The RSS is a Hindu-first organization that focuses on hymns, prayers, morning gatherings, community service but only open to Hindu males. It offers activities in small Indian towns. Despite India's diversity, with Hindus being 80% of the population, the RSS believes India belongs only to Hindus, conflicting with the secular nature stated in India's constitution. Modi finds the RSS's Hindu-first ideology appealing.
Narendra Modi is arguably the world’s most popular politician. With nearly 1 billion Indians eligible to vote in a six-week election that concludes on June 4, Modi and his party are expected to win a majority for the third time in a row and extend their decade in power.
But there are also concerns over human rights and religious and press freedoms that many political leaders, CEOs and bankers in the West appear willing to overlook. On our first episode of The Big Take Asia, host K. Oanh Ha and Bloomberg’s Sudhi Ranjan Sen chart how Modi built up so much power over the last several decades – and why he is both a beloved and divisive figure.
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