science from the School of Open Learning at the Delhi University.
In 1983, Modi received a Master of Arts (MA) degree in political science from Gujarat University, graduating with a first class as an external distance learning student.
In 1990, Modi was named a member of the National Election Committee of the party, where he played a key role in organizing important yatras for senior BJP leaders.
In 1992, Modi took a brief break from politics to establish a school in Ahmedabad, showcasing his commitment to education and community development.
Modi returned to electoral politics in 1994, and his electoral strategy was instrumental in the BJP's victory in the 1995 state assembly election.
In 1998, Modi's electoral strategy was credited as central to the BJP winning an overall majority in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly election, leading to his promotion to BJP general secretary.
On October 3, 2001, Modi replaced Keshubhai Patel as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, taking on the responsibility of preparing the BJP for the upcoming December 2002 election.
On February 27, 2002, a train burning near Godhra led to widespread riots in Gujarat, with allegations of state complicity and criticism of Modi's handling of the situation.
Pratap Singh played a character based on Modi in Chand Bujh Gaya (2005) which is set against the backdrop of the Gujarat riots.
Modi completed 2,063 consecutive days as chief minister of Gujarat, making him the longest-serving holder of that post.
In 2008, Narendra Modi published a Gujarati book titled Jyotipunj, which contains profiles of RSS leaders.
In March 2012, Narendra Modi appeared on the cover of the Asian edition of Time Magazine, making him one of the few Indian politicians to achieve this.
Modi's campaign included references to issues known to cause religious polarisation, and the BJP did not nominate any Muslim candidates for the election.
Allegations were made that Modi received cash bribes worth ₹65 crore (US$8.1 million) from Sahara Group and Aditya Birla Group when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The Supreme Court dismissed the plea for investigation due to insufficient evidence, leading to criticism of the court's decision.
After the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a landslide in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Modi was sworn in as Prime Minister (PM) of India on 26 May 2014.
On 2 October 2014, Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission ('Clean India') campaign with the goal of eliminating open defecation and manual scavenging within five years. The campaign involved constructing millions of toilets in rural areas and faced challenges in getting people to use the newly constructed facilities.
Modi's government faced strong opposition from unions over proposed labour reforms favoring corporations, leading to strikes and criticism that the reforms were against the interests of labourers.
In June 2015, Narendra Modi was featured on the cover of Time Magazine.
On 9 November 2016, the Indian government demonetised ₹500 and ₹1000 banknotes with the intention of curbing corruption, black money, terrorism, and the use of counterfeit currency. The move led to severe cash shortages, a decline in stock indices, and widespread protests throughout the country, resulting in job losses and a decline in GDP.
Modi's government passed the Goods and Services Tax, the biggest tax reform in the country since independence, subsuming around 17 taxes and became effective on 1 July 2017.
On 13 October 2018, Modi was named the BJP candidate for prime minister in the 2019 general election.
In the campaign, the opposition targeted Modi on allegations of corruption over the Rafale deal with the Government of France.
The practice of Triple Talaq was made illegal and became a punishable act from 1 August 2019, fulfilling a long-standing demand of the RSS.
On 22 September 2019, the Texas India Forum hosted a community event in honour of Narendra Modi at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, attended by over 50,000 people and several American politicians.
On 24 September 2019, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded Narendra Modi the Global Goalkeeper Award in recognition of the Swachh Bharat Mission and the progress India has made in providing safe sanitation under his leadership.
Modi visited Ayodhya after the Supreme Court ordered contested land in Ayodhya to be handed to a trust to build a Hindu temple and ordered the government to give alternative land to the Sunni Waqf Board for the purpose of building a mosque. Modi became the first PM to visit temples at Ram Janmabhoomi and Hanuman Garhi.
On 21 December 2020, US President Donald Trump awarded Narendra Modi the Legion of Merit for improving India–United States relations.
On 24 February 2021, Gujarat Cricket Association renamed Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad—the largest cricket stadium in the world—Narendra Modi Stadium.
Modi appeared to have developed a strong personal relationship with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, indicating a significant shift in India-Russia diplomatic ties.
Modi hosted the Prime Minister of Australia for a 'Friendship through Cricket' event, showcasing the use of sports as a diplomatic tool to celebrate 75 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Since May 2023, ethnic tensions between some groups have resulted in violent clashes in Manipur. After 1 month of the violence, nearly 100 were killed and more than 36,000 people were displaced.