Chief ministership of Narendra Modi

In 2001, Keshubhai Patel's health was failing and the BJP lost a few state assembly seats in by-elections. Allegations of abuse of power, corruption and poor administration were made, and Patel's standing had been damaged by his administration's handling of the earthquake in Bhuj in 2001.{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Venkatesan|first=V.|author-link=V. Venkatram|date=26 October 2001|volume=18 – Issue 21|title=A pracharak as Chief Minister|website=frontlineonnet.com|publisher=Frontline|location=New Delhi|type=magazine|url=http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1821/18210310.htm|url-status=dead|access-date=11 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130405081524/http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1821/18210310.htm|archive-date=5 April 2013}}{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Phadnis |first=Aditi |title=Business Standard Political Profiles of Cabals and Kings |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qT7QvviGoJsC&pg=PA116 |year=2009 |publisher=Business Standard Books |isbn=978-81-905735-4-2 |pages=116–21 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103043003/http://books.google.com/books?id=qT7QvviGoJsC&pg=PA116 |archive-date=3 January 2014 }}{{#invoke:Cite|news|url=http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1821/18210300.htm |title=A new oarsman |work=Frontline |date=26 October 2001|volume=18 – Issue 21 |access-date=11 April 2013 |last=Bunsha |first=Dionne|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060828024053/http://www.frontline.in/fl1821/18210300.htm|archive-date=28 August 2006}} The BJP national leadership sought a new candidate for the chief ministership, and Modi, who had expressed misgivings about Patel's administration, was chosen as a replacement.{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reportage/emperor-uncrowned?page=1,1|title=The Emperor Uncrowned: The Rise of Narendra Modi|last=Jose|first=Vinod K.|date=1 March 2012|work=The Caravan|pages=2–4|author-link=Vinod Jose|access-date=11 November 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111220259/http://www.caravanmagazine.in/reportage/emperor-uncrowned?page=1,1|archive-date=11 November 2013}} Advani did not want to ostracise Patel and was concerned about Modi's lack of experience in government. Modi declined an offer to become Patel's deputy chief minister, telling Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee he was "going to be fully responsible for Gujarat or not at all". On 3 October 2001, Modi replaced Patel as Chief Minister of Gujarat with the responsibility of preparing the BJP for the upcoming December 2002 election.{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Ritesh K.|last=Srivastava|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/general-elections-2014/pm-candidates/narendra-modi-%E2%80%93-leading-the-race-to-7-rcr_921104.html|title=Narendra Modi – Leading the race to 7 RCR|work=Zee News|date=8 April 2014|access-date=25 August 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824042517/http://zeenews.india.com/news/general-elections-2014/pm-candidates/narendra-modi-%E2%80%93-leading-the-race-to-7-rcr_921104.html|archive-date=24 August 2014}} On 7 October, Modi was sworn in{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Dasgupta|first1=Manas|title=Modi sworn in Gujarat CM amidst fanfare|url=http://www.thehindujobs.com/thehindu/2001/10/08/stories/02080001.htm|access-date=11 October 2014|work=The Hindu|date=7 October 2001|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141011204504/http://www.thehindujobs.com/thehindu/2001/10/08/stories/02080001.htm|archive-date=11 October 2014}} and he entered the Gujarat state legislature on 24 February 2002 after winning a by-election in Rajkot II constituency, defeating Ashwin Mehta of the INC.{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Venkatesan|first=V.|title=A victory and many pointers|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/article30244123.ece|volume=19 – Issue 05|date=15 March 2002|access-date=11 October 2014|work=Frontline|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106133029/http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl1905/19050240.htm|archive-date=6 January 2016}}

{{Main|2002 Gujarat riots}}

On 27 February 2002, a train with several hundred passengers burned near Godhra, killing approximately 60 people.{{efn|The exact number of people killed in the train burning is variously reported. For example, the BBC says it was 59,{{#invoke:cite|news|work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12605659 |title=Eleven sentenced to death for India Godhra train blaze |date=1 March 2011 |access-date=25 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140624025021/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12605659 |archive-date=24 June 2014 }} while The Guardian put the figure at 60.{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/feb/22/godhra-train-fire-verdict |title=Godhra train fire verdict prompts tight security measures |work=The Guardian |first=Jason |last=Burke |date=22 February 2011 |access-date=10 March 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023065143/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/feb/22/godhra-train-fire-verdict |archive-date=23 October 2013 }}}}Ghosh, Partha S. (Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi; formerly, ICSSR National Fellow, and Professor of South Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University): [https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/longform/2021/11/15/south-asia-s-leaders-have-failed-their-region OP-ED: South Asia's leaders have failed their region,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407154951/https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/longform/2021/11/15/south-asia-s-leaders-have-failed-their-region |date=7 April 2022 }} opinion and historical analysis, 15 November 2021, Dhaka Tribune, retrieved 15 November 2021 The train carried a large number of Hindu pilgrims who were returning from Ayodhya after a religious ceremony at the site of the demolished Babri Masjid.{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Jaffrelot|first1=Christophe|author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot|date=July 2003|title=Communal Riots in Gujarat: The State at Risk?|url=http://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/archiv/4127|url-status=live|journal=Heidelberg Papers in South Asian and Comparative Politics|volume=|pages=|doi=10.11588/heidok.00004127|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607062723/http://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/archiv/4127/|archive-date=7 June 2007|access-date=17 February 2017|via=}}{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Gujarat riot death toll revealed|work=BBC News|date=11 May 2005|access-date=17 February 2017|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4536199.stm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226131020/http://news.indiainfo.com/2005/05/11/1105godhra-rs.html|archive-date=26 February 2009}} In a public statement, Modi said local Muslims were responsible for the incident.{{#invoke:cite|book|last1=Shani|first1=Orrit|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ouAB7o63B9IC|title=Communalism, Caste and Hindu Nationalism: The Violence in Gujarat|date=2007|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-68369-2|location=|pages=168–173|access-date=20 January 2021|archive-date=18 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230218154155/https://books.google.com/books?id=ouAB7o63B9IC|url-status=live}}{{cite encyclopedia|last=Murphy|first=Eamon|editor-first1=Richard|editor-last1=Jackson|editor-first2=Eamon Murphy|editor-last2=Murphy|editor-first3=Scott|editor-last3=Poynting|encyclopedia=Contemporary State Terrorism|title='We have no orders to save you': state terrorism, politics and communal violence in the Indian state of Gujarat, 2002|year=2010|publisher=Routledge|location=New York, New York, US|isbn=978-0-415-49801-2|pages=84–103}} The next day, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad called for a bandh (general strike) across the state.{{#invoke:cite|news|first1=Bharat|last1=Desai|first2=Anil|last2=Pathak|date=1 March 2002|title=Mobs rule Ahmedabad streets|work=The Economic Times|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2002-03-01/news/27355597_1_mobs-death-toll-ahmedabad|url-status=live|access-date=17 April 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104094217/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2002-03-01/news/27355597_1_mobs-death-toll-ahmedabad|archive-date=4 January 2013}}{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Manas|last=Dasgupta|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2002/03/01/stories/2002030103030100.htm |title=140 killed as Gujarat bandh turns violent |date=1 March 2002 |access-date=17 April 2014 |location=Chennai, India |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303163112/http://www.thehindu.com/2002/03/01/stories/2002030103030100.htm |work=The Hindu |archive-date=3 March 2015 }} Riots began during the bandh and anti-Muslim violence spread through Gujarat. The government's decision to move the bodies of the train victims from Godhra to Ahmedabad further inflamed the violence.{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/decision-to-bring-godhra-victims-bodies-taken-at-top-level/article2876244.ece |title=Decision to bring Godhra victims' bodies taken at top level |work=The Hindu|date=10 February 2012 |access-date=12 April 2013 |location=Chennai, India |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130212181131/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/decision-to-bring-godhra-victims-bodies-taken-at-top-level/article2876244.ece |archive-date=12 February 2013 }} The state government later stated 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were killed during the riots; independent sources put the death toll at over 2,000,{{#invoke:cite|book|editor1-last=Campbell |editor1-first=John |editor2-first=Chris |editor2-last=Seiple |editor3-first=Dennis R. |editor3-last=Hoover |editor4-first=Pauletta |display-editors = 3 |editor4-last=Otis|title=The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Security|year=2012|publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-66744-9|page=233}} the vast majority of them Muslims. Approximately 150,000 people were driven to refugee camps.{{#invoke:cite|book|author-link=Paul Brass|last=Brass|first=Paul R.|title=The Production of Hindu-Muslim Violence in Contemporary India|publisher=University of Washington Press|isbn=978-0-295-98506-0|page=388|date=15 July 2005}} Numerous women and children were among the victims; the violence included mass rapes and mutilation of women.{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Nussbaum|first=Martha Craven|author-link=Martha Nussbaum|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JLMQh4oc38gC|title=The Clash Within: Democracy, Religious Violence, and India's Future|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=2008|isbn=978-0-674-03059-6|location=|pages=17–28, 50–51|jstor=27639120}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/09/blood-and-soil-in-narendra-modis-india|title=Blood and Soil in Narendra Modi's India|last=Filkins|first=Dexter|author-link=Dexter Filkins|date=2 December 2019|magazine=The New Yorker|language=en|access-date=3 February 2020|archive-date=22 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422170919/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/09/blood-and-soil-in-narendra-modis-india|url-status=live}}

