Narendra Modi, the 14th Prime Minister of India, has elicited a number of public perceptions regarding his personality, background and policies.

Modi started his public career in the Hindu Nationalist RSS in the 1970s as a pracharak (RSS missionary). He was deputed by the RSS to their political arm, the BJP in the 1980s.Journalist Ashish Nandy in the early 1990s found in Modi a mind of a classic fascist.[1] Modi's skills at organizing successful political campaigns saw him rising in the party hierarchy through the 1990s in his native state of Gujarat.He served as the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014.The beginning of his tenure as the chief minister saw the sectarian riots of 2002, and the subsequent visa ban by many foreign governments.His overall tenure as chief minister saw faster economic development in Gujarat relative to other Indian states.This gave him the moniker, "Vikas Purush" or development man.

The 2014 Indian general election was fought with Modi at the center of a successful campaign. Modi has served as the prime minister of India since 2014. Despite having a penchant for announcing policies or policy changes at short notices that has caused harm, he remains the most popular politician in India, and the BJP builds its national and regional election campaigns with Modi as the central figure. Modi has long used Multimedia communication technology and public relations strategies to cultivate his image.These include use of Social media, government media outlets, and a careful control over his appearances.

Perception through the years

Journalist Ashis Nandy, who is also a trained psychologist, was one of the first to interview Modi when the latter was an RSS pracharak (missionary) at the height of the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign in the early 1990s. At that time in Modi, he found "a classic, clinical case of a fascist".[2]

Soon after becoming the chief minister of Gujarat, the state was convulsed by sectarian riots in 2002.The complicity of Modi's government in the pogrom against the Muslim minorities made Modi a pariah for many years.[3] The United States and many European countries imposed visa bans on Modi after the riots. These remained in force for many years and were lifted shortly before he became prime minister in 2014[4]

After the Gujarat riots, Modi embarked on a strategy to make the state a friendly place to set up business and rebrand his image from being a Hindu hardliner to a development oriented leader. This led to him being dubbed as Vikaspurush (Development man).[5] This was the main theme during his successful campaign in 2014.[6]

In September 2013 Modi was named the BJP's candidate for prime minister ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election.[7][8] Several BJP leaders initially expressed opposition to Modi's candidature,[9] including BJP founding member L. K. Advani.[10] Contrary to the strategies used by the party during previous elections, Modi played the dominant role in the BJP's presidential style election campaign.[11][12][7][13][14][9][15][16] The 2014 election campaign was the first time he declared that he was married but had remained estranged from his wife, Jashodaben almost from the beginning of their married life.[17] Upon the disclosure, lawsuits were filed against him for forging previous election documents as against prescribed rules of the Representation of the People Act.[18]

Modi has for years presented himself as an able administrator with an eye for detail. But his reputation as a vigilant administrator started to lose its shine in 2016 when his notorious demonetisation policy caused distress to millions of Indians who largely relied on cash. Some critics termed this as "Tughlakifarman" (Tughlak's diktat) after Mohammed Tughlaq, the 14th century erratic sultan of Delhi.[19][20] His reputation took a further hit in March 2020 when he imposed a complete lockdown in the country at four hours notice to stop the spread of COVID-19. This led to millions losing their jobs and many lost their lives. The Indian economy also shrunk in percentage terms by double digit numbers. For foreign observers, his nationalist impulses are always paired with a sense of technocratic competence. But according to Christopher Clary, assistant professor of political science at the State University of New York, technocratic competence has been entirely missing from his response to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India in early 2021.[21]

Right at the beginning of the Covid pandemic in March 2020, Modi set up the PM CARES Fund with himself, and his senior cabinet colleagues, namely the ministers of defence, home, and finance as the trustees of the fund.The Government of India had initially claimed that the fund is a private fund, and denied that the PM CARES Fund is a public fund for the purposes of transparency laws such as the Right to Information Act 2005, even though the Fund uses government infrastructure and the national emblem of the Government of India. The total amount of funds donated and the names of donors have not been publicly disclosed, and the fund is privately audited. The lack of transparency and accountability has been continuously criticized.–[22][23] In December 2020, the Government of India reversed its stance and admitted that the PM CARES Fund was a public fund, but still refused to disclose information regarding it under the Right to Information Act 2005.[lower-alpha 1] Modi was criticized for hiding out of view when the deadly second wave of Covid hit India in April 2021 which the WHO estimates caused 4.7 million deaths.[28] Modi observers have noted that he has a tendency to shy away from bad news when faced with a turmoil.[29][30][31][32][33]

