Write a biographical sketch on narendra modi
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Synopsis
Narendra Modi grew up in the town of Vadnagar in India, the son of a street merchant. He entered politics as a youth and quickly rose through the ranks of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu nationalist political party. Modi later joined the mainstream Bharatiya Janata Party in 1987, eventually becoming national secretary. In 2002, he was alleged to be responsible for the deaths of more than 1,000 Muslims during civil unrest but was later exonerated. In 2014 he was elected prime minister of India.
Background
Narendra Modi was born in the small town of Vadnagar, in northern Gujarat, India. His father was a street merchant who struggled to support the family. Young Narendra and his brother sold tea near a bus terminal to help out. Though an average student in school, Modi spent hours in the library and was known as a strong debater. In his early teens, he joined Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist political party.
Life Dedicated to Politics
Modi had an arranged married at 18 but spent little time with his bride. The two eventually separated, with Modi claiming to be single for some time. He dedicated his life to politics in Gujarat, joining the RSS in 1971. During the 1975-77 political crisis, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency, banning political organizations such as the RSS. Modi went underground and wrote a book, Sangharsh ma Gujarat (Gujarat in Emergency), which chronicles his experiences as a political fugitive. In 1978, Modi graduated from Delhi University with a degree in political science and completed his master’s work at Gujarat University in 1983.
In 1987, Narendra Modi joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which stood for Hindu nationalism. His rise through the ranks was rapid, as he wisely chose mentors to further his career. He promoted privatization of businesses, small government and Hindu values. In 1995, Modi was elected BJP national secretary, a position from which he successfully helped settle internal leadership disputes, paving the way for BJP election victories in 1998.
Gulbarg Massacre and Alleged Complicity
In February 2002, while Modi served as chief minister of Gujarat, a commuter train was attacked, allegedly by Muslims. In retaliation, an attack was carried out on the Muslim neighborhood of Gulbarg. Violence spread, and Modi imposed a curfew granting police shoot-to-kill orders. After peace was restored, Modi’s government was criticized for the harsh crackdown, and he was accused of allowing the killings of more than 1,000 Muslims, along with the mass raping and mutilation of women. After two investigations contradicted one other, the Indian Supreme Court concluded there was no evidence Modi was at fault.
Narendra Modi was reelected chief minister of Gujarat in 2007 and 2012. Through those campaigns, Modi's hard-line Hinduism softened and he spoke more about economic growth, focusing on privatization and encouraging policies to shape India as a global manufacturing epicenter. He is credited with bringing prosperity and development to Gujarat and is seen as a corrupt-free and efficient administrator. However, some say he has done little to alleviate poverty and improve living standards.
Elected Prime Minister
In June 2013, Modi was selected to head the BJP’s 2014 election campaign to the Lok Sabha (the lower house of India’s parliament), while a grassroots campaign was already in place to elect him prime minister. Modi campaigned hard, portraying himself as a pragmatic candidate capable of turning around India’s economy, while his critics portrayed him as a controversial and divisive figure. In May 2014, he and his party were victorious, taking 282 of the 534 seats in the Lok Sabha. The victory marked a crushing defeat to the Indian National Congress, which had controlled country p
Answer:
Born to a Gujarati family in Vadnagar, Modi helped his father sell tea as a child and has said he later ran his own stall. He was introduced to the RSS at the age of eight, beginning a long association with the organisation. Modi left home after finishing high-school in part due to child marriage to Jashodaben Chimanlal Modi, which he abandoned and publicly acknowledged only many decades later. Modi travelled around India for two years and visited a number of religious centres before returning to Gujarat. In 1971 he became a full-time worker for the RSS. During the state of emergency imposed across the country in 1975, Modi was forced to go into hiding. The RSS assigned him to the BJP in 1985 and he held several positions within the party hierarchy until 2001, rising to the rank of general secretary.
Modi was appointed Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001 due to Keshubhai Patel's failing health and poor public image following the earthquake in Bhuj. Modi was elected to the legislative assembly soon after. His administration has been considered complicit in the 2002 Gujarat riots,[a] or otherwise criticised for its handling of it. A Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team found no evidence to initiate prosecution proceedings against Modi personally.[b] His policies as chief minister, credited with encouraging economic growth, have received praise.[11] His administration has been criticised for failing to significantly improve health, poverty and education indices in the state.[c]
Modi led the BJP in the 2014 general election which gave the party a majority in the Indian lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, the first time for any single party since 1984. Modi's administration has tried to raise foreign direct investment in the Indian economy and reduced spending on healthcare and social welfare programmes. Modi has attempted to improve efficiency in the bureaucracy; he has centralised power by abolishing the Planning Commission. He began a high-profile sanitation campaign, initiated a controversial demonetisation of high-denomination banknotes and weakened or abolished environmental and labour laws.
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, which resulted in widespread protests across the country. 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.[d] Under Modi's tenure, India has experienced democratic backsliding.[20][21][22]