Scholars consider the Government of Gujarat to have been complicit in the riots,{{Citation |last=Santhosh |first=R. |title=Muslims in Contemporary India |date=11 August 2015 |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781317403586/chapters/10.4324/9781315682570-31 |work=Routledge Handbook of Contemporary India |pages=393 |editor-last=Jacobsen |editor-first=Knut A. |edition=1 |publisher=Routledge |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781315682570-31 |isbn=978-1-315-68257-0 |access-date=22 December 2022|url-access=subscription }} and it has received much criticism for its handling of the situation;{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/world/asia/29india.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120830124248/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/world/asia/29india.html |title=Shadows of Violence Cling to Indian Politician |last=Sengupta|first=Somini|work=The New York Times|date=28 April 2009|archive-date=30 August 2012|access-date=12 May 2013}} some scholars explicitly blame Modi.{{Citation |last1=Nielsen |first1=Kenneth Bo |title=Hindu nationalist statecraft and Modi's authoritarian populism |date=30 December 2021 |work=Routledge Handbook of Autocratization in South Asia |pages=92–100 |edition=1 |place=London |publisher=Routledge |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781003042211-10 |isbn=978-1-00-304221-1 |last2=Nilsen |first2=Alf Gunvald|s2cid=245165294 |doi-access=free }}{{Citation |title=The Republic |date=2016 |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/mono/10.4324/9781315628806-8/republic-hermann-kulke-dietmar-rothermund |work=A History of India |pages=287 |edition=6 |publisher=Routledge |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781315628806-8 |isbn=978-1-315-62880-6 |access-date=22 December 2022 |archive-date=22 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222200233/https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/mono/10.4324/9781315628806-8/republic-hermann-kulke-dietmar-rothermund |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }} The Modi government imposed a curfew in 26 major cities, issued shoot-at-sight orders and called for the army to patrol the streets; these measures failed to prevent the violence from escalating. The president of the state unit of the BJP expressed support for the bandh despite such actions being illegal at the time. State officials later prevented riot victims from leaving the refugee camps, which were often unable to meet the needs of those living there.{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Hampton |first=Janie |title=Internally Displaced People: A Global Survey |year=2002 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-85383-952-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/internallydispla0000unse_b0v3/page/116 116] |url=https://archive.org/details/internallydispla0000unse_b0v3/page/116 }} Muslim victims of the riots were subjected to further discrimination when the state government announced their compensation would be half that offered to Hindu victims; this decision was later reversed after the issue was taken to court.{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Jaffrelot|first=Christophe|author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot|year=2015|title=What 'Gujarat Model'?—Growth without Development— and with Socio-Political Polarisation|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00856401.2015.1087456|journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies|volume=38|issue=4|pages=820–838|doi=10.1080/00856401.2015.1087456|issn=0085-6401|via=|s2cid=146854210|access-date=20 January 2021|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709185815/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00856401.2015.1087456|url-status=live}} During the riots, police officers often did not intervene in situations where they were able.{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Jaffrelot|first=Christophe|author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot|date=25 February 2012|title=Gujarat 2002: What Justice for the Victims?|url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2012/08/special-articles/gujarat-2002-what-justice-victims.html|journal=Economic & Political Weekly|volume=47|issue=8|pages=|via=|access-date=20 January 2021|archive-date=23 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123141200/https://www.epw.in/journal/2012/08/special-articles/gujarat-2002-what-justice-victims.html|url-status=live}} Several scholars have described the violence as a pogrom and others have called it an example of state terrorism.{{#invoke:cite|journal|first=Chris|last=Ogden|s2cid=54615047|year=2012|title=A Lasting Legacy: The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and India's Politics|journal=Journal of Contemporary Asia|volume=42|issue=1|doi=10.1080/00472336.2012.634639|pages=22–38}}{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Pandey|first=Gyanendra|title=Routine violence: nations, fragments, histories|date=2006|publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=978-0-8047-5264-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/routineviolencen0000pand/page/187 187–188]|url=https://archive.org/details/routineviolencen0000pand/page/187}}{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Baruah|first=Bipasha|url=https://www.ubcpress.ca/asset/9339/1/9780774819275.pdf|title=Women and Property in Urban India|year=2012|publisher=University of British Columbia Press|isbn=978-0-7748-1928-2|page=41|access-date=8 September 2021|archive-date=8 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908152739/https://www.ubcpress.ca/asset/9339/1/9780774819275.pdf|url-status=live}} According to Martha Nussbaum, "There is by now a broad consensus that the Gujarat violence was a form of ethnic cleansing, that in many ways it was premeditated, and that it was carried out with the complicity of the state government and officers of the law".

