Narendra Modi: The rise and rise of the reluctant
leaderByShikhar Jiwrajka@shikharjiwrajka|May 03, 2014 3:06
AM|commentTags:BJP,Gujarat,Lok Sabha Elections 2014,Narendra
Modi
Narendra Modiis one of those few politicians whose name when
heard brings to mind several images the next Prime Minister, a mass
murderer, a proven Chief Minister, and sometimes a person making
tall claims. No other politician in Indian history after
Independence has been scrutinised as severely as Modi. On the flip
side, no Chief Minister has been loved so much that he is already
being seen as the next Prime Minister even before the poll results
have been declared. Standing brave, he has withstood all the wild
allegations and false accusations against him.Modi hails from a
poor background and now has become the Chief Minister ofGujaratfor
a record fourth (thrice elected) time. Modi is controversys
favourite child. Whatever he says or does, hes under immense
scrutiny. Of all the possible candidates of the countrys next top
job, Modi stands miles ahead of its opponents.So how does a small
kid belonging to a poor family with no background, manage to scale
so high in his life?
ChildhoodNarendra Modi was born on 17thSeptember, 1950 to
Damodardas Modi and Heeraben. Little did they know that their son
would ever be vying for the countrys top post. Modi was the third
child in the family of six. He used to work at a tea stall with his
father in his hometown, Mehsana in Gujarat. Modi, is known to be
patriotic since his childhood. As a 15-year-old he used to serve
the soldiers in transit at railway stations during the Indo-Pak War
in 1965. At 17, he volunteered to serve the flood victims of
Gujarat at that time. His teachers remarks about him werent
exemplary but interesting; an average student but a keen debater.
Modi started his journey into politics right from his childhood
days. He began his political journey when he joined the Rashtriya
Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) in his late teens and later became a
full-timepracharak(propagator).
A Born LeaderNarendra Modi had this quality from the very
beginning. It was seen when he became the leader of Akhil Bharatiya
Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) students union, in his student life. He
played a major role in eradicating anti-corruption in Gujarat in
the 80s. He lead many activities during those times and his
leadership abilities made him rise to such prominence that he was
endorsed by the BJP in the late 1987 where he effectively made his
party win the Gujarat assembly elections in late 1990s.Narendra
Modi rose to prominence when he successfully organised Ekta Yatra
for Murli Manohar Joshi a veteran BJP leader. It is believed that
it was Modis electoral strategy, that made BJP successful in the
1995 and 1998 Gujarat state election campaigns.
The Chief MinisterNarendra Modi is termed as a decisive leader.
His decision-making quality is what Gujarat is reaping fruits from.
One such instance would highlight this personality trait. There was
infighting in the BJP in late 90s which were damaging the partys
image in Gujarat. Allegations on former Gujarat chief minister
Keshubhai Patel were spoiling BJPs hopes to be re-elected. L K
Advani proposed Modis name as the next face of Gujarat, but he was
reluctant as Modi was inexperienced. Later, he along with Atal
Bihari Vajpayee decided that Narendra Modi should be made the next
Deputy Chief Minister. Modi had then informed the head honchos of
BJP that he was going to be fully responsible for Gujarat or not at
all. He was then appointed as the 14thChief Minister of Gujarat in
2001 and was the face of the party for the elections in December,
2002.Godhra riotsIt is said that 2002 Godhra riots remain to be a
blot on his otherwise illustrious career. A section of the media
has been gunning after him since then and almost every national as
well as regional party wants him to apologise for the riots.Modi
determinedly says, Agar Modi gunehgar hai toh usey faansi par
chadha do. Aise gunaah ki koi maafi nahi(If Modi is guilty he
should be hanged and should not be pardoned for his crime.Due to
pressure from the opposition in the parliament and also from his
party leaders he had to resign and the assembly dissolved. In the
very next elections held in 2002, Modi emerged victorious and won
the election with flying colours (127 seats). Since then there has
been no looking back.
