Narendra Modi hits a hat-trick as India's PM, but the victory trumpet is mellow

When Narendra Modi sat on LK Advani's chariot in 1991 during its Gujarat leg, little did the then 41-year-old RSS regional organiser know that 33 years later he would be at the helm of the consecration of the same Ram Temple which was at that time being envisioned by the Bharatiya Janta Party or BJP. 

Two weeks after Ayodhya's Ram Temple consecration earlier this year, Modi - now the prime minister in his second term - delivered his reply to the president's motion of thanks in the Parliament on February 5. He announced the ambitious goal of 'chaar sau paar' or '400 plus seats for BJP that quickly resonated with the abrogation of Article 370 which had marked the beginning of his second term in 2019.

"Lord Ram has returned not only home, but to such a grand temple that it is definite that 'Abki baar 400 paar' (This time 400 plus). Even Kharge ji (Mallikarjun Kharge, the leader of opposition Congress) is saying it. Not only will NDA win 400+ seats, BJP itself will win 370 seats," Modi told parliament to as BJP parliamentarians thumbed their desk, cheering the end of his second term in power with an absolute majority. 

Nearly a month later, Modi delivered a speech at Srinagar's Bakshi stadium - the first in Jammu & Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370. 

"Whenever I came here after 2014, I have always said that I am making all these efforts, to win your hearts and I am seeing that I have been able to win your hearts. I will keep trying hard. This is Modi’s guarantee," Modi said to the large crowd gathered at the stadium. 

In his time in power, Modi had established the success of two of the BJP's core ideological activities - the abrogation of Article 370 that had given Kashmir special status, and the construction of the Ram Temple. 

Three months after his speech in Kashmir, India's 2024 Lok Sabha elections have culminated and the ruling BJP has clinched a third term under the leadership of Modi but the victory trumpets remain mellow and '400-paar' appears a far-fetched dream. 

Also Read: Lok Sabha Election Results 2024: INDIA gives tough fight to Modi's NDA in early trends

But the mandate of the country of nearly 1.4 billion people, has once again favoured Narendra Damodardas Modi, who now has again stepped in the shoes of the leader of the world's largest democracy and took the oath of prime minister amid cheers and chants of "Modi, Modi". 

In the small town of Vadnagar, Gujarat - far away from the political muddle of the capital New Delhi - Modi spent his childhood with his parents and five siblings.  

His father was a tea seller or "chaiwallaha" who used to run a stall at the local train station to run the household.

At school, Modi was an average student who apparently loved to act plays.

At the age of 17, he was married and soon after, he left his family and village and went on a spiritual sojourn. 

He was acquainted with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological fount of BJP, from his childhood and in 1972, became a “pracharak” or volunteer for the Hindu nationalist organisation which slowly carved his way into the world of politics.

After joining the RSS, the state headquarters of the RSS in the Indian city of Ahmedabad became Modi's home.

In 1975, when India's then-prime minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency in the country and pushed its democracy to the darkest days possible, Modi worked to restore the lost freedom.

Gandhi had called the invoking of emergency as an important “shock treatment” to shut down internal unrest and in the process, censored the opposition, silenced the media and tightened government control.

To evade arrest during that time, Modi used a pseudonym and adorned different looks like that of a saint or of a Sikh to hide his real identity.

In 1987, Modi joined the BJP and gained immense support and praise from one of the party's top leaders Lal Krishna Advani - the man whose name remains engraved at the bottom of the infamous Babri Masjid demolition case. 

Advani saw a rising leader in Modi, and handed him some crucial responsibilities within the party.

He became the chief minister of Gujarat in 2001 and since then, the state witnessed a wave of innovation, industry and infrastructure. In a short period, the arid landscape became home to the “Gujarat model” which became the definition of government efficiency and development.

But, soon Modi saw himself embroiled in an ugly controversy when a Hindu-Muslim riot broke out in the state in 2002 after Muslims were blamed for setting on fire a train which was carrying Hindu pilgrims. 

Some blamed the Modi administration for failing to curb the Gujarat riots, while few others even accused the leader of being complicit in the violence.

In the aftermath of the incident, Modi also had to face international repercussions as the United States banned him from entering the country over the accusation of human rights violations.

However, the BJP leader denied any wrongdoing and later was also given a clean chit by the Supreme Court. Months after the riots, Modi called snap elections and was re-elected as the state's chief minister with a massive majority.

In the year 2014, the BJP had a landslide victory in the general elections, defeating the ruling Congress, its worst defeat ever.

Narendra Modi was chosen as the new prime minister and this ushered in a new era for the country which saw the development and rise in every sector.

The transport networks developed, bullet trains were introduced, some 40 million concrete homes were provided to impoverished families and the military capabilities of the country were bolstered. 

In 2016, the Modi government demonetised all Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes, which the prime minister said was a 'surgical strike' on black money. 

That was a reference to the retaliatory strikes carried out by the Indian Army on alleged launch pads used by militants in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Uri attack.

In 2019, Modi emerged stronger and more victorious in the Lok Sabha elections. Just before the polls, the Modi administration had given a befitting reply to the Pulwama attack by carrying out a Balakot airstrike in Pakistan, which won the hearts of the Indians.

The abrogation of Article 370 and the consecration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya marked the highs of his second tenure. 

When the opposition in the campaign of Lok Sabha elections 2024 raised questions about Modi's family background, the leader roared in front of a cheering crowd "You are Modi’s and Modi is yours", as people flashed placards with the slogan: "I am Modi's family", which has now become the threshold of his third tenure.