Modi's personal involvement in the 2002 events has continued to be debated. During the riots, he said, "What is happening is a chain of action and reaction". Later in 2002, Modi said the way in which he had handled the media was his only regret regarding the episode.{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/08/world/asia/wish-for-change-animates-voters-in-india-election.html|title=Wish for Change Animates Voters in India Election |work=The New York Times |date=7 April 2014 |access-date=30 May 2014 |author=Barry, Ellen |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527224752/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/08/world/asia/wish-for-change-animates-voters-in-india-election.html?_r=0 |archive-date=27 May 2014 }} In March 2008, the Supreme Court of India reopened several cases related to the riots, including that of the Gulbarg Society massacre, and established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the issue.{{#invoke:cite|web|title=National Human Rights Commission vs. State of Gujarat & Ors. – Writ Petition (Crl.) No. 109/2003|url=http://courtnic.nic.in/supremecourt/temp/10920034152009p.txt|publisher=Supreme Court of India|access-date=23 May 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523113740/http://courtnic.nic.in/supremecourt/temp/10920034152009p.txt|archive-date=23 May 2014}} In response to a petition from Zakia Jafri, the widow of Ehsan Jafri, who was killed in the Gulbarg Society massacre, in April 2009, the court also asked the SIT to investigate Modi's complicity in the killings.{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Timeline: Zakia Jafri vs Modi in 2002 Gujarat riots case|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/timeline-zakia-jafri-vs-modi-in-2002-gujarat-riots-case/article1-1166448.aspx|access-date=23 May 2014|work=Hindustan Times|date=26 December 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319001910/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/timeline-zakia-jafri-vs-modi-in-2002-gujarat-riots-case/article1-1166448.aspx|archive-date=19 March 2014}} The SIT questioned Modi in March 2010; in May, it presented to the court a report finding no evidence against him.{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SIT-clears-Narendra-Modi-of-wilfully-allowing-post-Godhra-riots/articleshow/7031569.cms |work=The Times of India |first=Dhananjay |last=Mahapatra |title=SIT clears Narendra Modi of wilfully allowing post-Godhra riots |date=3 December 2010 |access-date=17 April 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708044253/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SIT-clears-Narendra-Modi-of-wilfully-allowing-post-Godhra-riots/articleshow/7031569.cms |archive-date=8 July 2014 }} In July 2011, the court-appointed amicus curiae Raju Ramachandran submitted his final report to the court. Contrary to the SIT's position, Ramachandran said Modi could be prosecuted based on the available evidence.{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3393808.ece?homepage=true |title=Proceed against Modi for Gujarat riots: amicus |work=The Hindu|date=9 May 2012 |access-date=17 April 2014 |location=Chennai, India |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705174724/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3393808.ece?homepage=true |archive-date=5 July 2014 }}{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3401728.ece?homepage=true |title=SIT rejects amicus curiae's observations against Modi |work=The Hindu |date=10 May 2012 |access-date=17 April 2014 |location=Chennai, India |first=Manas |last=Dasgupta |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705173155/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3401728.ece?homepage=true |archive-date=5 July 2014 }} The Supreme Court sent the matter to the magistrate's court. The SIT examined Ramachandran's report, and in March 2012 submitted its final report, asking for the case to be closed. Zakia Jafri filed a protest petition in response. In December 2013, the magistrate's court rejected the protest petition, accepting the SIT's finding there was no evidence against Modi.{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Khan|first1=Saeed |last2=Kaushik|first2=Himanshu |title=2002 Gujarat riots: Clean chit to Modi, court rejects Zakia Jafri's plea |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/2002-Gujarat-riots-Clean-chit-to-Modi-court-rejects-Zakia-Jafris-plea/articleshow/27968858.cms |access-date=4 June 2014 |work=The Times of India |date=26 December 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141004001413/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/2002-Gujarat-riots-Clean-chit-to-Modi-court-rejects-Zakia-Jafris-plea/articleshow/27968858.cms |archive-date=4 October 2014}} In 2022, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition by Zakia Jafri in which she challenged the clean chit given to Modi in the riots by the SIT, and upheld previous rulings that no evidence against him was found.{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Tripathi |first=Ashish |date=24 June 2022 |title='Appeal devoid of merit': SC junks Zakia Jafri plea, upholds clean chit given to Narendra Modi in Gujarat riots case |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/appeal-devoid-of-merit-sc-junks-zakia-jafri-plea-upholds-clean-chit-given-to-narendra-modi-in-gujarat-riots-case-1120913.html |access-date=25 June 2022 |work=Deccan Herald |archive-date=25 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625104718/https://www.deccanherald.com/national/appeal-devoid-of-merit-sc-junks-zakia-jafri-plea-upholds-clean-chit-given-to-narendra-modi-in-gujarat-riots-case-1120913.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite magazine |last=Singh |first=Darpan |title=Gujarat riots clean chit to PM: Two decades of legal battle and what's next |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/gujarat-riots-clean-chit-pm-modi-sc-two-decades-legal-battle-1966358-2022-06-24 |access-date=25 June 2022 |magazine=India Today |archive-date=24 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624223801/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/gujarat-riots-clean-chit-pm-modi-sc-two-decades-legal-battle-1966358-2022-06-24 |url-status=live }}{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Rajagopal |first=Krishnadas |date=24 June 2022 |title=2002 Gujarat riots: Supreme Court rejects Zakia Jafri's charges against Narendra Modi, 60 officials |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/2002-gujarat-riots-supreme-court-rejects-zakia-jafris-charges-against-narendra-modi-60-officials/article65560012.ece |access-date=25 June 2022 |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=25 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625012541/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/2002-gujarat-riots-supreme-court-rejects-zakia-jafris-charges-against-narendra-modi-60-officials/article65560012.ece |url-status=live }}

