Why Modi’s record as India's longest-serving PM is tarnished by his anti-Muslim Hindutva agenda

Narendra Modi recently became India’s longest-serving elected prime minister after surpassing the elected tenure of 4,398 days of Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first premier after it gained independence from British rule in 1947. 

One of India’s founding leaders, Nehru helped shape the constitutional framework of the post-independence state, which guaranteed equal rights for all citizens regardless of caste, creed or colour.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which adheres to the extremist ideology of Hindutva that defines India’s cultural and national identity through a Hindu majoritarian lens, celebrated the milestone with much fanfare.

Analysts say the political triumph of Modi, who first came to power in 2014 and is currently serving his third consecutive term, highlights a departure from the Nehruvian idea of a plural, secular India.

They say Modi’s long rule has entrenched majoritarianism and eroded the national character that Nehru – a towering figure among the 20th-century anti-colonial leaders– helped shape for a pluralistic state eight decades ago.

Kenneth Bo Nielsen, a South Asia expert associated with the University of Oslo, tells TRT World that Modi’s milestone is symbolically important for Hindutva groups.

“The operative word here is ‘elected’ because Nehru is still India’s longest-serving prime minister,” Nielsen says.

Nehru served as unelected premier from the country’s founding in 1947 to 1952 when he won the office through the first general election. He was re-elected prime minister in 1957 and 1962 general elections. 

Nehru is widely credited with establishing the world’s biggest parliamentary democracy, promoting scientific research through government-funded technical institutes known as IITs, and championing the motto of “unity in diversity” in a vast, multi-ethnic country.

According to Nielsen, the BJP’s emphasis on Modi’s distinction as the longest-serving ‘elected’ prime minister stems from a deep ideological aversion to Nehru and his Congress party, the BJP’s arch-rival that presents itself as a defender of India’s secular constitutional tradition.

“The (BJP) party has a strong dislike for Nehru and everything he represented,” he says.

Modi’s extended stay in power reflects his personal popularity and the party’s hegemony, which has allowed it to advance its Hindutva agenda with minimal compromise, he adds.

Smita Gupta, a New Delhi-based political commentator, tells TRT World that Modi’s record in office sharply contrasts with Nehru’s legacy as a statesman.

She says BJP’s celebration of Modi’s so-called milestone is “a historical sleight of hand”, pointing to Nehru’s initial five years as interim leader during the country’s most turbulent post-independence period.

Nehru dealt with riots, managed economic turbulence, and drafted the constitution’s founding principles without formal elections, she notes.

“His term came to an end in 1964 not because he lost an election but because he died,” Gupta says.

Modi’s three election wins, including a 2024 coalition-dependent victory, pale against Nehru’s achievements, she says. 

She also criticises “overrated” political stability, which favours majoritarianism, over coalition politics better suited to India’s diversity.

A departure from Nehruvian principles