Friday 17 February 2012


Narendra Modi (born 17 September 1950) was born in a middle class family in Vadnagar; and is a member of RSS since childhood, as also an active politician since early in life. He holds a masters degree in political science. In 1998, he was chosen by L. K. Advani, the leader of the BJP, to direct the election campaign in Gujarat as well as Himachal Pradesh.
He became Chief Minister of Gujarat in October 2001, promoted to the office at a time when his predecessor Keshubhai Patel had resigned, following the defeat of BJP in the by-elections.
His tenure as chief minister of Gujarat began on 7 October 2001, and he is the longest serving Chief Minister of Gujarat. In July 2007 he became the longest serving Chief Minister in Gujarat's history when he had been in power for 2063 days continuously. He was elected again for a third term on 23 December 2007 in the state elections, which he had cast as a "referendum on his rule".Personal life
Modi was born in a middle class family in Vadnagar in Mehsana district of then Bombay State. During the Indo-Pak war in the mid sixties, even as a young boy, he volunteered to serve the soldiers in transit at railway stations. As a young man, he joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, and was involved in the anti-corruption Nav Nirmāṇ ("Reconstruction") Movement. After working as a full time organizer for the organization, he was later nominated as its representative in the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a member of the RSS. As a teenager Modi used to run a tea stall with his brother. Modi completed his schooling in Vadnagar. He earned a masters degree in Political Science from Gujarat University.

Modi was a Pracharak in the RSS during his university years.He took up the challenging task of energizing the party cadres in right earnest. In partnership with Shankarsingh Vaghela, Modi set about creating a strong cadre base in Gujarat. In the initial period,Shankarsingh Vaghela was seen as a mass leader, while Modi was recognised as a master strategist.

The party started gaining political mileage and formed a coalition government at the centre in April 1990. This partnership fell apart within a few months, but the BJP came to power with a two-thirds majority on its own in Gujarat in 1995. Since then, the BJP has been governing Gujarat.
During this period, Modi was entrusted with the responsibility of organizing two crucial national events, the Somnath to Ayodhya Rath Yatra (a political rally through India on a converted Toyota van) of L.K. Advani and a similar march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.After the exit of Shankarsingh Vaghela from the BJP, Keshubhai Patel was made Chief Minister while Narendra Modi was sent to New Delhi as a General Secretary of the Party.
In 1995, Modi was appointed the National Secretary of the party and given the charge of five major states in India. In 1998, he was promoted as the General Secretary (Organization), a post he held until October 2001. In 2001, Narendra Modi was chosen by the party to be the Chief Minister of Gujarat after the removal of chief minister Keshubhai Patel.
Modi is known for leading a frugal lifestyle. He has a personal staff of just three. He is known to be a workaholic Chief Minister and an introvert. after he ordered the demolition of many Hindu temples that were built without proper government sanction which earned him the ire of VHP He is described as an incendiary politician. A crowd puller as a speaker and a dramatic,sardonic and churlish speaker. Modi has also tried to turn his image from an Hindu Nationalist politician to an image of able administrator. He wears business suits and is improving his command over the english language.

Development of Gujarat

As a Chief Minister, Modi started various 'yojanas' or plans. This includes:
  • Panchamrut Yojana, a five-pronged strategy for an integrated development of the state,
  • Sujalam Sufalam, a scheme to create a grid of water resources in Gujarat in an innovative step towards water conservation and its appropriate utilization.
  • Krishi Mahotsav – agricultural research labs for the land
  • Chiranjeevi Yojana – To reduce infant mortality rate
  • Matru Vandana – Providing preventive and curative services under the Reproductive and Child Health Programme
  • Beti Bachao – Campaign against female infanticide to improve sex ratio
  • Jyotigram Yojana – Provide electricity to every village
  • Karmayogi Abhiyan – To educate and train government employees
  • Kanya Kelavani Yojana – To encourage female literacy and education
  • Balbhog Yojana – Midday meal scheme for students to encourage school attendance from poor backgrounds.

Vibrant Gujarat

Vibrant Gujarat is a biennial Global Investors' Summit held by the Government of Gujarat in Gujarat, India. The event is aimed at bringing together business leaders, investors, corporations, thought leaders, policy and opinion makers; the summit is advertised as a platform to understand and explore business opportunities in the State of Gujarat. the event has been held continuously since 2003.