{{Main|2002 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election}}

Following the violence, calls for Modi to resign as chief minister were made from politicians within and outside the state, including leaders of Janata Dal (United) and the Telugu Desam Party—partners in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance coalition—and opposition parties stalled Parliament over the issue.{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/mar/03godhra.htm |title=Congress demands Modi's resignation over Bannerjee report |date=3 March 2006 |access-date=17 November 2007 |work=Rediff.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106060953/http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/mar/03godhra.htm |archive-date=6 January 2008 }} Modi submitted his resignation at the April 2002 BJP national executive meeting in Goa but it was not accepted.{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/apr/12train.htm|title=BJP national exec rejects Modi's resignation|work=Rediff.com|date=12 April 2002|access-date=22 April 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303153818/http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/apr/12train.htm|archive-date=3 March 2014}} Despite opposition from the election commissioner, who said a number of voters were still displaced, Modi succeeded in advancing the election to December 2002.{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Jaffrelot|first=Christophe|author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot|s2cid=145758627|title=Narendra Modi and the Power of Television in Gujarat|journal=Television & New Media|year=2015|doi=10.1177/1527476415575499|volume=16|issue=4|pages=346–353}} In the election, the BJP won 127 seats in the 182-member assembly.{{#invoke:cite|web|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/statisticalreports/SE_2002/StatReport_GUJ2002.pdf |title=Statistical Report on General Election, 2002 to the Legislative Assembly of Gujarat |publisher=Election Commission of India |access-date=12 April 2013 |page=228 |location=New Delhi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117040227/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_2002/StatReport_GUJ2002.pdf |archive-date=17 January 2012 }} Modi made significant use of anti-Muslim rhetoric during his campaign,{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Brasted|first=Howard V.|title=Islam in World Politics|year=2005|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-32411-3|page=119|editor1-first=Nelly |editor1-last=Lahoud |editor2-first=A. H. |editor2-last=Johns}}{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Corbridge|first=Stuart|title=India Today: Economy, Politics and Society|year=2012|publisher=Polity Press |isbn=978-0-7456-6112-4|page=185|author2=John Harriss, Craig Jeffrey}}{{#invoke:cite|book|pages=210–211 |title=Prospects For Peace in South Asia |editor1-first=Rafiq |editor1-last=Dossani |editor2-first=Henry S. |editor2-last=Rowen |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-8047-5085-1 |chapter=Hindu Nationalism and the BJP: Transforming Religion and Politics in India | first=Robert L. Jr. | last=Hardgrave}} and the BJP profited from religious polarisation among voters. Modi framed the criticism of his government for human rights violations as an attack upon Gujarati pride,{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Bobbio |first=Tommaso |date=1 May 2012 |title=Making Gujarat Vibrant: Hindutva, development and the rise of subnationalism in India |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1047619 |journal=Third World Quarterly |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=657–672 |doi=10.1080/01436597.2012.657423 |s2cid=154422056 |access-date=2 September 2019 |archive-date=1 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301151004/https://zenodo.org/record/1047619 |url-status=live }} a strategy that led to the BJP winning 127 of the 182 seats—a two-thirds majority—in the state assembly. He won Maninagar constituency, defeating Congress candidate Yatin Oza.{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Modi wins Maninagar seat by 75,333 votes|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Modi-wins-Maninagar-seat-by-75333-votes/articleshow/31344603.cms|access-date=16 October 2014|work=The Times of India|agency=TNN|date=15 December 2002|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023123523/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Modi-wins-Maninagar-seat-by-75333-votes/articleshow/31344603.cms|archive-date=23 October 2015}} On 22 December 2002, Modi was sworn in for a second term.{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Narendra Modi sworn in as Gujarat CM|url=http://www.rediff.com/election/2002/dec/22guj.htm|access-date=16 October 2014|work=Rediff|date=22 December 2002|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924123214/http://www.rediff.com/election/2002/dec/22guj.htm|archive-date=24 September 2015}}

During Modi's second term, the government's rhetoric shifted from Hindutva to Gujarat's economic development.{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Jaffrelot|first1=Christophe|author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot|date=9 May 2016|title=Narendra Modi Between Hindutva and Subnationalism: The Gujarati Asmita of a Hindu Hriday Samrat|url=https://carnegieendowment.org/2016/05/09/narendra-modi-between-hindutva-and-subnationalism-gujarati-asmita-of-hindu-hriday-samrat-pub-66446|journal=India Review|volume=15|issue=2|pages=196–217|doi=10.1080/14736489.2016.1165557|via=|s2cid=156137272|access-date=20 January 2021|archive-date=17 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217075505/https://carnegieendowment.org/2016/05/09/narendra-modi-between-hindutva-and-subnationalism-gujarati-asmita-of-hindu-hriday-samrat-pub-66446|url-status=live}} He curtailed the influence of Sangh Parivar organisations such as Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Umat|first=Ajay|date=9 February 2013|title=Once Hindutva twins, Narendra Modi and Pravin Togadia no longer conjoined|work=The Times of India|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Once-Hindutva-twins-Narendra-Modi-and-PravinTogadia-no-longer-conjoined/articleshow/18410549.cms?referral=PM|url-status=live|access-date=11 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023123500/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Once-Hindutva-twins-Narendra-Modi-and-PravinTogadia-no-longer-conjoined/articleshow/18410549.cms?referral=PM|archive-date=23 October 2015}} When the BKS staged a farmers' demonstration, Modi ordered the BKS's eviction from state-provided houses, and his decision to demolish 200 illegal temples in Gandhinagar deepened the rift with the VHP.{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-religious-leaders-demand-rebuilding-of-temples-1209291 |title=Religious leaders demand rebuilding of temples |work=DNA India |date=25 November 2008 |agency=Press Trust of India |access-date=12 April 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111232520/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-religious-leaders-demand-rebuilding-of-temples-1209291 |archive-date=11 November 2013 }} Modi retained connections with some Hindu nationalists. He wrote a foreword to a 2014 textbook by Dinanath Batra, which made the unscientific claim that ancient India possessed technologies including test-tube babies.{{#invoke:cite|news|first=Anuradha|last=Raman|title=Test-Tubes in Hastinapur |newspaper=Outlook India |date=11 August 2014 |access-date=28 September 2014 |url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article/TestTubes-In-Hastinapur/291554 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141003180314/http://www.outlookindia.com/article/TestTubes-In-Hastinapur/291554 |archive-date=3 October 2014 }}{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Manor |first1=James |s2cid=155472230 |title=A Precarious Enterprise? Multiple Antagonisms during Year One of the Modi Government |journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies |year=2015 |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=736–754 |doi=10.1080/00856401.2015.1083644}}

