About

Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician currently serving as the Prime Minister of India since 2014. He previously served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament for Varanasi. Modi belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation. He is the longest-serving Prime Minister.

Early Life & Education

Born on 17 September 1950 in Vadnagar, Mehsana district, in the then Bombay State (now Gujarat).

Family belonged to the Modh-Ghanchi community, categorized as an Other Backward Class (OBC).

Parents: Damodardas Mulchand Modi (1915–1989) and Hiraben Modi (1923–2022).

Modi was the third of six children.

As a child, he occasionally helped at his father’s tea stall near Vadnagar railway station.

Completed his schooling in Vadnagar.

Introduced to the RSS at age 8, which deeply influenced his political and ideological journey.

Personal Life

• In his teens, Modi was engaged in an arranged marriage with Jashodaben Chimanlal Modi.
• The marriage remained unconsummated, and Modi later acknowledged her as his wife in his 2014 election affidavit.
• Modi has lived a largely solitary personal life, dedicating himself to politics and organizational work.

Early Political Career

• 1971 → Became a full-time RSS pracharak (campaigner) in Gujarat.
• 1985 → RSS assigned Modi to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
• Rose steadily through the party ranks, known for his organisational skills and strategic campaigning.
• 1998 → Appointed National General Secretary of BJP.
• October 2001 → Following Keshubhai Patel’s resignation, Modi was appointed Chief Minister of Gujarat.
• Later won a by-election to the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, confirming his position.
• 2001–2014 → Served as Chief Minister of Gujarat for nearly 13 years, making him one of the state’s longest-serving leaders.
• His tenure was marked by rapid economic growth but also by the controversial 2002 Gujarat riots, for which his administration was widely criticized.

National Politics & Prime Ministership

• 2014 → Led BJP in the general elections, winning a parliamentary majority (first since 1984). Became the 14th Prime Minister of India.
• Key initiatives: Make in India, Digital India, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission), and infrastructure push.
• Controversial policies: 2016 Demonetisation and 2017 GST rollout.
• 2019 → Re-elected after BJP’s landslide victory.
• Major moves: Abrogation of Article 370 (special status of Jammu & Kashmir), Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and handling of the Balakot airstrikes.
• Faced mass protests over farm laws (2020–2021), which were eventually repealed.
• Oversaw India’s response to COVID-19, during which millions were reported dead, including undercounted figures later highlighted by WHO.
• 2024 General Election → BJP lost its outright majority but retained power by leading the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition government.
• 2025 → Presided over the India–Pakistan conflict following a terrorist attack in Jammu & Kashmir, which ended in a ceasefire.

Summary:

Narendra Modi’s journey spans from a tea-seller’s son in Vadnagar to a longest-serving non-Congress Prime Minister of India. His career has combined grassroots organizational politics, Hindutva ideology through RSS, economic reforms, and high-profile but controversial decisions that continue to shape India’s domestic and international image.