Gujarat Earthquake 2001 

The biggest challenge which he had to face, when he took over as the Chief Minister, was the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the areas affected by the massive Gujarat Earthquake of January 2001.

Gujarat riots  2002 Gujarat violence

A train carrying Hindus burned by a mob of muslims in Godhra town leading to 59 deaths. Riots took place after rumours spread that it was caused by Muslims in the state leading to 1180 deaths, mostly Muslims. Modi administration was accused of inaction over the riots and for encouraging them. As an aftermath of the riots, there were calls for Modi to resign from his position as chief minister of Gujarat. The opposition parties stalled the national parliament over the issue. Even Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP), allies of the BJP, asked for Modi's resignation. Modi submitted his resignation to the Governor and recommended the dissolution of the 10th Gujarat Legislative Assembly. In the following state re-elections the BJP, led by Modi, won 127 seats in the 182-member assembly.
In April 2009, the Supreme Court of India appointed a special team of investigators to look into the role Modi had played in the alleged anti-Muslim conspiracy. The team was appointed in response to the complaint of Jakia Jafri, the widow of ex-Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, who was murdered in the riots. In December 2010, a Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) in its report to the Supreme Court seeking answers pertaining to the Ehsan Jafri case, submitted that they had found no evidence against Narendra Modi.
However in February 2011, the Times of India reported that a confidential report from the SIT indicted Modi on several counts of alleged complicity in the Gujarat riots of 2002. Most other sources have noted that the SIT report does not indict Modi for the riots due to lack of evidence. The Indian Express too said the report did not find any Modi involvement in the violence, though it did accuse him of watering down the seriousness of the situation. According to the Hindu, the report not only found that Modi tried to water down the seriousness of the situation, but Modi also implicitly justified the killings of Muslims, and failed to condemn the attacks on them. The Bharatiya Janata Party demanded an investigation into the publication of the report, claiming the leak was politically motivated.
The apex court refused to pass any order on the case and referred it to the Ahmedabad magistrate for a decision.

2007 elections

Modi made a speech at Mangrol in which he justified the alleged fake Encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, During the election campaign In response to Sonia Gandhi's speech calling him a "merchant of death", and referred to Sohrabuddin's killing. For this speech the Election Commission of India, a constitutional body governing election proceedings in India, cautioned Modi as it considered it as indulging in an activity which may aggravate existing differences between different communities. Modi won the election and continued his post as the Chief Minister Of Gujarat.Mr.Narendra Modi has got clear majority with 122 seats out of 182 total assembly seats.

Conflicts with Governor Kamla Beniwal

On August 25, 2011 Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal appointed Justice R A Mehta to the post of Lokyukta of Gujarat, a critical anti-corruption post that had been lying vacant since 2003. Justice R A Mehta was recommended for the post by the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court in June. Since Governor Beniwal had made this decision without consulting and getting the approval of the chief minister and his council of ministers, the action angered Narendra Modi and his BJP party.
This marked the beginning of a strained relationship between Modi and the Governor. On September 25, 2011, Narendra Modi accused the Governor of running a parallel government in the state supported by the Congress. He demanded that she be recalled back. He also later accused her of delaying the progress of bills by not passing them.
The decision of the governor in the appointment of R A Mehta was challenged in the high court by the Modi government. The two member high court bench gave a split verdict on October 10,2011. Later, a third member upheld the governor's decision in January 2012. This was a major setback to Modi.

Foreign visits

As the Chief Minister of the Gujarat State, to attract foreign investment in the state, Narendra Modi has made visits to foreign countries, including China and Singapore.
Narendra Modi made his first China visit in 2007 to invite investors Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor Summit, and second visit in November 2011. One month after the second visit to China, the Chinese Government released 13 Diamond traders from India jailed by the Shenzhen Customs, which the Chief Minister described as the consequece of his diplomatic efforts and statesmanship.
In 2005 Narendra Modi was denied of diplomatic visa to the United States, in addition to this visa denial, he was also revoked from his already granted B-1/B-2 visa.

Views and opinions  Modi's position on terrorism

On 18 July 2006 Modi delivered a speech criticizing Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "for his reluctance to revive anti-terror legislations" like the Prevention of Terrorism Act. He asked the Centre to empower states to invoke tougher laws in the wake of the blasts in Mumbai. Quoting Modi:
Terrorism is worse than a war. A terrorist has no rules. A terrorist decides when, how, where and whom to kill. India has lost more people in terror attacks than in its wars.

