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Name: Rameez Wasif

Student ID: 08479

Instructor: Abdullah Mirza

Assignment: Modernity Essay 3

Modi’s Leadership: A Study in Neo-fascism

Introduction

Fascism is a far right political ideology that stems from authoritarianism, ultra

nationalism, and centralised autocracy. A leader that practises fascism believes in their

supreme leadership over the citizens, with the public having no say in the decision making

process, and an extreme almost aggressive approach against the opposition. Neo fascism

emerged after the second world war containing the same meaning/definition behind it but

with subtle differences such as emphasis on xenophobia, populism, opposition to liberal

democracy and immigration. We see this behaviour throughout history from multiple leaders

around the world-Hitler, Mussolini, Donald Trump etc. with millions supporting them and

their form of leadership and ideology. However, the repercussions of fascism is what made it

a controversial and hated ideology especially amongst the liberal democrats. Fascist regimes

have repeatedly committed human rights violations such as suppression of freedom of speech

against certain groups in society, propaganda and misinformation along with media

censorship, and constant conflict with other nations.

Today, many neo fascists leaders are, either fighting for leadership or sitting at the

seat of power. Narendra Modi, for example, has been one such figure that despite a large

number of followers around the world, remains a highly controversial figure with a neo

fascist form of leadership and ideology. This essay will explore the ways in which Narendra

Modi portrays himself in front of the public, the rhetoric he uses to promote his campaigns,
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and the religious arc he plays to manipulate the Indian audience. It will also compare him to

classic fascists Hitler and Mussolini and identify patterns and differences in Narendra Modi’s

ideology and argue that he is a fascist leader- threatening India’s democracy and secularism.

Narendra Modi and Neo Fascism

Narendra Modi rose to power as the prime minister of India in 2014 and has remained

in power since. Narendra Modi has been a deeply polarising figure in Indian politics, with his

leadership drawing criticism for its pronounced Hindu nationalist and authoritarian

tendencies. Narendra Modi’s administration has faced serious criticism for its control and

handling of media censorship in India. They have been constantly accused of suppressing

activists and critical anchors just to control the narrative and maintain their image. According

to Amnesty International, Indian authorities are “increasingly imposing politically motivated

restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly” (Yadav, 2023). India shuts down the

internet more than any other country in the world in order to silence peaceful protests and

criticism of the government. This not only denies millions of people their rights, but also

affects businesses and costs the Indian economy billions of dollars in losses. Moreover,

attacks on journalists and media outlets by individuals or groups that have been affiliated

with BJP (Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party) has instilled fear among journalists in India which

forces many to censor themselves.

Narendra Modi’s BJP promotes strong fascist ideology in India and uses that narrative

to gain support of the masses. One of the key fascist beliefs is the superiority of one’s own

race and culture and the exclusion of other groups that are in minority. Modi and BJP

advocate for Hindu nationalism and cultivate a Hindu Indian identity disregarding decades of

harmony and amalgamation between other religious minorities with the Hindu community.

Due to “Hindutva” or a Hindu nation that BJP and Modi strive towards, many religious
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minorities especially Muslims and Christians are subjugated to oppression, mistreatment,

exclusion and often danger from the society. On August 5th 2020, laying the foundation stone

for a temple over the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 led to a lot of violent and

aggressive confrontations between the Muslims and Hindus. According to Uday Chandra, it

was a “calculated move by the Modi government to consolidate the new majoritarian polity in

India” (Chandra, 2020). Narendra Modi has, on multiple occasions, made xenophobic

comments towards Pakistan and muslims- calling them terrorists and criminals and this anti

muslim rhetoric has been used to further his political agenda.

In December 2019, Modi passed the Citizenship Amendment Act which was highly

controversial and met with many protests because it granted fast-track citizenship to

minorities facing persecution in neighbouring countries but specifically excluded Muslims. It

violated India’s secular constitution and resulted in quite an uproar by the persecuted

minorities living in India. Many critics argue that Narendra Modi’s authoritarian, populist,

xenophobic and ultra nationalist policies and ideology is a threat to democracy in India.

Historical Contextualisation

The grouping of India today is of the “same intensity of nativism and xenophobia”

that could be found in Europe during the war (Zwanenberg, 2022). Modi and the BJP have

been criticised for using social media and other channels to spread divisive messages,

demonise minorities, and create a cult of personality around the Prime Minister. Similarly,

Hitler used propaganda and media- newspapers, cartoons and flyers-to spread his fascist

ideology and promote a cult of personality around himself. Moreover, Hitler's Nazi ideology

was based on the idea of Aryan supremacy and the exclusion and persecution of Jews and

other minorities which is a similar rhetoric that Modi uses to reiterate a Hindu Nation.
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Modi is the current Prime Minister of India, while Mussolini was the former Prime

Minister of Italy. Both men have been accused of using populist rhetoric to appeal to the

masses. Modi has been criticised for promoting Hindu nationalism, while Mussolini used

populist rhetoric to promote Italian nationalism by creating a cult of personality around

himself and making his slogans appeal to the working class Italians and making them believe

he will lead Italy to greatness. Mussolini’s authoritarian leadership established a one party

state in Italy, dissolving all other parties and creating a secret police called OVRA that used

intimidation and violent tactics against opposition or activists. Modi's government has been

criticised for suppressing dissent, curtailing press freedom, and undermining democratic

institutions.

There are clear differences from classical fascists because Modi has not directly

ordered mass killings or violence towards the minorities although his speeches ignite violent

tendencies against minorities in the hearts of many Hindus. Additionally, Modi was

democratically elected and maintained a large number of support from the majority of India.

He, along with his party BJP, have always followed the Model Code of Conduct during

election campaigning which means not asking for votes in the name of religion or caste and

refraining from hate speech in any shape or form. The political spectrum in India is also

unique in the sense that it’s pluralistic and every party represents a particular section of the

populace even in Modi’s India. This is not in line with the injunctions of classical fascism in

which power was consolidated with a single political entity and a one party system prevailed

where opposition members could not participate in political activities or publically express

dissenting opinions. Modi has also not pursued a policy of economic regimentation which

classical fascists like Hitler have done in the past. This meant Modi allowed the continuation

of a decentralised economy and instead pursued free market reforms such as the FDI
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liberalisation to attract foreign investment and ‘Make in India’ which aimed to promote

domestic manufacturing.

Conclusion

Enzo Traverso says, "The new fascisms are not the same as the old ones, but they are

not completely different either. They are hybrids, combining elements of the past with new

forms of expression and organization." Modi represents a unique blend of populism, neo-

fascism and religious nationalism but all within a democratic superstructure that is flexed and

relaxed in accordance. As Traverso's framework suggests, the new face of right-wing

populism, although varied, still retains the template used by fascists which came before.

"Fascism is not a single historical phenomenon, but a family of political formations that share

a common set of characteristics, including a cult of the leader, a glorification of violence, and

a belief in the superiority of one's own group."

Works Cited

Chandra, Uday. “The Making of a Hindu India.” 2020. Al-Jazeera.

Yadav, Shalu. “With raids, arrests and hostile takeovers, India press freedom

continues to decline.” 2023.

van Zwanenberg, Roger. “Hindu Nationalism: BJP in Historical and Comparative

Perspective of Fascism.” Policy Perspectives, vol. 19, no. 1, 2022, pp. 95–109.

JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/48676297. Accessed 12 May 2023.

Traverso, Enzo, and David Broder. The New Faces of Fascism: Populism and the Far Right.

Verso, 2019.
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