Modi's relationship with Muslims continued to attract criticism. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee distanced himself, reaching out to North Indian Muslims before the 2004 Indian general election, following which, Vajpayee called the violence in Gujarat a reason for the BJP's electoral defeat and said it had been a mistake to leave Modi in office after the riots.{{#invoke:cite|book|last1=Tellis|first1=Ashley J.|last2=Wills|first2=Michael|title=Domestic political change and grand strategy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oNvb4RBmZQUC&pg=PA193|date=September 2007|publisher=National Bureau of Asian Research|isbn=978-0-9713938-8-2|pages=193–4|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106133029/https://books.google.com/books?id=oNvb4RBmZQUC&pg=PA193|archive-date=6 January 2016}}{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Yogendra|first=Kanwar|date=13 June 2004|title=Not removing Modi was a mistake, says Vajpayee|work=The Hindu|location=Chennai, India|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2004/06/14/stories/2004061411630100.htm|url-status=dead|access-date=2 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106133029/http://www.thehindu.com/2004/06/14/stories/2004061411630100.htm|archive-date=6 January 2016}} Western nations also raised questions about Modi's relationship with Muslims: the US State Department barred him from entering the United States in accordance with the recommendations of that country's Commission on International Religious Freedom,{{#invoke:cite|news|date=18 March 2005|title=No entry for Modi into US: visa denied|work=The Times of India|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-entry-for-Modi-into-US-visa-denied/articleshow/1055543.cms|url-status=live|access-date=15 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913024227/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-entry-for-Modi-into-US-visa-denied/articleshow/1055543.cms|archive-date=13 September 2014}} the only person to be denied a US visa under this law.{{#invoke:cite|news|last1=Mann|first1=James|title=Why Narendra Modi Was Banned From the U.S.|url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303380004579520041301275638|date=2 May 2014|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=3 June 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215181710/http://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303380004579520041301275638|archive-date=15 December 2014|issn=0099-9660}} The UK and the European Union (EU) refused to admit Modi because of what they saw as his role in the riots. As Modi rose to prominence in India, the UK{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Burke|first=Jason|author-link=Jason Burke|date=22 October 2012|title=UK government ends boycott of Narendra Modi|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/oct/22/uk-ends-boycott-narendra-modi|url-status=live|access-date=12 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914031502/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/oct/22/uk-ends-boycott-narendra-modi|archive-date=14 September 2013}} and the EU{{#invoke:cite|news|date=6 March 2013|title=Germany delinks Narendra Modi's image from human rights issues|work=|publisher=NDTV|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/germany-delinks-narendra-modi-s-image-from-human-rights-issues-338646|url-status=live|access-date=6 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308142057/http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/germany-delinks-narendra-modi-s-image-from-human-rights-issues-338646|archive-date=8 March 2013}} lifted their bans in October 2012 and March 2013, respectively, and after his election as prime minister in 2014, the US lifted its ban and invited him to Washington, D.C.{{#invoke:cite|web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/16/readout-president-s-call-prime-ministerial-candidate-narendra-modi-india|title=Readout of the President's Call with Prime Ministerial Candidate Narendra Modi of India|date=16 May 2014|access-date=14 June 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216153654/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/16/readout-president-s-call-prime-ministerial-candidate-narendra-modi-india|via=National Archives|work=whitehouse.gov|archive-date=16 February 2017}}{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Cassidy|first=John|title=What Does Modi's Victory Mean for the World?|url=http://www.newyorker.com/rational-irrationality/what-does-modis-victory-mean-for-the-world|newspaper=The New Yorker|date=16 May 2014|access-date=21 May 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924070852/http://www.newyorker.com/rational-irrationality/what-does-modis-victory-mean-for-the-world|archive-date=24 September 2014}}

File:The Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Narendra Modi calls on the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on June 30, 2004.jpg Manmohan Singh in 2004]]

During the run-up to the 2007 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election and the 2009 Indian general election, the BJP intensified its rhetoric on terrorism.{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Naqvi|first=Saba|date=22 December 2008|title=When fear didn't enter the booth|pages=26–28|work=Outlook India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TDEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32|url-status=live|access-date=11 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103042837/http://books.google.com/books?id=TDEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32|archive-date=3 January 2014}} Modi criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "for his reluctance to revive anti-terror legislation" such as the 2002 Prevention of Terrorism Act.{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060719/asp/nation/story_6496620.asp |title=Mahatma on lips, Modi fights Centre |work=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata, India |date=19 July 2006 |access-date=9 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611064943/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060719/asp/nation/story_6496620.asp |archive-date=11 June 2008 }} In 2007, Modi wrote Karmayog, a 101-page booklet discussing manual scavenging. In it, he said scavenging is a "spiritual experience" for Valmiks, a sub-caste of Dalits.{{#invoke:cite|web|last=Shah|first=Rajiv|author-link=Rajiv Shah|date=24 November 2007|title='Karmayogi' swears by caste order 'Scavenging A Spiritual Experience For Valmiks'|url=http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JQS8yMDA3LzExLzI0I0FyMDA3MDA%3D|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208073404/http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JQS8yMDA3LzExLzI0I0FyMDA3MDA%3D|archive-date=8 February 2017|access-date=17 February 2017|work=The Times of India}}{{#invoke:cite|web|date=23 April 2014|title=Narendra Modi is 'anti-Dalit': Congress|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-narendra-modi-is-anti-dalit-congress-1981434|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215205905/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-narendra-modi-is-anti-dalit-congress-1981434|archive-date=15 February 2017|access-date=17 February 2017|website=DNA}} The book was not circulated at that time because of the election code of conduct.{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Gupta|first=Smita|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/modi-biased-against-dalits/article5913200.ece|title=Modi against dalits|date=15 April 2014|access-date=17 February 2017|work=The Hindu|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607013306/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/modi-biased-against-dalits/article5913200.ece|archive-date=7 June 2014}} After the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Gujarat government authorised the deployment of 30 high-speed boats for coastal surveillance.{{#invoke:cite|news|date=28 November 2008|title=Modi wants 3-layer ring to secure coast|work=The Times of India|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/Modi_wants_3-layer_ring_to_secure_coast/articleshow/3766781.cms|url-status=live|access-date=17 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723235701/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/Modi_wants_3-layer_ring_to_secure_coast/articleshow/3766781.cms|archive-date=23 July 2013}} In July 2007, Modi completed 2,063 consecutive days as chief minister of Gujarat, making him the longest-serving holder of that post.{{#invoke:cite|news|date=20 December 2012|title=Narendra Modi wins Maninagar by 70,000 votes|work=Hindustan Times|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Specials/Coverage/Gujarat-Assembly-Elections-2012/Chunk-HT-UI-GujaratAssemblyElections2012-TopStories/Narendra-Modi-wins-Maninagar-by-70-000-votes/SP-Article10-976853.aspx|url-status=dead|access-date=17 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207150752/http://www.hindustantimes.com/specials/coverage/gujarat-assembly-elections-2012/chunk-ht-ui-gujaratassemblyelections2012-topstories/narendra-modi-wins-maninagar-by-70-000-votes/sp-article10-976853.aspx|archive-date=7 December 2013}} The BJP won 122 of 182 state-assembly seats in that year's election.{{#invoke:cite|news|date=14 September 2009|title=BJP adds 5 seats in Gujarat Assembly by-polls|work=Deccan Herald|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/25090/banner-300x250.swf|url-status=live|access-date=17 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516141234/http://www.deccanherald.com/content/25090/banner-300x250.swf|archive-date=16 May 2013}}

