Narendra Modi is the world’s most popular leader
The prime minister’s odious Muslim-bashing is not the main reason
Ganesha Kanojia does not consider himself a Bharatiya Janata Party supporter. The 58-year-old auto-rickshaw driver has mostly voted for the Congress party, as members of his low-caste Dalit group tend to. In local elections in Delhi, where he lives, he still disdains the BJP, because he dislikes its Hindu supremacist ideology. But in general elections, including one due next year, Mr Kanojia is a safe BJP vote. “Because of Modi-ji,” he explains.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Why is Modi so popular?”
From the June 17th 2023 edition
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