Narendra Damodardas Modi (Born: Bharang: Bhadrapada 26, 1872 / Gregorian Calendar: September 17, 1950) He has become the Prime Minister of India for the second time in a row since May 26, 2014 and has also been elected as a Lok Sabha MP from Varanasi. He is the first person born in independent India to become the Prime Minister of India. Earlier, he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat State from 7 October 2001 to 22 May 2014. Modi is a member of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Born into a Gujarati family in Vadnagar, Modi helped his father sell tea during his childhood, and later ran his own stall. At the age of eight, he joined the RSS, with whom he was associated for a long time. After graduation he left his home. Modi traveled across India for two years, and visited several religious centres. 1969 or 1970 he returned to Gujarat and moved to Ahmedabad. In 1971 he became a full-time worker for the RSS. He had to go into hiding for some time during the state of emergency across the country in 1975. He joined the BJP in 1985 and held several positions within the party hierarchy until 2001, from where he gradually rose to the position of secretary in the BJP.
After the Gujarat Earthquake 2001, (Earthquake in Bhuj) Narendra Modi was appointed as the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001 due to the failing health and poor public image of Keshubhai Patel, the then Chief Minister of Gujarat. Modi was soon elected to the Legislative Assembly. His administration has been seen as harsh in the 2002 Gujarat riots, at which time his handling has also been criticized. However, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Supreme Court could not find any evidence to initiate prosecution proceedings.
His policies as chief minister were credited for stimulating economic growth.
He was the 14th Chief Minister of Gujarat State. Due to his work, the people of Gujarat elected him the Chief Minister for 4 consecutive times (from 2001 to 2014). Narendra Modi, who has a master’s degree in Political Science from Gujarat University, is known as Vikas Purush and is currently one of the most popular leaders of the country. Time magazine has included Modi in the list of 42 candidates for Person of the Year 2013.
Like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Narendra Modi is a politician and a poet. Apart from Gujarati language, he also writes poems full of patriotism in Hindi.
Under his leadership, the Bharatiya Janata Party, India’s main opposition party, contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and achieved unprecedented success by winning 282 seats. As an MP, he contested from the cultural city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Vadodara parliamentary constituency in his home state of Gujarat and won both. Under his rule, India’s expenditure on foreign direct investment and infrastructure increased rapidly. He made many reforms in the bureaucracy and replaced the Planning Commission and formed NITI Aayog.
After this, in the year 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party contested again under his leadership and this time it won a bigger victory than before. The party won a total of 303 seats. The supporting parties of BJP i.e. NDA got a total of 352 seats. Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister for the second time in a row by taking oath on 30 May 2019.
Following his party’s victory in the 2019 general election, his administration revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. His administration also introduced the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, which resulted in widespread protests across the country. Modi has been a figure of controversy domestically and internationally over his Hindu nationalist beliefs and his alleged role during the 2002 Gujarat riots, which has been cited as evidence of a boycotting social agenda. Under Modi, India has experienced democratic backsledding.
Personal Life
Narendra Modi was born on 17 September 1950 in a middle-class family of Hiraben Modi and Damodardas Moolchand Modi in Vadnagar village in Mahesana district of the then Bombay state. He was the third of six children born. Modi’s family belonged to the ‘Modh-Ghanchi-Teli’ community, which is classified as an Other Backward Class by the Government of India. He is completely vegetarian. In his youth, he volunteered to serve soldiers traveling at railway stations during the Second War between India and Pakistan. In his youth, he joined the student organization Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. He also took part in the anti-corruption Navnirman movement. After working as a full-time organizer, he was nominated as the representative of the organization in the Bharatiya Janata Party. Modi, who ran a tea stall with his brother as a teenager, completed his schooling in Vadnagar. He took the postgraduate examination in Political Science from Gujarat University in 1980 while being an RSS pracharak and obtained a master’s degree in science.
Early activism and politics
Modi’s first known political activity as an adult was in 1971 when he joined the Bharatiya Jana Sangh’s satyagraha in Delhi, led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to enter the battlefield. But the central government led by Indira Gandhi did not openly support Mukti Vahini and Modi was put in Tihar Jail for a short time. When Narendra was a student of the university, he started attending the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh branch regularly. Thus began his life as a loyal campaigner of the Sangh. He showed political activism from early life and played a major role in strengthening the base of Bharatiya Janata Party. Narendra Modi’s strategy was to strengthen the base of Shankarsinh Vaghela in Gujarat.