Although India is a parliamentary democracy, Modi has a penchant for passing laws with minimum or no debate in the two houses of Parliament. The controversial farm reform laws were passed with less than three hours of debate in either house in September 2020. After a year long protests, Modi in November 2021 repealed the laws in three minutes in the Lok Sabha and nine minutes in the Rajya Sabha. In both cases, without any discussion.[34]

Communication strategies

Modi has been an early adopter of communication technology since his days as the chief minister of Gujarat.In 2007 he hired Washington based APCO, one of the largest PR and lobbying firm in the world to help with his communication strategy.[35] Modi has used multiple strategies to build up his image. These include use of Social media, government media outlets, and a distinct attire. The machinery for this works also includes ad makers, speechwriters and assorted spinners managing Modi's image and campaigns. During his years in power as the prime minister, Modi has made it sure that his images appear everywhere including on billboards, newspaper and TV advertisements, and vaccine certificates.[36] Modi's picture on the government issued Covid vaccine certificate has riled many people in India.[28] In criticizing it, Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal demanded Modi's picture to be on death certificates too.[37] Modi also uses a messianic tone in his speeches such as saying that his leadership qualities came from God.[38]

Social media

One of the main strategies used by Narendra Modi and his government has been the extensive use of Social media to directly communicate with the public. In September 2014 Modi became the second-most-followed leader in the world with 5 million Twitter followers.[39][40] Modi's 31 August 2012 post on Google Hangouts made him the first Indian politician to interact with the public on live chat.[41][42] Modi was the second-most-followed leader in the world (with over 30 million followers on Twitter, as of June 2017[43] behind only Barack Obama.[39] For the 2014 elections, The BJP's National Digital Operations Centre (NDOC) led a group of volunteers for the social media campaign. The volunteers were charged with trolling and attacking mainstream journalists considered unfavorable to Modi. The group was headed by Arvind Gupta.[44] Gupta joined the team in 2009 and for 2014 election campaign, he was in charge of websites, uploading videos of rallies and meetings, distributing them to media houses, and posting comments and releases and trolling opponents online.[45]

There has been concern over misinformation and fake news being spread on social media platforms, particularly on WhatsApp, by the BJP under Modi.[46][47][48]

Mann ki Baat

Students watching Modi presenting Mann ki Baat

Modi's use of social media has been at the expense of traditional media such as Television and print media. He rarely gives interviews or holds a press conference.[49][50] Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has also been hosting a monthly monologue called Mann Ki Baat on the government owned All India radio and Doordarshan.[51][52][53] His supporters applaud the use of an old fashioned medium like radio to promote positive social causes while his detractors call it another propaganda tactic by Modi to reach out to millions of people untouched by the internet.[54]

Media intimidation

Modi has been called a controversial, polarising and divisive figure by many media sources.[55][56][57] There are reports that Modi and his government are highly anxious to avoid negative media attention. Journalists and public figures have lost their jobs following criticism of Modi.[58] In January 2023, the Modi led Indian government ordered YouTube and Twitter to block links to a BBC documentary India: The Modi Question critical of Modi's handling of 2002 Gujarat riots.[59][60]

Personal appearance

Narendra Modi

God has gifted me the sense of mixing and matching colours. So I manage everything on my own. Since I’m God gifted I fit well in everything. I have no fashion designer but I’m happy to hear that I dress well.

Narendra Modi, in The Modi Effect by Lance Price[61][62]

