Modi promised to deposit ₹15 lakh in every Indian's bank account

Modi promised to deposit ₹15 lakh in every Indian's bank account
	MISLEADING
	"During the 2014 campaign, Narendra Modi promised to put ₹15 lakh into the bank account of every Indian."
Domain	Economy & Labor
Tactic	False Context;
Era	Current
First seen	2014
Origin	Opposition parties and social media, building on Modi's 2013–14 campaign speeches about black money abroad
Last reviewed	2026-10-30
	Further reading: books on Economy & Labor

During the 2013–14 campaign, Narendra Modi repeatedly said that so much black money was stashed in foreign banks that if it were brought back, every poor Indian could receive ₹15 to 20 lakh. After he became prime minister and no such money arrived, critics said he had broken a promise to deposit ₹15 lakh in every account.

Modi did use the figure, but as an illustration of the scale of black money rather than as a pledge to make deposits. His party's later handling of the line also drew criticism.

What the evidence shows

What he said. At rallies, including one in Kanker, Chhattisgarh, in November 2013, Modi said that if the money looted and stashed abroad were brought back, each poor person would get ₹15–20 lakh for free. He did not announce a scheme to pay it out.
"Jumla." In 2015 BJP president Amit Shah called the line a "chunavi jumla," a piece of election rhetoric, which critics took as an admission it was never meant seriously.
Black money recovered. Government efforts to recover black money held abroad yielded far less than the campaign rhetoric suggested.

Why it matters

The accurate criticism is that Modi used an inflated figure to dramatize a promise he could not deliver on. The popular version turns rhetoric into a literal pledge he did not make.

Sources

The Indian Express, "Did Modi promise Rs 15 lakh in every account? What he actually said," 2018.
BOOM, fact check on the ₹15 lakh claim.
The Hindu, "Amit Shah calls Rs. 15 lakh promise an election 'jumla'," February 2015.