Paper short abstract:

This paper examines how Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party made use of the “common people” motif in the context of the so-called demonetization drive of 2016.

Paper long abstract:

In November 2016, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party’s vigorous campaign against corruption and terrorism culminated in the so-called demonetization drive involving the overnight nullification of all 500 and 1,000 rupee notes. According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, counterfeit currency was used to finance terrorist activities. In an unscheduled television broadcast, Modi appealed to “common people” to participate in the mahāyajña (“great sacrifice”) for the greater good of the nation, associating demonetization with a Vedic purification ritual. Through demonetization, India was to be purified from (Islamic) terrorism, black money, and rampant corruption.

This paper examines how Modi and the BJP made use of the “common people” motif in the context of demonetization. The paper is based on a discourse analysis of Modi’s televised speech, an online survey about demonetization available in the NaMo mobile app, and the presentation of the survey’s results. I argue that consenting to demonetization was framed as a civic and religious virtue, while those opposing it appeared as anti-nationals. Through demonetization, Modi portrayed himself as a representative of the greater good, a guarantor of the nation’s future.