Modi has used his choice of clothes at different occasions to make visual statements. says that like Mahatma Gandhi, Modi experiments in clothing. As a populist leader he uses his choice of clothes to appeal and identify with the people, show his outsider or anti-elite credentials, and project a strong leadership. To show support for Indian designed weapons, in November 2023, Modi donned a flight suit and took a flight over Bangalore in the locally designed Tejas fighter jet. [63]He likes to project an image of the saviour of Hindu India. This was seen in his appearances in 2020 at foundation stone ceremonies at Ayodhya and the New parliament building in New Delhi where he donned saffron color outfits and presided over various Hindu religious rituals.[64] Modi has been careful in how his images appear since his days as the chief minister of Gujarat.He always avoids raising his right palm because that is the symbol of the rival Congress party. He also avoids the color green because that is associated with islam and also black.[35] Modi donned safron robes with a flowing beard at the end of the election campaign in May 2019, when he travelled to a mountain cave in the Himalayas at Kedarnath for meditation. He was heavily mocked by national and international media for conducting his meditation (tapasya in Sanskrit) in a cave that had an attached toilet, a heater, a bathing area, an electric geyser, a telephone, WiFi, and a grand view. A cameraperson was allowed to record the session.[65]

Earlier Modi had been called a fashion leader in India, and his clothing choices were discussed internationally.[66][67][61] The type of vest regularly worn by Modi have become popular, and called as Modi Jackets.[68] Modi's usual attire is a kurta and a vest,[69] and his half-sleeve kurta is sometimes called the Modi Kurta.[70][71][72] Modi's clothes are made of silk or cotton, are crisply ironed and are handmade in Gujarat.[73][74][75] When he was chief minister he wore bold, bright colours, changing to pastels as prime minister. For holidays, Modi wears a traditional turban from wherever he is.[69] Some of his clothing has been created by Bollywood fashion designer Troy Costa.[76][77]

In January 2015 while receiving United States President Barack Obama in a state visit at the Hyderabad House, Modi wore a suit with his name embroidered repeatedly in the pinstripes.[78] Modi claimed that the suit was gifted to him.[79] Modi's political opposition criticized his wearing the suit, complaining that he campaigns on an image of coming from a poor background and living without money while at the same time wearing luxury products such as this suit.[80] Other commentators said that in choosing this suit Modi was being a parvenu,[81] at the height of vanity,[80] going to a ridiculous extreme,[82] and political opposition party leader Jairam Ramesh said that he was a megalomaniac.[79] A month later the suit was auctioned for US$695,000 and amount was directly donated to the Clean Ganga Mission. Journalist Siddharth Varadarajan commented on the public support for the auction by saying "the manner in which Mr. Modi's leadership has been projected is extremely unhealthy in any democratic society".[80] The making of the suit was done free of cost by Jade Blue, however he still managed to auction the suit for US$695,000 and contributed the entire amount for Clean Ganga project.

In 2009, Modi's clothing was said to be Bollywoodesque and indicative of Gujarat's modernism.[83] According to Vogue India editor Priya Tanna in a New York Times blog, "Never before has there been such a strong convergence between what a politician in India stands for and his clothing." Tanna called his clothing choice "100% India": democratic, supportive of Indian industry (separating him from politicians in Western suits), emblematic of his humble birth, clean and hygienic.[71] Responding to Tanna, another commentator said that Modi's fashion choice has no particular meaning and there is no need to interpret it.[84]

56-inch chest

One of the strategies that Modi and his handlers have used to project his "Hero" status is his "56-inch Chest". Although a masculine attribute, the 56-inch chest seems to have garnered him support from female voters. Author Manjima Chatterjee claims that Modi's perceived decisiveness makes him a sex symbol for women.[85] His detractors, however, lampoon this attribute or try to demolish the myth by saying that it is only 44 inch.[86][87]

Auctioning of gifts

Modi donated through auctions all the gifts he received as the Chief Minister of Gujarat raised ₹899.6 million (US$11 million) crore. All the proceeds from the auction were donated to the Kanya Kelavani Fund for girls education. After becoming the prime minister, he has ordered the proceeds of gift auctions to go for causes ranging from Girl Child Education to Clean Ganga campign, and the welfare of underprivileged.These donations have now exceeded ₹1.03 billion (US$13 million).Although most of money for the donations came from auctioning of the gifts he has received as a government official, some it came his personal savings.[88] The ethics of his auctioning of gifts that he received as a government official without depositing them with the exchequer has been subjected to criticism.[89]

Yoga

Narendra Modi as prime minister participating in International Day of Yoga – 2016

After promoting Yoga in his 2015 address to the UN, Modi has been holding the International Day of Yoga celebrations every year on 21 June, the day of Northern Summer solstice.[90]