Despite the BJP's shift away from explicit Hindutva, Modi's campaigns in 2007 and 2012 Gujarat Legislative Assembly elections contained elements of Hindu nationalism. He attended only Hindu religious ceremonies and had prominent associations with Hindu religious leaders. During his 2012 campaign, Modi twice refused to wear skullcap gifted by Muslim leaders. He did, however, maintain relations with Dawoodi Bohra. Modi's 2012 campaign included references to issues known to cause religious polarisation, including Afzal Guru and the death of Sohrabuddin Sheikh. The BJP did not nominate any Muslim candidates for the 2012 assembly election. During the 2012 campaign, Modi attempted to identify himself with the state of Gujarat, a strategy similar to that used by Indira Gandhi during the Emergency, and projected himself as protecting Gujarat against persecution by the rest of India. While campaigning for the 2012 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election, Modi made extensive use of holograms and other technologies, allowing him to reach a large number of people, something he repeated in the 2014 general election. Modi won the constituency of Maninagar, defeating Shweta Bhatt of the INC.{{#invoke:cite|news|publisher=NDTV |title=Big win for Narendra Modi, defeats Shweta Bhatt by huge margin |agency=Press Trust of India |date=20 December 2012 |access-date=5 September 2021 |url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/assembly-polls/big-win-for-narendra-modi-defeats-shweta-bhatt-by-huge-margin-307772anan}} The BJP won 115 of the 182 seats, continuing its majority during his tenure.{{#invoke:cite|book|page=198 |title=Pogrom in Gujarat: Hindu Nationalism and Anti-Muslim Violence in India |first=Parvis |last=Ghassem-Fachandi |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-691-15177-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p5s8hooZfekC&pg=PA198 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106133029/https://books.google.com/books?id=p5s8hooZfekC&pg=PA198 |archive-date=6 January 2016 }} After his election as Prime Minister of India, Modi resigned as the Gujarat chief minister and as MLA for Maninagar. Anandiben Patel succeeded Modi as chief minister.{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/narendra-modi-farewell-gujarat-chief-minister-anandiben-patel/1/362827.html|title=Anandiben Patel named new Gujarat chief minister|work=India Today|date=21 May 2014|access-date=1 October 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006112948/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/narendra-modi-farewell-gujarat-chief-minister-anandiben-patel/1/362827.html|archive-date=6 October 2014}}

File:Sardar Sarovar Dam 2006, India.jpg during a 2006 height increase]]

As chief minister, Modi favoured privatisation and small government, which was at odds with the philosophy of the RSS, which is usually described as anti-privatisation and anti-globalisation. Modi's policies during his second term have been credited with reducing corruption in Gujarat. He established financial and technology parks in the state and during the 2007 Vibrant Gujarat summit, real-estate investment deals worth {{INRConvert |6.6 |t |year=2007}} were signed.

The governments led by Patel and Modi supported NGOs and communities in the creation of groundwater-conservation projects. By December 2008, 500,000 structures had been built, of which 113,738 were check dams, which helped recharge the aquifers beneath them.{{#invoke:cite|book|last=Shah |first=Tushaar |title=Business Standard India 2011 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ba0XAU9Q-A0C&pg=PA197 |year=2011 |publisher=Business Standard Books |isbn=978-93-80740-04-1 |pages=195–199 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106133029/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ba0XAU9Q-A0C&pg=PA197 |archive-date=6 January 2016}} Sixty of the 112 tehsils which had depleted the water table in 2004 had regained their normal groundwater levels by 2010.{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/a-green-rising/1/100211.html |title=A green rising |work=India Today |date=4 June 2010 |access-date=12 April 2013 |last=Mahurkar |first=Uday |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130411085152/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/a-green-rising/1/100211.html |archive-date=11 April 2013 }} As a result, the state's production of genetically modified cotton increased to become the largest in India. The boom in cotton production and its semi-arid land use{{#invoke:cite|news|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/gujarat-maharashtra-record-highest-growth-in-farm-sector/article2221709.ece |title=Gujarat, Maharashtra record highest growth in farm sector |work=The Hindu |date=12 July 2011 |access-date=12 April 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801034125/http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/gujarat-maharashtra-record-highest-growth-in-farm-sector/article2221709.ece |archive-date=1 August 2013 }} led to Gujarat's agricultural sector growing at an average rate of 9.6 per cent from 2001 to 2007.{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Shah |first1=Tushaar |last2=Gulati |first2=Ashok |last3=Hemant |first3=P. |last4=Shreedhar |first4=Ganga |last5=Jain |first5=R. C. |jstor=25663939 |url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2009/52/review-agriculture-review-issues-specials/secret-gujarats-agrarian-miracle-after |title=Secret of Gujarat's Agrarian Miracle after 2000 |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |date=26 December 2009 |volume=44 |issue=52 |pages=45–55 |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905144959/https://www.epw.in/journal/2009/52/review-agriculture-review-issues-specials/secret-gujarats-agrarian-miracle-after |url-status=live }}{{subscription required}} Public irrigation measures in central and southern Gujarat, such as the Sardar Sarovar Dam, were less successful. The Sardar Sarovar project irrigated only 4–6% of the area intended. In 2008, Modi offered land in Gujarat to Tata Motors to set up a plant manufacturing the Nano car after popular agitation had forced the company to move out of West Bengal. Following Tata, several other companies relocated to Gujarat.

