Narendra Damodardas Modi (Gujarati: [ˈnəɾeːnd̪rə d̪aːmoːd̪əɾˈd̪aːs ˈmoːd̪iː] (
listen), born 17 September 1950) is the 14th and current Prime Minister of India, in office since 26 May 2014.[1][2] Modi, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was the Chief Minister of the western Indian state of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014, and is currently a Member of the Parliament from Varanasi. He took office as the Prime Minister after the 2014 general election, in which his party (BJP) won a majority in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian parliament), for the first time since 1984 general elections.[3]
As Prime Minister, Modi's administration has focused on reforming and modernising India's infrastructure and government,[4] reducing bureaucracy, encouraging increased foreign direct investment,[5] improving national standards of health and sanitation and improving foreign relations.[6][7] Earlier, as Chief Minister of Gujarat, Modi's economic policies (credited with encouraging economic growth in Gujarat) have been praised,[8] although his administration has been criticised for failing to significantly improve the human development in the state and for failing to prevent the 2002 Gujarat riots.[9][10][11] A Hindu nationalist and member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Modi remains a controversial figure domestically and internationally.[9][12][13][