Architectural Projects

During his nine years as prime minister, Modi has initiated many notable architectural projects. These include the statue of unity, the new parliament building. the construction of the Ayodhya temple. He has presided at the ground breaking ceremony or the inauguration of all these projects except where a stadium in Ahmedabad which was named Narendra Modi stadium. [91]

Popularity and influence

Mask wearing at a Modi election rally.[35]

In a nationwide survey concerning Indian Chief Ministers, Modi was named Best Chief Minister in 2007 by India Today.[92] In March 2012 Modi appeared on the cover of the Asian edition of Time, one of the few Indian politicians to have done so,[93] and made the 2014 Time 100 list of the world's most influential people.[94] He has become the most followed Asian leader on Twitter,[95] and in 2014 was ranked the 15th-most-powerful person in the world by Forbes.[96] In 2015, Modi was one of Time's "30 most influential people on the internet" as the second-most-followed politician on Twitter and Facebook.[97] In 2015, Modi was ranked 5th on Forbes magazine's list of 'World's Greatest Leaders'.[98] I n November 2017, a survey of Pew Research Center showed Modi to be the "by far" most popular figure in Indian politics. In this survey Modi at 88% was ahead of Rahul Gandhi (58%), Sonia Gandhi (57%) and Arvind Kejriwal (39%).[99]

Modi was featured in a cover story written by journalist and novelist, Aatish Taseer in a Time magazine article titled "India's divider in chief" in the May 20, 2019 issue.[100] This was followed by an article, in the same magazine, written by Modi's British advisor, Manoj Ladwa titled, "Modi united India like no PM in decades" in the May 30, 2019 issue of Time magazine.[101]

Criticism and controversies

Modi has been a polarising figure in both political and social circles. Under Modi's tenure, India has reportedly experienced democratic backsliding.[lower-alpha 2] His administration introduced the Citizenship Amendment Act, Abrogation of Article 370, NRC which resulted in widespread protests across the country.[107] 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 his alleged role during the 2002 Gujarat riots, cited as evidence of an exclusionary social agenda.[lower-alpha 3]

Reporters Without Borders in 2021 characterised Modi as a predator for curbing press freedom in India since 2014.[114] In January 2023, Modi government banned the BBC documentary India: The Modi Question which criticised him.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ [24][25][26][27]
  2. ↑ Sources describing that India has experienced a backslide in democracy:[102][103][104][105][106]
  3. ↑ Sources discussing the controversy surrounding Modi.[108][109][110][111][112][113]