Second chanceAfter winning the elections in 2002, Modi took
Gujarat to a whole new level. Be it development in infrastructure,
electricity, agriculture, helping small scale and large businesses
grow or the tourism sector. The state, which had witnessed riots
and curfew every other month in the past hasnt witnessed any
tension in the last 10 years. Villages which were deprived of basic
necessities like water, food, shelter, and electricity; he made
sure that most of the villages and people anywhere in his state are
satisfied now and that their demands are fulfilled.His development
model took Gujarat to new heights. There is no village in Gujarat
without electricity. For the Rann of Kutch, which was rotting
earlier, he made various water conservation policies which now
helps people earn their bread through tourism. Every village in
Gujarat has a broadband connection.Modi made sure that Gujarat is
seen as investment friendly destination on his second term. His
decision to drop the aggressive VHP leader Praveen Togadia from his
cabinet and demolishing 200 illegal temples shows his other
side.
PersonaNarendra Modi is currently the Chief Minister of Gujarat,
successfully running his third term. People often refer him as NaMo
or Narendra Bhai.Modi in his words is a Hindu Nationalist. He is
fierce, combative, and robust; one who carries his heart on his
sleeves. His self-proclaimed Chappan-Inch-ka-Seena image augurs
well with the public. His favourite dialogue Mere 6 Crore Gujarati
is loved by many and is criticized equally. There have been many
controversies because of his straight forward, no nonsense
charismatic outlook.Contrary to this, Modi is known to be
workaholic. He is a nature loving person whose favourite pastime is
writing poems. Modi is a vegetarian and is also known to be a yoga
loving person. It is been told that he has also done a course of
Public Relations and Image Making in the US for three months in his
earlier days.
His remark, If someone else is driving a car and were sitting
behind, even then if a puppy comes under the wheel, will it be
painful or not? Of course it is. If I am a chief minister or not, I
am a human being. If something bad happens anywhere, it is natural
to be sad, created a furore among the political parties with many
asking for his apology.On the other side his remark, I will make
India such a place that Americans would queue up for an Indian
visa, shows his nationalist-cum-visionary outlook of a man whose
vying to make India the next top bastion of development.There is
always a sword of the Godhra Riots, which keeps hanging over his
head. Political parties have since 2002 sought for an apology from
him.Women in Gujarat absolutely adore Modi. Hes been a sex symbol
there. The ratio of women to men in his meetings is higher than any
politician in the state.
The image makeoverBe it Japan, United Kingdom or South Korea,
representatives from these and other countries have come and
praised his development model. Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Paresh
Rawal or John Abraham, everyones view about Modi has been very
positive.Last year, when British High Commissioner, James Bevan sat
down with Modi to discuss business and investment in a remarkable
meeting, it ended the 10-year diplomatic ban imposed on him by the
United Kingdoms government in failing to stop riots.Another
instance of Nancy Powell from United States raised a lot of
eyebrows when she met Modi at his residence ending a 9-year
boycott.Man of Glorious pastsDespite being acquitted by the several
Special Investigation Teams (SITs) in 2007, 2010 and 2012 appointed
by the Supreme Court, hes still been kindled with the false
accusations of involvement in Godhra riots.
The Ground RealityNarendra Modi has created a spot for himself
in almost every second Indian heart. People see him as a hope that
would dislodge the existing corrupt system; a man who would abolish
all the ill planned policies of the existing government; cOn the
flip side, Modi has had the sharpest of critics, ridiculing him for
even the smallest mistakes/lapses. The opposition parties have
always maintained that Modi is a man of dreams; a blatant liar and
someone who has false claims in reality.He was termed as a Merchant
of Death by Sonia Gandhi, in a run up to state elections in
2002.There was a recent controversy of Modi backing out of an
online talk show held on Facebook; but it should be known that Modi
was the first Indian politician to opt for online chatting (Google
Hangout) with citizens way back in 2012. On one side, hes the most
liked politician on Facebook and also has the maximum followers on
Twitter; and on the other side the social media hasnt been far
behind in lambasting Modi, calling him names like Feku a person who
fakes.
Official Prime Ministerial CandidateAfter a lot of hullabaloo
Narendra Modi was made the opposition partys prime ministerial
candidate last year in September. His Vision 272+ has been actively
raising his party workers morale. People in record numbers have
been attending his rallies across the nation. Meanwhile when all
the government ministers are accusing him of being a communalist,
Modi says, India first, is my definition of secularism.Now when the
country is facing political unrest (anti-incumbency) and theres an
atmosphere of complete corruption and falsehood everywhere, India
needs a leader with a dynamic personality, and Modi fits the bill
very well. Another possible PM candidate, Rahul Gandhi who lacks
vision and leadership, has a tough task in these elections.Being a
great orator, Modi has to know that his remarks could be a backlash
to his developmental image. I am known to be a Hindutva leader. My
image does not permit to say so, but I dare to say. My real thought
is Pehle shauchalaya, phir devalaya (toilets first, temple later),
he said. The sentiment was right, but the timing of such statements
did backfire.
