NEW DELHI (AP) — India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose Hindu nationalist party has declared victory in parliamentary elections, has carefully cultivated his image as a pious man of the people.

Like President Donald Trump, to whom he is often compared, Modi is a big fan of Twitter and uses YouTube to bypass traditional media. His characterization of opponents as out-of-touch elites resonates in a country where opportunity is often still constrained by caste.

He served as the chief minister of Gujarat state in 2002 when anti-Muslim violence by Hindu mobs left about 1,000 people dead. Since he first took the helm of the Indian government in 2014, Hindu mobs have lynched dozens of people — mainly Muslims and lower-caste Dalits — suspected of illegally transporting or consuming beef, further fueling sectarian tensions.