Citations

  1. ↑ Nandy, A., 2002. Obituary of a Culture. Journal of Future Studies, 7(1), p.101. Archived 11 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Nandy, A., 2002. Obituary of a Culture. Journal of Future Studies, 7(1), p.101. Archived 11 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ Muraleedharan, Sruthi (2019). Symbolic encounters: identity, performativity and democratic subjectivity in contemporary India (PDF). London, UK: (SOAS University of London). p. 103. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  4. ↑ Sreeram Chaulia (10 October 2016). Modi Doctrine: The Foreign Policy of India's Prime Minister. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 13–. ISBN 978-93-86141-98-9.
  5. ↑ Skoric, Marko M.; Parycek, Peter; Schossböck, Judith (9 October 2018). CeDEM Asia 2018: Proceedings of the International Conference for E-Democracy and Open Government; Japan 2018. Edition Donau-Universität Krems. pp. 97–98. ISBN 978-3-903150-30-0.
  6. ↑ Muraleedharan, Sruthi (2019). Symbolic encounters: identity, performativity and democratic subjectivity in contemporary India (PDF). London, UK: (SOAS University of London). pp. 101–162. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  7. 1 2 Chhibber, Pradeep K.; Ostermann, Susan L. (2014). "The BJP's Fragile Mandate: Modi and Vote Mobilizers in the 2014 General Elections". Studies in Indian Politics. 2 (2): 137–151. doi:10.1177/2321023014551870. ISSN 0958-4935. S2CID 155080682. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  8. ↑ Reddy, B. Muralidhar (14 September 2013). "BJP announces Modi as prime ministerial candidate". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013.
  9. 1 2 Jaffrelot, Christophe (2015). "The Modi-centric BJP 2014 election campaign: new techniques and old tactics". Contemporary South Asia. 23 (2): 151–166. doi:10.1080/09584935.2015.1027662. S2CID 142912068. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  10. ↑ "Advani grabs lifeline, meekly withdraws resignation". The Times of India. 12 June 2013. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  11. ↑ Srivastava, Ritesh K. (30 August 2011). "Election 2009 dissected: How parties cut the vote pie". Zee News. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  12. ↑ Chakravartty, Paula; Roy, Srirupa (2015). "Mr. Modi Goes to Delhi: Mediated Populism and the 2014 Indian Elections". Television & New Media. 16 (4): 311–322. doi:10.1177/1527476415573957. S2CID 145151089. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  13. ↑ Chacko, Priya; Mayer, Peter (2014). "The 'Modi lahar [wave]' in the 2014 Indian national election: A critical realignment?". Australian Journal of Political Science. 49 (3): 518–528. doi:10.1080/10361146.2014.937392. S2CID 154806289. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  14. ↑ Srivastava, Sanjay (April 2015). "Modi-Masculinity: Media, Manhood, and "Traditions" in a Time of Consumerism". Television & New Media. 16 (4): 331–338. doi:10.1177/1527476415575498. S2CID 145367170.
  15. ↑ Narayan, Badri (17 May 2014). "Modi's Modus Operandi in the 2014 Elections". Economic & Political Weekly. 49 (20): 12–14. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  16. ↑ Basu, Dipankar; Misra, Kartik (June 2014). "BJP's Demographic Dividend in the 2014 General Elections: An Empirical Analysis". Economics Department Working Paper Series Via EconStor. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  17. ↑ Narendra Modi: Fast Facts, CNN, 12 September 2018, archived from the original on 12 August 2020, retrieved 12 August 2020 Quote: "Marriage: Jashodaben (Chimanlal) Modi (1968-present, separated); "
  18. ↑ Khan, Saeed (15 October 2014). "Modi's defective affidavit issue reaches high court". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  19. ↑ Sandhu, Vikram; Mehra, Neha (2018). "Dithering journey of E-wallet companies in post-demonetization era in India:A case study of Paytm" (PDF). International Journal of Engineering & Scientific Research (IJESR). 6 (4): 73–78. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  20. ↑ "Two years after demonetisation: A look at what has happened so far". Indian Express. No. November 18, 2018. Indian Express. 2018. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  21. ↑ Alluri, Aparna (2021). "India's Covid crisis delivers a blow to brand Modi". BBC. No. May 8, 2021. BBC. BBC. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  22. ↑ The Curious Case of PM CARES Fund: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Suppression of Civil Society in India Archived 29 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine. International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research. Social Science Research Network (SSRN). Accessed 12 May 2021.
  23. ↑ Government-Citizen Pandemic Relief Efforts: Case of India's PM CARES Fund. Archived 29 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine Public Economics: National Government Expenditures & Related Policies eJournal. Social Science Research Network (SSRN). Accessed 12 May 2021.