The Modi government finished the process of taking electricity to every village in Gujarat its predecessor had almost completed.{{#invoke:cite|news|last=Mishra |first=Mayank |title=Did Narendra Modi make Gujarat Vibrant? |url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/did-narendra-modi-make-gujarat-vibrant-113072000740_1.html |access-date=29 April 2014 |newspaper=Business Standard |date=20 July 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140420180153/http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/did-narendra-modi-make-gujarat-vibrant-113072000740_1.html |archive-date=20 April 2014}} Modi significantly changed the state's system of power distribution, greatly impacting farmers. Gujarat expanded the Jyotigram Yojana scheme, in which agricultural electricity was separated from other rural electricity; the agricultural electricity was rationed to fit scheduled irrigation demands, reducing its cost. Early protests by farmers ended when those who benefitted found their electricity supply had stabilised but, according to an assessment study, corporations and large farmers benefited from the policy at the expense of small farmers and labourers.{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Shah |first1=Tushaar |last2=Verma |first2=Shilp |url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2008/07/special-articles/co-management-electricity-and-groundwater-assessment-gujarats |title=Co-Management of Electricity and Groundwater: An Assessment of Gujarat's Jyotirgram Scheme |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |date=16 February 2008 |volume=43 |issue=7 |pages=59–66 |jstor=40277613 |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905150356/https://www.epw.in/journal/2008/07/special-articles/co-management-electricity-and-groundwater-assessment-gujarats |url-status=live }}

File:Modi at GNLU.jpg in 2012 |left]]

A contentious debate surrounds the assessment of Gujarat's economic development during Modi's tenure as chief minister.{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Basu |first1=Dipankar |last2=Misra |first2=Kartik |date=June 2014 |title=BJP's Demographic Dividend in the 2014 General Elections: An Empirical Analysis |url=https://www.econstor.eu/handle/10419/105783 |journal=Economics Department Working Paper Series Via EconStor |volume= |pages= |via= |access-date=20 January 2021 |archive-date=16 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016155141/https://www.econstor.eu/handle/10419/105783 |url-status=live }} The state's gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate averaged 10% during his tenure, a rate similar to those of other highly industrialised states, and above that of India as a whole.{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Schöttli |first1=Jivanta |last2=Pauli |first2=Markus |s2cid=155579981 |title=Modi-nomics and the politics of institutional change in the Indian economy |journal=Journal of Asian Public Policy |year=2016 |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=154–169 |doi=10.1080/17516234.2016.1165332 |url=http://doras.dcu.ie/24337/ |access-date=10 May 2020 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225204014/http://doras.dcu.ie/24337/ |url-status=dead}} Gujarat also had a high rate of economic growth in the 1990s, before Modi took office; some scholars have stated growth did not much accelerate during his tenure.{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Ghatak |first1=Maitreesh |last2=Roy |first2=Sanchari |url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2014/15/commentary/did-gujarats-growth-rate-accelerate-under-modi.html |title=Did Gujarat's Growth Rate Accelerate under Modi? |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |date=12 April 2014 |volume=49 |issue=15 |pages=12–15 |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905150102/https://www.epw.in/journal/2014/15/commentary/did-gujarats-growth-rate-accelerate-under-modi.html |url-status=live }} Under Modi, Gujarat topped the World Bank's "ease of doing business" rankings among Indian states for two consecutive years.{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Gujarat tops ease of doing business ranking among states – The Economic Times on Mobile |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/gujarat-tops-ease-of-doing-business-ranking-among-states/articleshow/48964454.cms?from=mdr |access-date=16 September 2015 |newspaper=The Economic Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405025858/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/gujarat-tops-ease-of-doing-business-ranking-among-states/articleshow/48964454.cms?from=mdr |archive-date=5 April 2016 |url-status=live |date=15 September 2015}} In 2013, a report measuring governance, growth, citizens' rights, and labour and business regulation among the country's 20 largest states, ranked Gujarat first among Indian states for "economic freedom".{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Gujarat tops list of economically-free states |url=http://m.hindustantimes.com/india-news/gujarat-top-ranked-state-in-terms-of-economic-freedom-study/article1-1196878.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319072718/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/gujarat-top-ranked-state-in-terms-of-economic-freedom-study/article1-1196878.aspx |website=hindustantimes.com |date=19 March 2014 |archive-date=19 March 2014 |access-date=16 September 2015 |url-status=dead}} In the later years of Modi's government, Gujarat's economic growth was frequently used as an argument to counter allegations of communalism. Tax breaks and land for businesses were easier to obtain in Gujarat than in other states. Modi's policies of making Gujarat attractive for investment included the creation of Special Economic Zones in which labour laws were greatly weakened.

Despite its growth rate, Gujarat had a relatively poor record on human development, poverty relief, nutrition and education during Modi's tenure. In 2013, Gujarat ranked 13th in India with respect to rates of poverty, and 21st in education. Nearly 45 per cent of children under five were underweight and 23 per cent were undernourished, putting the state in the "alarming" category on the India State Hunger Index.{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Shah |first=Ghanshyam |s2cid=155022285 |title=Politics of Governance: A Study of Gujarat |journal=Studies in Indian Politics |volume=1 |issue=1 |date=June 2013 |pages=65–77 |doi=10.1177/2321023013482788}} {{subscription required}}{{#invoke:cite|journal|last1=Harriss |first1=John |s2cid=147615034 |title=Hindu Nationalism in Action: The Bharatiya Janata Party and Indian Politics |journal=South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies |year=2015 |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=711–718 |doi=10.1080/00856401.2015.1089826 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1230188 |doi-access=free |access-date=9 September 2019 |archive-date=28 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328173823/https://zenodo.org/records/1230188 |url-status=live }} A study by UNICEF and the Indian government found Gujarat under Modi had a poor record in immunisation of children.{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Sparing Mr Modi's blushes |url=https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21656239-missing-data-should-embarrass-prime-minister-sparing-mr-modis-blushes |access-date=9 November 2016 |date=27 June 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130055250/http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21656239-missing-data-should-embarrass-prime-minister-sparing-mr-modis-blushes |archive-date=30 January 2017 |newspaper=The Economist}}

From 2001 to 2011, Gujarat did not change its position relative to the rest of the country with respect to poverty and female literacy, remaining near the median of the 29 Indian states. It showed a marginal improvement in rates of infant mortality and its position with respect to individual consumption declined. The quality of education in government schools in Gujarat ranked below that of many Indian states. The state government's social policies generally did not benefit Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis, and generally increased social inequalities. Development in Gujarat was generally limited to the urban middle class, and citizens in rural areas and those from lower castes were increasingly marginalised. In 2013, the state ranked 10th of 21 Indian states in the Human Development Index.{{#invoke:cite|journal|last=Jaffrelot |first=Christophe |s2cid=154404089 |author-link=Christophe Jaffrelot |title=Gujarat Elections: The Sub-Text of Modi's 'Hattrick'—High Tech Populism and the 'Neo-middle Class' |journal=Studies in Indian Politics |volume=1 |issue=1 |date=June 2013 |pages=79–95 |doi= 10.1177/2321023013482789 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270671263 |access-date=29 August 2021}} Under Modi, the state government spent less than the national average on education and healthcare.

