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Narendra Modi's crushing election win over the governing Congress party in May 2014, signalled a fresh opportunity for India to make major economic and social changes that the defeated Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance failed to achieve during its long rule. After his victory, Modi opted for a slimmer government than the previous administration, which he said would help speed up decision-making and slash India's notorious bureaucracy. The Hindu nationalist leader has also made efforts to kick-start fresh relations with China, Pakistan and the United States, which had denied him visa in 2005 on human rights grounds over anti-Muslim riots in his home state of Gujarat. Modi denies wrongdoing and was never charged over the violence that left 1,000 dead. Modi comes from a caste near the bottom of the Indian social hierarchy. He is single and is widely known as a workaholic intent on shaking India's economy out of its doldrums.
By missing summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Indian PM has wasted chance to address strained relations between two countries.
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Indian PM remains a global and regional player after winning a third term in office, albeit without a parliamentary majority for his party.
- PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow is to also signal India’s role as a key balancer in ties between the major powers, analysts say
On average, Indian couples spend twice as much on their weddings than on education, a recent study shows.
Modi’s visit underscores importance of Russia ties and reluctance to engage China with border issues still outstanding, observers note.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin sees Modi as a key potential diplomatic and economy ally, with Russia isolated in the West.
India’s opposition leader had his first speech in new parliament redacted for violating rules of the legislature, including accusations against PM Narendra Modi and his party.
Despite Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist BJP suffering a major electoral shock, coalition and opposition parties remain silent about the violence.
From the first US presidential debate to travelling pandas, these are the highlights from the SCMP’s overseas and China correspondents in June 2024.
A slew of infrastructure disasters has raised safety concerns about the prime minister’s building spree aimed at boosting the nation’s development.
Gandhi’s new role means he will now have the same rank as that of a cabinet minister and be able to challenge PM Modi directly on policy issues.
India and Russia share deep economic and political ties, which have remained strong despite sanctions after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Experts say Modi may adopt a more pragmatic stance towards Kashmir in his third term, but more exchanges may not necessarily mean better ties.
Opposition leaders say the alleged mishandling of the NEET-UG exam shows the administration’s indifference to the country’s youth unemployment crisis
Deals for expanding cooperation in areas including maritime security are part of India’s pursuit of a neighbourhood-first approach, PM Modi says.
India’s China policy unlikely to change under Modi’s third term as border issues remain outstanding, analysts note.
India, one expert says, has ‘indicated that it is willing to gradually ramp up pressure on issues like Tibet and Taiwan’.
Priyanka, who has often been compared to her grandmother and India’s first woman PM Indira Gandhi, will contest the Wayanad by-election.
Washington should ‘have no contact with the Dalai group in any form, and stop sending the wrong signal to the world’, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman says.
Nikhil Gupta, who was extradited to the US from the Czech Republic, is accused of plotting to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Nikhil Gupta has been accused by US federal prosecutors of plotting with an Indian government official to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US resident who advocated for a sovereign Sikh state in northern India.
The Indian and Italian PMs have become central characters of an internet love story filled with betrayals, heartaches – and happy moments.
Readers discuss Modi’s election setback in India, his persisting popularity with the electorate, and the Hong Kong government’s graceful retreat from waste charging.
Analysts say the BJP’s changes to the programme aim to slash a ballooning pension bill by introducing shorter-term services to free up funds for modernisation of security forces.
With the BJP unable to secure a parliamentary majority, it has to continue bargaining with its allies to maintain their coalition, analysts say.
India’s PM had to rely on coalition partners to cling on for a third term. But analysts don’t expect it to alter his foreign policy priorities.