  24. ↑ "'PM CARES not a public authority under RTI Act': PMO rejects application seeking fund details; will appeal, says law student". Firstpost. 31 May 2020. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  25. ↑ "In top court, Centre defends creation of PM CARES Fund". The Indian Express. 10 July 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  26. ↑ "Secrecy surrounds India PM's '$1bn' Covid-19 fund". BBC News. 30 June 2020. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  27. ↑ "PM-CARES "Controlled By Government" But RTI Doesn't Apply: New Flip-Flop". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  28. 1 2 Banyan (2021). "How did India beat covid-19?". The Economist. No. October 29, 2021. The Economist Newspaper Limited. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  29. ↑ Banyan (2021). "As a second wave devastates India, Narendra Modi vanishes". The Economist. No. May 22, 2021. The Economist Newspaper Limited. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  30. ↑ Msemburi, William; Karlinsky, Ariel; Knutson, Victoria; Aleshin-Guendel, Serge; Chatterji, Somnath; Wakefield, Jon (2023), "The WHO estimates of excess mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic", Nature, 613 (7942): 130–137, Bibcode:2023Natur.613..130M, doi:10.1038/s41586-022-05522-2, PMC 9812776, PMID 36517599
  31. ↑ Koshy, Jacob (5 May 2022), "WHO estimates 4.7 million COVID-19-linked deaths in India", The Hindu
  32. ↑ "Manipur: PM's silence adds to anger, frustration amid violence, flare-up". The Federal. 17 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  33. ↑ Purohit, Devadeep (19 March 2023). "Narendra Modi stays silent on Adani". Telegraph India. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  34. ↑ Manoj, C.G. (2021). "In speeches, PM called for 'quality debates'; in House, Govt pushed 15 Bills in under 10 mins last session". The Indian Express. No. November 30, 2021. Living Media India Limited. Indian Express. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  35. 1 2 3 Jaffrelot, C. (2015). Narendra Modi and the Power of Television in Gujarat. Television & New Media, 16(4), 346–353. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476415575499
  36. ↑ Biswas, Soutik (2021). "Narendra Modi: Pandemic and sluggish growth dent popularity". BBC. No. August 23, 2021. BBc. BBC. Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  37. ↑ Pandey, Geeta (2021). "Narendra Modi: 'Why is the Indian PM's photo on my Covid vaccine certificate". BBC News, Delhi. No. October 18, 2021. BBC. BBC. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  38. ↑ Vattamattam, S. and ISPCK, D., God, Ungod, and the Divine.Quote:Reflections on Sebastian Kappen’s Writings:Today in India, we can often detect the messianic tone in the words of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Once responding to a question about his leadership qualities, he said that he thought of it as given by God, and added that he often wondered from where he got new ideas.
  39. 1 2 Sharma, Swati (25 June 2014). "White House losing Twitter war to India's Narendra Modi". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 28 June 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  40. ↑ "Modi's world second most followed politician on Twitter, Facebook". Times of India. 5 September 2014. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  41. ↑ "Narendra Modi on Google Hangout, Ajay Devgun to host event". The Times of India. 31 August 2012. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  42. ↑ "People ask, Narendra Modi answers on Google Plus Hangout". CNN-IBN. 1 September 2012. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  43. ↑ "Megyn Kelly asked Narendra Modi if he uses Twitter. His 30 million followers responded". The Washington Post. 2 June 2017. Archived from the original on 21 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  44. ↑ Swati Chaturvedi (2016). I Am a Troll: Inside the Secret World of the BJP's Digital Army. Juggernaut Books. p. 57. ISBN 978-93-86228-09-3.
  45. ↑ "All the Modi men". The Telegraph online. No. 5.04.14. Telegraph. 2015. Archived from the original on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  46. ↑ Perrigo, Billy (25 January 2019). "How Volunteers for India's Ruling Party Are Using WhatsApp to Fuel Fake News Ahead of Elections". time.com. Marc & Lynne Benioff. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  47. ↑ Poonam, Snigdha; Bansal, Samarth (1 April 2019). "Misinformation Is Endangering India's Election". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 4 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  48. ↑ Ponniah, Kevin (5 April 2019). "WhatsApp: The 'black hole' of fake news in India's election". BBC. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  49. ↑ Guha, Ramachandra (2021). "Ramachandra Guha: Despite denouncing the Mughal and British empires, Modi is imitating their hubris". Scroll.in. No. Feb 28 2021. Scroll Media Incorporation. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  50. ↑ Plagemann, J. and Destradi, S., 2019. Populism and foreign policy: The case of India. Foreign Policy Analysis, 15(2), pp.283-301. Archived 1 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine
  51. ↑ "PM's first radio address 'Mann ki baat': Top 10 quotes", Rediff.com, archived from the original on 20 October 2014, retrieved 17 August 2020
  52. ↑ "Narendra Modi touches people through his Mann Ki Baat, leaves opposition squirming", Daily News and Analysis, 4 October 2014, archived from the original on 5 November 2014, retrieved 17 August 2020
