When we look back at India’s recent history, political leaders and major events often take center stage. But what if we told you that a simple analysis of news headlines over time can reveal powerful insights into what the nation was truly focused on?
We recently did a burst analysis of news headlines from June 2004 to June 2023—spanning the UPA rule from 2004 to 2014 and the NDA rule from 2014 to 2023.
Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of the term “burst analysis” before. In simple terms, it just means identifying words that suddenly appeared a lot more frequently than usual during certain periods. It’s a way of spotting trends in public discourse.
Where the Data Comes From
The data for this analysis was collected from a Kaggle.com (data science platform). It includes headlines between June 2004 and June 2023, from top Indian publication. Data beyond June 2023 was not available.
What Grabbed Headlines During the UPA Rule (2004–2014)
The UPA government led by Dr. Manmohan Singh saw some major national and international developments. Here are some of the top terms that dominated headlines during this period:
- Nuclear Deal (2006–2009): India’s civil nuclear agreement with the United States sparked a political storm and dominated news for several years.
- Anna Hazare & Kejriwal (2011 onwards): The anti-corruption movement launched by Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal caught the nation’s attention like wildfire. It led to the birth of the Aam Aadmi Party.
- 2G Scam: This major telecom scandal remained in the news through the later UPA years.
- Aam Aadmi Party & Narendra Modi (2013–2014): As the 2014 elections approached, Arvind Kejriwal’s party and Narendra Modi became frequent mentions in headlines.
This period was marked by political turmoil, civil activism, and scandals, shaping the nation’s mood and media focus.
Buzzwords from the NDA Rule (2014–2023)
As the NDA government took over under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the news cycle took a sharp turn towards other pressing concerns:
- Flood (2018 onwards): Natural disasters, especially floods in various parts of the country, were frequently in the headlines.
- Lockdown, Coronavirus, COVID, Vaccine (2020 onwards): Like the rest of the world, India’s attention sharply turned to the pandemic. These terms surged in frequency and dominated public discourse.
- CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act): This became a focal point of national debate and protests around 2019–2020.
These years were shaped by public health crises, environmental challenges, and major policy debates.
What Does This All Mean?
When we step back and look at the big picture, it’s clear that different issues dominated the national consciousness at different times:
- UPA years were filled with policy negotiations, anti-corruption movements, and political transitions.
- NDA years were marked by crises (natural and medical), nationalistic policies, and global health emergencies.
It’s a reminder that the issues we care about most aren’t just shaped by politicians—they’re shaped by circumstances, movements, and moments that grip the country.
Disclaimer:
This analysis is based on public headline data available on Kaggle.com and reflects trends observed from that dataset. The accuracy and completeness of the dataset cannot be independently verified, and the analysis should be seen as indicative, not definitive.