Narendra Damodardas Modi ( pronunciation (helpinfo), born 17 September 1950) is the 15th Prime Minister of

the Republic of India. Modi, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to
2014.
Modi was a key strategist for the BJP in the successful 1995 and 1998 Gujarat state election campaigns. He became
Chief Minister of Gujarat in October 2001 and served longer by far in that position than anyone else to date. He was a
major campaign figure in the2009 general election, which the BJP led National Democratic Alliance lost to
the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). He led the BJP in the AprilMay 2014 general election, which
resulted in a majority for the BJP in the Lok Sabha.
Modi was also a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
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He is a controversial figure both within
India as well as internationally
[4][5][6][7]
as his administration has been criticised for the incidents surrounding the 2002
Gujarat riots.
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He has been praised for his economic policies, which are credited with creating an environment for a
high rate of economic growth in Gujarat.
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However, his administration has also been criticised for failing to make a
significant positive impact upon the human development of the state.
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