  53. ↑ "Modi goes on AIR". The Hindu. 3 October 2014. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  54. ↑ Dholakia, Amit (2018). "How 'Mann Ki Baat' is an effective soft propaganda". Ahmedabad Mirror. No. Nov 21, 2018. India Times. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  55. ↑ Ramaseshan, Radhika (2 July 2013). "Boomerang warning in article on 'polarising' Modi". The Telegraph. Kolkata. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  56. ↑ Malik, Ashok (8 November 2012). "Popular but polarising: can Narendra Modi be PM?". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  57. ↑ Bajaj, Vikas (22 December 2012). "In India, a Dangerous and Divisive Technocrat". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  58. ↑ "India's prime minister focuses too much on appearances". The Economist. 2 November 2007. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  59. ↑ Shishir Gupta (21 January 2023). "Centre orders blocking of tweets, YouTube videos on BBC documentary on PM Modi: Source". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  60. ↑ "India blocks BBC documentary on Modi from airing in India". Reuters. 22 January 2023. Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  61. 1 2 "Modi Says His Fashion Sense Is a Gift From God". The Wall Street Journal. 17 March 2015. Archived from the original on 9 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  62. ↑ Price, Lance (24 March 2015). The Modi Effect: Inside Narendra Modi's Campaign to Transform India. London: Quercus. ISBN 978-1623659387.
  63. ↑
  64. ↑ Simona Vittorini (2022) Modi à la mode: Narendra Modi’s fashion and the performance of populist leadership, Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, 60:3, 276-297, DOI: 10.1080/14662043.2022.2066383
  65. ↑ Sampath, G (May 2019). "Luxury meditation: A cave with a view". The Hindu. No. May 26, 2019. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  66. ↑ Bhattacharya, Suryatapa; Seervai, Shanoor (8 August 2014). "Is Modi India's Best-Dressed Prime Minister Ever?". blogs.wsj.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  67. ↑ Jenkins, P. Nash (6 June 2014). "India's New Prime Minister Is the Country's Latest Fashion Icon". time.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  68. ↑ "Three Years And Counting, Modi Jackets Remain Hot Favourites With Consumers". Moneycontrol. 12 August 2017. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  69. 1 2 Sharma, Swati (6 June 2014). "Here's what Narendra Modi's fashion says about his politics – The Washington Post". The Washington Post. Washington DC: WPC. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  70. ↑ Kidwai, Rasheed; Ramaseshan, Radhika (12 October 2009). "Nothing casual about it". telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 15 October 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  71. 1 2 Friedman, Vanessa (3 June 2014). "Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India: A Leader Who Is What He Wears". runway.blogs.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  72. ↑ "Row over 'Modi kurta' label ends". indiatimes.com. 26 September 2014. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  73. ↑ "Bipin Chauhan: Meet Narendra Modi's personal tailor". Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  74. ↑ Cherian, Sabu (28 February 2015). "The store that dresses Prime Minister Modi". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  75. ↑ Swati Sharma (1 December 2021) [2015-01-26]. "Here's what Narendra Modi's fashion says about his politics". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409. Archived from the original on 27 January 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  76. ↑ Ahuja, Snigdha (1 August 2014). "Troy Costa: Meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new designer". hindustantimes.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  77. ↑ Agence France-Presse (27 September 2014). "US gets an eyeful of new India as dapper Modi struts his stuff – The Nation". nationmultimedia.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  78. ↑ Bhattacharya, Suryatapa (26 January 2015). "Narendra Modi's Suit and Its Message to Obama – India Real Time". blogs.wsj.com. Archived from the original on 26 April 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  79. 1 2 "India PM Narendra Modi's '1m-rupee name suit' criticised". bbc.com. 29 January 2015. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  80. 1 2 3 McCarthy, Julie (20 February 2015). "Modi's Fancy Pinstripe Suit Lands $694,000 At Auction". npr.org. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  81. ↑ Nandy, Chandan (27 January 2015). "Modi's monogrammed suit: Rise of the narcissistic parvenu?". indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  82. ↑ Zezima, Katie (26 January 2015). "Prime Minister Modi wore a suit that takes personalization to a ridiculous extreme". The Washington Post. Washington DC: WPC. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  83. ↑ "Modi dons denims keeping pace with Gujarat – The Hindu". thehindu.com. 7 December 2009. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  84. ↑ "Modi is what he wears: NYT's absurd interpretation of the PM's kurta". firstpost.com. 10 June 2014. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  85. ↑ Manjima Chatterjee (6 July 2020). Avishek Ray; Ishita Banerjee-Dube (eds.). Nation, Nationalism and the Public Sphere: Religious Politics in India. SAGE Publishing India. pp. 168–175. ISBN 978-93-5388-382-9.