In April 1990, when the era of mixed governments started at the Center, Modi’s hard work paid off, when in the 1995 Legislative Assembly elections in Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party formed the government on its own with a two-thirds majority. During this time two more national events happened in this country. The first incident was the Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya, in which Narendra’s main support was in the role of Advani’s chief charioteer. Similarly, the second Rath Yatra of Murli Manohar Joshi from Kanyakumari to Kashmir located in the far north was also organized under the supervision of Narendra Modi. After this, Shankarsinh Vaghela resigned from the party, as a result of which Keshubhai Patel was made the Chief Minister of Gujarat and Narendra Modi was called to Delhi and given the responsibility of Union Minister in BJP from the point of view of organization.
In 1995, as the National Minister, he was given the task of party organization in five major states, which he performed well. In 1998, he was promoted and given the responsibility of National General Secretary (Organisation). He continued to serve in this post till October 2001. In October 2001, the Bharatiya Janata Party removed Keshubhai Patel and handed over the command of the Chief Minister of Gujarat to Narendra Modi.
Gujarat’s development plans
Sardar Sarovar Dam (in 2006)
As the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi started the important schemes for the development of Gujarat [60] and got them implemented, their brief description is as follows-
Panchamrita Yojana – Panchayami plan for the integrated development of the state,
Sujalam Sufalam – Proper and integrated use of water sources in the state, so that wastage of water can be stopped,
Krishi Mahotsav – Research laboratories for fertile land,
Chiranjeevi Yojana – To reduce the mortality rate of the newborn,
Matru Vandana – To protect the health of mother and child,
Bachao Beti – To curb feticide and sex ratio,
Jyotigram Yojana – To provide electricity to every village,
Karmayogi Abhiyan – To inculcate loyalty among government employees towards their duty,
Kanya Kalavani Yojana – Awareness about female literacy and education,
Balbhog Scheme – Lunch to poor students in school,
Modi’s Vanbandhu Vikas Program
In addition to the above development plans, Modi has also run another ten-point program for the development of forest-dwellers in the state of Gujarat for the development of tribal and forest dwellers, all of which have 10 sources.
Early activism and politics
Modi’s first known political activity as an adult was in 1971 when he joined the Bharatiya Jana Sangh’s satyagraha in Delhi, led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to enter the battlefield. But the central government led by Indira Gandhi did not openly support Mukti Vahini and Modi was put in Tihar Jail for a short time. When Narendra was a student of the university, he started attending the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh branch regularly. Thus began his life as a loyal campaigner of the Sangh. He showed political activism from early life and played a major role in strengthening the base of Bharatiya Janata Party. Narendra Modi’s strategy was to strengthen the base of Shankarsinh Vaghela in Gujarat.
In April 1990, when the era of mixed governments started at the Center, Modi’s hard work paid off, when in the 1995 Legislative Assembly elections in Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party formed the government on its own with a two-thirds majority. During this time two more national events happened in this country. The first incident was the Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya, in which Narendra’s main support was in the role of Advani’s chief charioteer. Similarly, the second Rath Yatra of Murli Manohar Joshi from Kanyakumari to Kashmir located in the far north was also organized under the supervision of Narendra Modi. After this, Shankarsinh Vaghela resigned from the party, as a result of which Keshubhai Patel was made the Chief Minister of Gujarat and Narendra Modi was called to Delhi and given the responsibility of Union Minister in BJP from the point of view of organization.
In 1995, as the National Minister, he was given the task of party organization in five major states, which he performed well. In 1998, he was promoted and given the responsibility of National General Secretary (Organisation). He continued to serve in this post till October 2001. In October 2001, the Bharatiya Janata Party removed Keshubhai Patel and handed over the command of the Chief Minister of Gujarat to Narendra Modi.
