Narendra Modi: India's Polarizing Leader with a Mixed Legacy

Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, is a controversial figure who has presided over a fast-growing economy while advancing Hindu nationalism. As he wins a third consecutive term, his critics accuse him of eroding democracy and targeting Muslims, while his supporters hail him as a leader who has improved India's standing in the world and streamlined its welfare programs.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged victorious in the latest election, seen as a referendum on his decade in power. The 73-year-old Modi is only the second Indian prime minister to win a third straight term.

Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to secure a majority on its own, but together with other parties in his National Democratic Alliance, his bloc won enough seats for a slim parliamentary majority and to form his third consecutive government.

To supporters, Modi is a larger-than-life figure who has improved India's standing in the world, helped make its economy the world's fifth-largest, and streamlined the country's vast welfare program. Some even describe him as a divine figure.

However, critics accuse Modi of being a cult leader who has eroded India's democracy and advanced divisive politics targeting the country's Muslim minority. They allege that he has used strong-arm tactics to subdue political opponents, silence independent media, and quash dissent.

Modi's victory has been attributed to his social welfare programs and his strident Hindu nationalism, which has consolidated a majority of Hindu votes for his party. Hindus make up 80% of India's population.

The economy is growing by 7%, and over 500 million Indians have opened bank accounts during Modi's tenure. However, critics argue that this growth has not created enough jobs, and inequality has worsened under his rule.

Modi's election campaign focused on his administration's welfare policies and a robust digital infrastructure that has benefited millions of Indians. However, he also increasingly resorted to anti-Muslim rhetoric, accusing Muslims of being "infiltrators" and claiming they were overtaking the Hindu population.

Conspicuously piety has long been a centerpiece of Modi's brand, but he's also begun suggesting that he was chosen by God. In a TV interview during the campaign, he said, "When my mother was alive, I used to believe that I was born biologically. After she passed away, upon reflecting on all my experiences, I was convinced that God had sent me."

Born in 1950 to a lower-caste family, Modi joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a paramilitary, right-wing group that has been accused of stoking hatred against Muslims. Modi's BJP is the ideological offspring of the RSS.

Modi first entered politics as the chief minister of Gujarat in 2001. During his time there, anti-Muslim riots erupted in the region, killing at least 1,000 people. Although Modi has denied the allegations, there were suspicions that he quietly supported the riots.

In 2005, the U.S. revoked Modi's visa due to concerns that he did not act to stop the communal violence. An Indian Supreme Court investigation later absolved Modi, but the stain of the riots remains.

In 2014, Modi led his Hindu nationalist party to a spectacular victory in the national elections. However, critics argue that his Hindu-first politics have fostered intolerance, hate speech, and attacks against minorities, particularly Muslims.

Months after securing a second term in 2019, Modi's government revoked the special status of Kashmir, the country's only Muslim-majority state, and divided it into two federally governed territories. The government also passed a law granting citizenship to religious minorities from Muslim countries in the region but excluding Muslims.

These actions have solidified Modi's popularity among his supporters, who hail him as the champion of the Hindu majority and see India emerging as a Hindu majoritarian state. However, his opponents accuse him of exploiting religious tensions for political gain and eroding the secular foundations of Indian democracy.