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Sep 27, 2022

Book Excerpt: Narendra Modi's Rise Over the Years and India's Changing Politics

Modi rose to power by appealing to the Indian people’s desire for stability and continuity in an increasingly corrupt and unpredictable society, says a new book.
PM Narendra Modi. Photo: PTI

This is an excerpt published from Deepanshu Mohan and Abhinav Padmanabhan’s book Strongmen Saviours: A Political Economy of Populism in India, Turkey, Russia and Brazil. Republished with permission from Routledge. The book will release on September 30. 


Modi’s political ascent took off during the 1990s, as he became acquainted with the national leadership of the BJP while progressing in his state-level roles within the party. He was an important figure in Keshubhai Patel’s camp during and after the latter’s election to the chief minister’s office in 1995. In the process of becoming the chief minister’s aide, however, Modi rubbed some people up the wrong way. Modi was accused of self-promotion – something that was frowned upon within the RSS structure, which advocated the cause before the self. As a result of the friction that emerged, Modi was sent away from Gujarat. This allowed him to work for the BJP in different states, transcending the limited structure within his home state. By increasing his experience as a BJP representative in many different states, Modi familiarised himself not just with national politics, but also with the world outside the RSS apparatus.

Modi’s emergence on the national stage came at a time when the BJP was attempting to embrace national politics. The party was battling to retain control not only of the federal government, but also of local government bodies. Due to the impending elections, the BJP stepped up its efforts at the local level. One of the issues that needed to be handled at the state level was the party’s internal conflict in Gujarat. To tackle this, the BJP persuaded Patel – the state’s chief minister – to resign in favour of Modi. Modi’s nomination as chief minister reflected his growing influence among the party leadership.

File photo from 2009 of Narendra Modi and BJP leader Keshubhai Patel giving the RSS salute. Credit: PTI

Shortly after his appointment, Modi had to manage the Gujarat riots. Having failed to quell them, he was accused of being complicit in the riots at worst and misguided at best. However, while the riots could have proved fatal to Modi’s career, he made a point of forging a legacy beyond them and establishing himself as an administrator and politician. He would go on to be re-elected as chief minister for three additional terms.

While the BJP lost the 2004 national elections, Modi was making a name for himself through major policy initiatives and smart networking and marketing. It was during this period that Modi demonstrated his ability to exploit the media and shape the narrative to position himself – and in turn, Gujarat – as the epicentre of change and progress.

Nationally, under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, India was experiencing the highest growth rate in its post-independence history. The service industry was booming and new industries were being established throughout the country. Chief Minister Modi leveraged this growth to promote Gujarat as a corporate investment destination. The Gujarat Model – which cultivated a pro-business, pro-development ethos – assisted in the national propagation of Modi’s image.

While the UPA enjoyed a remarkable period of economic growth, it struggled to deal with corruption and abuse of power at the heart of government. A succession of high-profile scandals eclipsed its growth performance. In addition to dealing a blow to the UPA’s 2014 election hopes, corruption had an impact on the national psyche. While the INC struggled to retain the people’s trust – and to announce a candidate for the prime minister’s office – Modi capitalised on the Gujarat Model to position himself
as the BJP’s leading candidate for the 2014 election campaign

During his years as a chief minister, Modi witnessed and internalised the influence that the media can have on people’s perceptions of a leader. He deployed his oratory abilities to design a campaign focused on anti-corruption and development, leveraging social media channels to reach the world’s largest youth voter demographic. He also positioned himself as a preferred candidate among the youth – the largest voting bloc in the country – by capitalising on their distaste for the established political fraternity due to the constant slew of corruption scandals witnessed under the UPA. Modi positioned himself as an outsider and sought to disassociate himself from the political establishment. His soft Hindutva policy – which prioritised economic and developmental aims and side-lined religious aspirations such as erecting the Ram Temple on the Babri Masjid site – was a play on majoritarian politics that appealed to the Hindu community, which accounts for over 80% of the population.

After his landslide victory in 2014, Modi became a constant presence on the airwaves, introducing new policy initiatives and announcing social causes. Such was the extent of Modi’s popularity that even controversial initiatives – such as demonetisation, which resulted in several deaths during its implementation – primarily attracted criticisms from the academic and political fraternities only; most of the public remained sympathetic to the logistical hurdles that these nationwide decisions posed
for the government.

Modi maintained and even grew his popularity during the 2019 elections when his party increased the number of seats held in the Lok Sabha. The Modi government made further controversial moves following this election – including revoking the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating India’s sole Muslim-majority state, which caused indignation among the public.

The Citizenship Amendment Act that was passed shortly thereafter was seen as a follow-up measure. These decisions reflected Modi’s increased centralisation of power, as bills were passed with little to no consultation. The moves triggered months of protests – primarily in the country’s colleges and public spaces – and in some cases, police violence.

Representative image. Protesters participate in a rally to oppose CAA and NRC, organised by Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. Photo: PTI/Files

Despite these controversies, Modi himself has mostly escaped public criticism and oversight. Although protests and rallies across the country have increased, he still enjoys a high degree of support from the majority of the electorate across the states. This disassociation from controversy is a by-product of his mass appeal among the people and unique ability to control the narrative, despite the perceived
challenges faced on both the economic and political fronts.

India’s complex socio-political reality and Modi’s popularity might perplex many observers. However, these conditions reflect India’s evolution from a country that envisioned a future in which diverse identities were cherished to one in which identity politics have become the norm.

By charting the country’s trajectory through evolutions and revolutions in politics and social identity, it becomes clear how a refusal to accept the changing political climate allowed space for identity politics to flourish. Modi rose to power by appealing to the Indian people’s desire for stability and continuity in an increasingly corrupt and unpredictable society. He did so by promising the populace a more prosperous economy while refocusing their attention and reorienting their political views around religion.

Deepanshu Mohan is an Associate Professor of Economics and Director at the Centre for New Economics Studies (CNES), Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities, OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India.

Abhinav Padmanabhan is a Teaching and Research Fellow at the Jindal School of International Affairs and a Senior Research Assistant at CNES, Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities, OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India. 

You can pre-order the book from the Amazon link here and the Routledge, Taylor and Francis link here. To reach out to the authors, please contact them at dmohan@jgu.edu.in

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