  86. ↑ Sinha, Subir (2017). "Fragile Hegemony: Modi, Social Media, and Competitive Electoral Populism in India" (PDF). International Journal of Communication. 11: 4158–4180. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  87. ↑ RayDube 2020, p. 173.
  88. ↑ "PM Modi's donations from his savings and proceeds of auctions exceed Rs 103 crore". The Times of India. 3 September 2020. Archived from the original on 4 September 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  89. ↑ "Congress asks PM Modi to explain gift Ethics". Times of India. No. February 18, 2015. 2015. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  90. ↑ "'Yoga brings people together': PM Modi on International Yoga Day". Hindustan Times. 21 June 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  91. ↑ Tripathi, S. (2023). Modi’s singular vision for India. Index on Censorship, 52(1), 60-65.[lists Modi’s key architectural projects, which are used to further his leadership cult, eradicate Islam and ensure the ascendancy of a Hindu nationalist agenda]
  92. ↑ "Making Up For Lost Time". India Today. 12 February 2007. Archived from the original on 13 February 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2007.
  93. ↑ "Why Narendra Modi is India's Most Loved and Loathed Politician". Time. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  94. ↑ Zakaria, Fareed (23 April 2014). "The 100 Most Influential People: Narendra Modi". Time. US. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  95. ↑ "Modi is Asia's most followed leader on Twitter". 11 July 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  96. ↑ "The World's Most Powerful People". Forbes. November 2014. Archived from the original on 13 December 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  97. ↑ "The 30 Most Influential People on the Internet". Time. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  98. ↑ "Narendra Modi and Kailash Satyarthi are world's greatest leaders, says Fortune Magazine". Business Insider. 27 March 2015. Archived from the original on 30 March 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  99. ↑ "PM Narendra Modi 'By Far' Most Popular Figure In Indian Politics: Pew Survey". Ndtv.com. 16 November 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  100. ↑ Taseer, Aatish. "Can the World's Largest Democracy Endure Another Five Years of a Modi Government?". Time. No. May 20, 2019. TIME USA LLC. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  101. ↑ "Narendra Modi: After 'India's divider in chief', Time magazine now says 'Modi has united India'". The Economic Times. 30 May 2019. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  102. ↑ Brunkert, Lennart; Kruse, Stefan; Welzel, Christian (3 April 2019). "A tale of culture-bound regime evolution: the centennial democratic trend and its recent reversal". Democratization. 26 (3): 422–443. doi:10.1080/13510347.2018.1542430. ISSN 1351-0347. S2CID 148625260. Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  103. ↑ Khaitan, Tarunabh (26 May 2020). "Killing a Constitution with a Thousand Cuts: Executive Aggrandizement and Party-state Fusion in India". Law & Ethics of Human Rights. 14 (1): 49–95. doi:10.1515/lehr-2020-2009. hdl:11343/241852. ISSN 2194-6531. S2CID 221083830. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  104. ↑ Ganguly, Sumit. "India's Democracy Is Under Threat". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  105. ↑ "Freedom in the World 2021:India". Freedom House. 2021. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021. 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.
  106. ↑ "Under Modi, India's Press Is Not So Free Anymore". The New York Times. 2 April 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  107. ↑ Serhan, Yasmeen (18 December 2019). "When Is a Protest Too Late?". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019., Quote: "Though the protesters in India share a common opposition to the new citizenship law, their reasons for rejecting the legislation vary."
  108. ↑ Buncombe, Andrew (19 September 2011). "A rebirth dogged by controversy". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 25 December 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  109. ↑ Mishra, Pankaj (April 2011). Visweswaran, Kamala (ed.). Perspectives on Modern South Asia: A Reader in Culture, History, and Representation. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 188. ISBN 978-1-4051-0062-5. OCLC 682895189. 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."
  110. ↑ Stepan, Alfred (7 January 2015). "India, Sri Lanka, and the Majoritarian Danger". Journal of Democracy. 26: 128–140. doi:10.1353/jod.2015.0006. S2CID 153861198.
  111. ↑ "Indian PM Narendra Modi still mired in controversy, says expert". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 16 April 2015. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  112. ↑ Robinson, Simon (11 December 2007). "India's Voters Torn Over Politician". Time. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  113. ↑ Burke, Jason (28 March 2010). "Gujarat leader Narendra Modi grilled for 10 hours at massacre inquiry". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  114. ↑ "Predator Narendra Modi". Reporters Without Borders. Archived from the original on 5 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.

Journal and further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.