The Indian government’s engagement with the Indian diaspora has seen a major upswing since the early 2000s. However, very different political parties have steered the Indian government in the first quarter of the 21st century. Has the ideological preferences of the political parties in power shaped the Indian government’s engagement with the diaspora? To answer this question, this article analyzes the government’s rhetoric towards the diaspora from 2005– 2025. The author uses both quantitative and qualitative content analysis on speeches by politicians at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) to test the arguments. The main findings are that speeches contain more Hindutva themes after 2014 while they continue with economic themes but with a lesser frequency. The change indicates a stronger emphasis on Hindu ideology but continuity on engaging the diaspora for India’s economic development. Using primary sources such as speeches, party manifestoes, annual reports of government ministries, and media articles, the author explains the shift based on BJP’s civilizational foreign policy agenda, the effect of Modi’s personalist leadership, and the desire to promote India’s status on the global stage.
Shubha Kamala Prasad (Wed,) studied this question.