As the Chief Minister of Gujarat
In 2001, Keshubhai Patel’s (then Chief Minister) health started deteriorating and BJP was losing many seats in the elections. After this, the national president of the BJP places Modi as the new candidate as the chief minister. BJP leader LK Advani, however, was concerned about Modi’s lack of experience in running the government. Modi rejected Patel’s offer to become the Deputy Chief Minister and told Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee that if the responsibility of Gujarat is to be given, then do not give it otherwise. On 3 October 2001, he became the Chief Minister of Gujarat in place of Keshubhai Patel. Along with this, he was also responsible for the elections to be held in December 2002.
2001-02
Narendra Modi started his first term of Chief Minister from 7 October 2001. After this Modi contested the Rajkot assembly elections. In which he defeated Ashwin Mehta of Congress Party by 14,728 votes.
Narendra Modi is known in entire political circles for his distinctive lifestyle. There are only three people in his personal staff, no heavy staff. But everyone is familiar with the nature of Modi, who lives like a Karmayogi, so he does not face any problem in implementing his work. He never took any hesitation to demolish many such Hindu temples in Gujarat which were not built according to the government laws and regulations. Although for this he had to become the wrath of organizations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad, but he did not care for it at all; which he thought was appropriate. He is a popular speaker, for whom a large number of listeners reach even today. In addition to kurta-pyjama and sadri, he sometimes wears a suit. Apart from his mother tongue Gujarati, he speaks only in Hindi.
The Bharatiya Janata Party got a clear majority in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly elections held in 2012 under Modi’s leadership. BJP got 115 seats this time.
Gujarat’s development plans
As the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi started the important schemes for the development of Gujarat and got them implemented, their brief description is as follows-
Panchamrita Yojana – Panchayami plan for the integrated development of the state,
Sujalam Sufalam – Proper and integrated use of water sources in the state, so that wastage of water can be stopped,
Krishi Mahotsav – Research laboratories for fertile land,
Chiranjeevi Yojana – To reduce the mortality rate of the newborn,
Matru Vandana – To protect the health of mother and child,
Bachao Beti – To curb feticide and sex ratio,
Jyotigram Yojana – To provide electricity to every village,
Karmayogi Abhiyan – To inculcate loyalty among government employees towards their duty,
Kanya Kalavani Yojana – Awareness about female literacy and education,
Balbhog Scheme – Lunch to poor students in school,
Modi’s Vanbandhu Vikas Program
In addition to the above development schemes, Modi has given employment to five lakh families in the state of Gujarat for the development of tribal and forest dwellers.
2-Quality of Higher Education
3-Economic development
4-health
5-housing
6-Clean drinking water
7-Irrigation
8-composite electrification
9-Availability of roadways in all seasons
10-Urban development.
Preservation of Shyamjikrishna Verma’s ashes in India
Narendra Modi brought back the ashes of Shyamji Krishna Varma and his wife Bhanumati, a staunch patriot and disciple of Arya Samaj founder Swami Dayanand Saraswati, and his wife Pandora, 55 years after India’s independence, on 22 August 2003, after requesting the Swiss government, from Geneva and returned home to Mandvi (Shyamji’s). By making a tourist place in the name of Kranti-teerth in birth place), he protected his memory in it. Tourists from far and wide come to Gujarat to see this revolution-teerth dedicated to the nation by Modi on December 13, 2010. It is looked after by the Tourism Department of the Government of Gujarat.
Idea
Terrorism
In a speech on 18 July 2006, Modi criticized Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his reluctance to introduce anti-terror legislation such as the Prevention of Terrorism Act. In the wake of the bomb blasts on Mumbai’s suburban trains, he urged the central government to empower the states to implement stricter laws. In his words –
Terrorism is worse than war. A terrorist has no rules. A terrorist decides when, how, where and whom to kill. India has lost more people in terror attacks than wars.
Narendra Modi had said on several occasions that if the BJP came to power at the Centre, it would respect the Supreme Court’s 2004 decision to hang Afzal Guru. Afzal was convicted by the Supreme Court of India for the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament and was hanged in Tihar Jail on 9 February 2013.
Muslim
Although not a popular face among Muslims, Narendra Modi is interested in the development of Muslims. Many Muslim leaders and scholars have criticized Narendra Modi for his alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots and his extreme Hindutva thinking. However many Muslim leaders like Zafar Sareshwala supported him and his policies. He often talks about the overall integral development of Muslims, in which he said:-
Muslims should have a computer in one hand and the Quran in the other.