Will he become the Prime Minister?Despite all the controversies
around him, Narendra Modi is the most favoured
politician-to-be-prime minister in India. His mega rallies indicate
his popularity. Although a certain section of the society would
dislike Modi being the next PM, people of different age groups have
been yearning to see him hoisting the Indian Flag on 15thAugust
2014 at the Red Fort.WithRahul Gandhivirtually out of the race,
willArvind Kejriwalbe the game changer or will Modi withstand
another hurdle and become the countrys next Prime Minister, is to
be seen in the next couple of weeks.Modi and a large number of
people may have moved on from 2002, but his critics have not.
Vested interests in keeping Muslims as their vote banks, theyve
ensured that their old wounds remain raw.10 unknown and interesting
facts about Narendra Modi are:#1:Putting Gujarat in the World
MapGandhinagar has been termed as the Greenest Capital City in
whole Asia. Under his reign as Chief Minister, Surat has become the
fastest growing city in theworld. Gujarat is now the favorite
choice for many business establishments beating many other
contemporary states who are still coping with internal problems to
support new establishments.#2:World Bank10 years back Gujarat had a
huge loan of almost 50,000 crores on itself from the World Bank but
now it has deposited 1 lakh crore in the World Bank which proves
his credibility as a Chief Minister and how well he is leading the
state towards success and overall development.#3:His Reign as Chief
MinisterGujarat has bagged the award of the 2ndbest state in the
world by UN in the year 2010. Another important and most relevant
feature that Narendra Modi has been able to provide is the security
of women in his state. When every state is fighting their own
devils within the society Narendra Modi has gifted a safe land for
the women in his state by providing strict law and order to
safeguard the women making it the 2ndleast crime against women
among all other states.#4:HobbiesModi loves writing poetry during
his leisure time and also has published some of books written by
him. He also loves photography and had held one exhibition
showcasing his collections of photographs clicked by him.#5:Mr.
PopularNarendra Modi is the 2ndmost followed Indian leader on
Twitter just after Shashi Tharoor. He is very popular with women in
his states and that his evident during the rallies where he is
followed by women more than men.
#6:SecularHe has ordered to demolish many Hindu temples which
dont have proper government sanction and he is also admired by many
Muslims of his state. But he is not much loved by the Muslim
communities as it is said that he did not do anything to control
2002 Gujarat riot in which many innocent Muslims were killed, the
riot took place under his ministry but he never apologized for
it.#7:Political styleHe is largely influenced by the leadership
style of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and is a fan and follower of
Swami Vivekananda and his principles.#8:LanguageHe has a strong
hold on each language that he speaks. He can speak in Gujarati that
is his mother tongue,Hindifluently although is not much fluent
inEnglish. He is a good orator and this may contribute to the fact
that he has taken training for three months in the US on public
relations and image management.#9:Teenaged ModiAs a teenager he ran
away to the Himalayas and stayed there for 2 years with the yogic
sadhus and studied Hindutva.#10:Modi and his MotherHe takes the
blessing of his mother before starting any new venture.
