Narendra Modi
Narendra Modi Facts

Information and analysis about Narendra Modi, India's prime minister since 2014, and the network of Hindu nationalist organisations around him.


What do Modi supporters say?

Modi supporters sometimes refer to him as a hero or even God: for example Babu Bajrangi, sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Naroda Patiya massacre (although currently out on bail), and disgraced former senior police officer D. G. Vanzara who spent many years in jail for his role in several fake encounters. Even when the language is less extreme, he is a "dynamic administrator", a "visionary", "principled" and "patriotic" (comments on articles critical of Modi here and here). The website of a Hindi news channel claims that Modi is "one of the most affable and sought after politicians in India". Most importantly, he is often referred to as the man behind the Gujarat miracle.

Much of this love for Modi appears to be created via grassroots mobilisation of Sangh Parivar forces through his propaganda circus and his well-oiled PR machine. The Sangh Parivar intensively uses new media and social media to build momentum, communicate with each other and reinforce an authoritarian fantasy of India as a Hindu nation led by a strong leader. However, the reality may not always match the hype: for example Modi supporters higlight his large number of twitter followers, but it turns out that the majority of these are fake.


silly@silly.com
last updated: Oct. 2019