Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is one of the most powerful people in the world. Over his ten years in power, he has transformed his nation into an emerging superpower everyone wants to do business with. But he's also created an environment where no journalist is allowed to ask him questions, and many critics are scared of voicing public dissent. As India approaches a general election in May, another Modi victory has already been assumed by most observers. There are many myths surrounding Narendra Modi's extraordinary rise from a humble tea seller, but how much do we really know about the life of this enormously influential man? There are stories of his association with a supposed paramilitary volunteer group, a secret marriage, and questions about how he has handled India's deadly religious tensions. In this seven-part series, the ABC's South Asia correspondent Avani Dias travels around India in search of answers about who Modi is and how he has shaped the world's most populous n
Narendra Modi was confident that the 2024 Indian election would be another major win in his remarkably successful political career. But the voters didn't follow his plan, forcing a leader who was banking on a landslide victory to work with smaller parties to form a ruling coalition.What does this me…
Narenda Modi loves to promote India's status as the largest democracy in the world, and experts agree that the country's elections are free and fair for all. Modi is now an unbackable favourite to win a third term as Prime Minister in the weeks ahead, with polls suggesting he is heading for another …
Lifting Indians out of poverty lies at the core of Narendra Modi's wildly popular political strategy. And it's worked: during his Prime Ministership, India has risen from the tenth largest economy in the world to the fifth. But this rising tide has also widened the gap between the rich and the poor …
In 2002, Narendra Modi's carefully crafted political story was rocked by a series of deadly attacks in his home state of Gujarat, where he was the highly popular Chief Minister. Thousands were killed in a wave of riots that lasted for three days and became a major national scandal.
Modi's role in th…
In January 2024, Narendra Modi travelled to the northern Indian town of Ayodhya to attend the consecration of a Hindu temple with a very contested history. The site had previously been occupied by a 500-year-old mosque, and had become a focal point of broader disputes between India's Hindu and Musli…
When Narendra Modi left home, it wasn't to begin a career in politics. He wanted to be a monk. Modi's teenaged pilgrimage would take him across India, following the trail of his country's most influential religious leader. It was a journey that would ultimately steer him towards politics, and lay th…
For most politicians, the image of a stable marriage and a happy family is a crucial part of their pitch to voters. But in India, being single is a selling point: leaders want to show that they are dedicated only to their country. Narendra Modi's carefully crafted image of a bachelor was up-ended wh…
Narendra Modi's rise from poverty-stricken childhood has been a major appeal throughout his political career. He tells ordinary Indians that he is just like them, and that his life is proof of India's egalitarian democracy. But in truth, some of the central elements of his own biography are disputed…
There are many myths surrounding Narendra Modi's extraordinary rise from a humble tea seller, but how much do we really know about the life of this enormously influential man? There are stories of his association with a supposed paramilitary volunteer group, a secret marriage, and questions over how…