Constructing cultural integration through rhetoric in Modi’s speech in Lumbini, Nepal

Abstract This article reports how the rhetorical devices and logical argument utilized in the speech of Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, delivered in Lumbini, addressing the 2566th birth ceremony of Lord Buddha, assisted him to establish his purpose by persuading the audience. I adopted the concept of rhetoric developed by Aristotle and the notion of argument advanced by Toulmin as a theoretical perspective to analyze his speech. The findings reported that Modi used rhetorical devices and layers of argument to establish religious and cultural relationships between Nepal and India; however, he focused on religions, particularly Hinduism and Buddhism, and excluded the religious and cultural sentiments of people belonging to other religious and cultural backgrounds living in both countries. The finding further revealed that Modi’s seemingly religious rhetoric was directed towards the political mission of promoting relations between Nepal and India by expanding cultural nationalism and establishing the supremacy of Hinduism and Buddhism. This study has greater significance because it adds new insights into the existing literature on rhetoric and communication and provides a clear direction for further analyzing the rhetorical strategy in Modi’s speeches.