Indians have chosen Narendra Modi'sBharatiya Janata Party
(BJP)in ahistoric landslide victorythat unseated the ruling Indian
National Congress party and signifies the return of a single-party
majority.Modi will soon be at the helm ofthe world's largest
democracy and an economic powerhouse.He has received criticism from
many people, including writerSalman Rushdieand Harvard University
professorHomi Bhabha,among others, in ajoint statement against his
candidacy.But who is this charismatic but polemic leader? What does
he stand for? There arethings that are important to know, and not
all of them bad. 1. He is controversial for his role in the 2002
Gujarat riotsModi was chief minister of the state of Gujarat in
2002 whenriots broke outin the city of Godhra after a train
carrying Hindus was burnt down as it was coming from the holy city
of Ayodhya in North India. In the ensuring Hindi-Muslim violence,
between 900 and 2,000 people were killed, predominantly
Muslim.Modi, a Hindu nationalist, reportedly expressed satisfaction
after the dismal events of 2002. His only regret was that hedid not
handle the news media better, according to the New York
Times.Though he has been cleared by thecourts of India, some still
believe he allowed the Gujarat riots to rage on. Senior police
officer in the Gujarat intelligence bureau Sanjiv Bhatt alleges
thatModi told officials that the Muslim communityneeded to be
taught a lesson.2. He may prove to have a positive impact on the
economyModi's win is expected toimprove trade with the United
Statesand boost the Indian economy. After interviewing 68,500
voters before and after the elections, a group ofresearchersfrom
the University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Endowment and India's Lok
Foundation reported that 57 percent of interviewees mentioned
economic issues as most important.As chief minister of Gujarat, he
oversaw the rapid industrialization of once sleepy areas, a feat he
says he wants to replicate elsewhere in India.Modi has used his
successes in Gujarat as election leverage, holding up the Gujarat
model to differentiate himself, as news siteLive Mintreported.If
the 2002 riots hurt his campaign, the economic angle helped boost
him back up.As Rajeev Malik, a Singapore-based economist, said in
aFinancial Timescolumn:It is not as if the 2002 [Gujarat riots]
blot has been wiped out; it is just that the broader current
urgency of economic well-being has overtaken a dated tragedy.3. His
track record on women's issues may be lackingWill the role of women
improve under a Modi lead government? In an article for the Hindu
Centre for Politics and Public Policy,Hardeep Dhilloncriticized
bothcandidates for seeing women through the lens of safety,
security and education. She argued Modi specifically sees women as
passive:women are imagined to behave, think, and perform in
uniformity and their politics are established prior to their
emergence on the political landscape. As a result, Indian women are
stripped of the very political agency Mr. Modi claims to advocate
for, rendering them as passive rather than active political
actors.The author also raised concerns about thecontrast between
Modis vocal condemnations of the rape culture that led to the 2012
Delhi gang rape and his silence on the treatment of Muslim and
minority women in his state. His secret wife Modi had presented
himself as a bachelor until this election cycle has also caused
some to question his treatment of women.4. He maintains an
anti-immigrant stanceAsignificant numberof Bangladeshis have
migrated to India in the past decade to reunite with family
members, for job opportunities, and to escapeenvironmentalcrises,
among other reasons. The wave of people has prompted India to step
up security along its border with Bangladesh, including installing
barbed-wire fences.If Modi has his way, he would send all
theundocumented Bangaldeshi immigrantsback. In a speech on April
28, 2014, Modithreatened:I want to warn from here, brothers and
sisters write down, that after May 16, will send these Bangladeshis
beyond the border with their bags and baggages.The reaction to
Modi's speech on social media showed people are listening. Posts
under the#deportbangladeshishashtag made it to at the top of
Twitter's trend list in India.5. His past religious fervor sets a
questionable example for a secular IndiaModi was a youth member of
the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS), a right-wing, volunteer Hindu
nationalist group, and describes himself as aHindu nationalist. In
contrast to his youth as an RSS member, Modi has recently said he
does not believe individing voters along religious lines.Yet some
still worry his election doesn't bode well for religious
tolerance.AsSunny Hundalwrote in an opinion piece for CNN:The
broader context is that India is seeing arising tide of
intolerancewhipped up by Hindu nationalist groups that haveforced
books to be banned,intimidated journalistsandthreatened peoplefor
criticizing their leaders.French Political ScientistChristophe
Jaffrelot, in an interview withScroll.in, alleged:Plan A for Modi
is to succeed on the economic front, and if that does not work then
emphasising on Hindutva politics may be an important Plan B.Indian
author Pankaj Mishra painted a particularly dark picture inThe
Guardian, sayingModi's election means a new turbulent phase for the
country arguably, the most sinister since its independence from
British rule in 1947.For his part, Modi hasmaintainedhe speaks to
all of India, regardless of religion:For the nation my mantra is
125 crore Indians. Hindu, Muslim, Christians The country had enough
of all these terminologies. The new terminologies will be youth,
poor, farmer, village, city, education.
Narendra Damodardas Modi, probably the next Prime Minister
ofIndiain making if media polls are to be believed, is someone whom
you can eitherloveor hate but can never ignore totally. He was
elected as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for 3 consecutive years
overcoming all the campaigning that was done against him by the
media. As a politician he has to maintain an image but apart from
that there are someinteresting factsabout Narendra Modi which the
common masses are unaware of.