During its raids in 2013 and 2014, the CBI seized some diaries from two big Indian companies, Sahara Group and Aditya Birla Group. These diaries contained references of alleged payments made to leaders belonging to as many as 18 political parties including BJP, Congress, JDU, BJD etc.{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Details in the Birla, Sahara Papers Reveal Why the Government Is Avoiding Inquiry|url=https://m.thewire.in/article/politics/birla-sahara-papers-modi|date=23 December 2016|website=The Wire}}{{#invoke:cite|news|title=All You Need To Know About The Sahara-Birla Papers|url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2016/12/23/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-sahara-birla-papers|date=23 December 2016|website=Newslaundry}} Among these were some entries mentioning "Gujarat CM" and "Ahmadabad Modiji".{{#invoke:cite|web|date=4 March 2017|url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2017/9/web-exclusives/zero-case-deadly-implications-birla%E2%80%93sahara-judgment.html|title=The Zero Case: Deadly Implications of the Birla-Sahara Judgment|agency=Economic and Political Weekly|first=Vijay|last=Simha|access-date=30 July 2023|archive-date=21 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421112142/https://www.epw.in/journal/2017/9/web-exclusives/zero-case-deadly-implications-birla%E2%80%93sahara-judgment.html|url-status=live}}{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Did Modi receive over ₹55 crore from the Sahara Group as the chief minister of Gujarat?|url=https://www.epw.in/journal/2016/47/web-exclusives/did-modi-receive-rs-55-crore-sahara-group-gujarat-cm.html|agency=Economic and Political Weekly|date=19 November 2016|access-date=30 July 2023|archive-date=21 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421112424/https://www.epw.in/journal/2016/47/web-exclusives/did-modi-receive-rs-55-crore-sahara-group-gujarat-cm.html|url-status=live}} Citing these entries, on 21 December 2016, the opposition leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that Modi received cash bribes worth {{INRConvert|65|c}} from Sahara Group and Aditya Birla Group when he was the chief minister of Gujarat.{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Modi took bribes from Sahara, Birla: Rahul|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/Modi-took-bribes-from-Sahara-Birla-Rahul/article16918594.ece|date=21 December 2016|newspaper=The Hindu|access-date=30 July 2023|archive-date=19 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719175020/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/Modi-took-bribes-from-Sahara-Birla-Rahul/article16918594.ece|url-status=live}}{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.zeebiz.com/india/news-sahara-birla-rahul-gandhi-accuses-narendra-modi-of-taking-cash-payments-9500|agency=Zee Business|title=Sahara-Birla: Rahul Gandhi accuses Narendra Modi of taking cash payments|date=21 December 2016|access-date=30 July 2023|archive-date=20 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720170337/https://www.zeebiz.com/india/news-sahara-birla-rahul-gandhi-accuses-narendra-modi-of-taking-cash-payments-9500|url-status=live}} In November 2016, advocate Prashant Bhushan had filed a plea in the Supreme Court of India asking for investigation of the alleged bribe payments made to some senior public servants including Modi.{{#invoke:cite|news|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/sahara-birla-diaries-supreme-court-to-hear-prashant-bhushans-plea-today-1647438|title=Sahara Birla Diaries: Supreme Court To Hear Prashant Bhushan's Plea Today|agency=NDTV|date=11 January 2017|access-date=30 July 2023|archive-date=20 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720164058/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/sahara-birla-diaries-supreme-court-to-hear-prashant-bhushans-plea-today-1647438|url-status=live}}{{#invoke:cite|web|website=The Wire|title=Watch: Prashant Bhushan Explains the Sahara-Birla Diaries|url=https://m.thewire.in/article/economy/sahara-birla-diaries-prashant-bhushan|date=24 November 2016|access-date=30 July 2023|archive-date=20 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720164103/https://m.thewire.in/article/economy/sahara-birla-diaries-prashant-bhushan|url-status=live}} A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Arun Kumar Mishra dismissed the plea in January 2017 stating that the evidence provided was insufficient.{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Supreme Court dismisses plea seeking probe against Narendra Modi, others|url=https://www.livemint.com/Politics/2BVnhXo1KeXkfs32ZSpM5I/SC-throws-out-case-alleging-Narendra-Modi-took-cash-payments.html|date=11 January 2017|newspaper=Mint|access-date=30 July 2023|archive-date=24 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724113312/https://www.livemint.com/Politics/2BVnhXo1KeXkfs32ZSpM5I/SC-throws-out-case-alleging-Narendra-Modi-took-cash-payments.html|url-status=live}}{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Sahara-Birla Diaries Case: SC throws out case alleging Modi took cash payments|url=https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/economy-politics/story/supreme-court-throws-out-case-alleging-modi-took-cash-payments-74257-2017-01-11|date=11 January 2017|website=Business Today|access-date=30 July 2023|archive-date=20 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720170656/https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/economy-politics/story/supreme-court-throws-out-case-alleging-modi-took-cash-payments-74257-2017-01-11|url-status=live}} Later on, Justice Mishra was criticised by a section of advocates and activists for siding with the Modi government in multiple judgements during his tenure at the Supreme Court.{{#invoke:cite|news|newspaper=Mint|url=https://www.thequint.com/news/law/justice-arun-mishra-most-controversial-cases-in-supreme-court|title=Justice Arun Mishra's Six Most Controversial Cases in the SC|date=4 September 2020|access-date=30 July 2023|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328173752/https://www.thequint.com/news/law/justice-arun-mishra-most-controversial-cases-in-supreme-court|url-status=live}}{{#invoke:cite|news|title=Controversial judge who praised Modi appointed to lead Human Rights Commission in India|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/india/judge-arun-mishra-nhrc-head-b1858687.html|newspaper=The Independent|date=3 June 2021|access-date=30 July 2023|archive-date=20 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720142115/https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/india/judge-arun-mishra-nhrc-head-b1858687.html|url-status=live}} The Wire questioned the manner in which the Supreme Court buried the Sahara-Birla diaries' investigation.{{#invoke:cite|web|title=Five Questions We Have to Ask Before the Birla-Sahara Payoff Case is Buried Forever|url=https://m.thewire.in/article/law/modi-birla-sahara-khehar-kalikho-pul|date=11 April 2017|website=The Wire|access-date=30 July 2023|archive-date=30 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730051924/https://m.thewire.in/article/law/modi-birla-sahara-khehar-kalikho-pul|url-status=live}}

{{notelist}}

• Bharatiya Janata Party
• First Modi ministry (Gujarat)
• Fourth Modi ministry (Gujarat)
• Government of Gujarat
• Premiership of Narendra Modi
• Second Modi ministry (Gujarat)
• Third Modi ministry (Gujarat)

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Category:Narendra Modi

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