Narendra Modi has frequently commented that if the BJP came to power at the Centre, they will honor the 2004 Supreme Court judgement to hang Afzal Guru. Afzal was convicted of terrorism in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack in 2004 by the Supreme Court of India and is in Tihar Jail.

On account of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, on Thursday 27 November, Narendra Modi held a meeting to discuss waterfront security along the coastline. The meeting decided to ask the Central government to urgently sanction the following:
  • Increase the number of police stations along the coast to 50 (from 10)
  • Increase the number of police to 1500 from 250
  • 30 modern high-speed surveillance boats.
The 30 coastal boats, under construction at Goa's ship-building yard, will have the capacity to run at the speed of 25 nautical miles per hour. These are being manufactured under the Centre's Rs 58-crore grant for coastal security.

Views on criticism of Modi's governance

In 2003, when Narendra Modi was asked about the conflict of his dreams for Gujarat's future with international criticism of his past activities, Modi said:
"Yet, no one has asked this question to the USA after 9/11. Delhi is developing fast – no one has asked this question to Delhi after 1984. If it does not matter to Delhi and USA, why should it matter to Gujarat?" 

Modi's decision to link Gujarat's ferocious communal violence with the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US drew criticism from some observers, who contrasted it with the then Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's unpleasant apology for Gujarat in London a year ago.

Responding to The Guardian's criticism in this matter, Modi replied,
I have not read and I would not like to read. But thank you for people spending time on me
2009 Lok Sabha elections
Although the BJP narrowly managed to win majority of the seats in Gujarat, the loss of the Rajkot seat, after almost 20 years of control, was unexpected. Prominent politicians like Sharad Yadav commented that the BJP's projection of Modi as a future Prime Minister affected its performance in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Furthermore BJP criticism of Modi worries Gujarat leaders.
Shri Narendra Modi grew up in a culture that instilled in him the values of generosity, benevolence and social service. During the Indo-Pak war in the mid sixties, even as a young boy, he volunteered to serve the soldiers in transit at railway stations. In 1967, he served the flood affected people of Gujarat.
Endowed with excellent organizational capability and a rich insight into human psychology, he was elected as the student leader of Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (All India Students’ Council) and played a prominent role in various socio-political movements in Gujarat.

Right from his boyhood days he was confronted with many odds and obstacles, but he transformed challenges into opportunities by sheer strength of character and courage. Particularly when he joined college and University for higher education, his path was beset with hard struggle and painful toil. But in the battle of life he has been always a fighter, a true soldier. Having put his step forward he never looked back. He refused to drop out or be defeated. It was this commitment which enabled him to complete his post graduation in political science. He started with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a socio-cultural organization with a focus on social and cultural development of India and imbibed the spirit of selflessness, social responsibility, dedication and nationalism.
Born on 17th September, 1950 at Vadnagar, a small town in Mehsana district of North Gujarat, Shri Narendra Modi grew up in a culture that instilled in him the values of generosity, benevolence and social service. During the Indo-Pak war in the mid sixties, even as a young boy, he volunteered to serve the soldiers in transit at railway stations. In 1967, he served the flood affected people of Gujarat.
Endowed with excellent organizational capability and a rich insight into human psychology, he was elected as the student leader of Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (All India Students’ Council) and played a prominent role in various socio-political movements in Gujarat.

Right from his boyhood days he was confronted with many odds and obstacles, but he transformed challenges into opportunities by sheer strength of character and courage. Particularly when he joined college and University for higher education, his path was beset with hard struggle and painful toil. But in the battle of life he has been always a fighter, a true soldier. Having put a step forward he never looked back. He refused to drop out or be defeated. It was this commitment which enabled him to complete his post graduation in political science. He started with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a socio-cultural organization with a focus on social and cultural development of India and imbibed the spirit of selflessness, social responsibility, dedication and nationalism.
During his tenure with the RSS, Shri Narendra Modi played several important roles on various occasions including the 1974 anti-corruption agitation and the harrowing 19-month (June 1975 to January 1977) long ‘emergency’ when the fundamental rights of Indian citizens were strangled. Modi kept the spirit of democracy alive by going underground for the entire period and fighting a spirited battle against the fascist ways of the then central government.
He entered mainstream politics in 1987 by joining the BJP. Just within a year, he was elevated to the level of General Secretary of the Gujarat unit. By that time he had already acquired a reputation for being a highly efficient organizer. He took up the challenging task of energizing the party cadres in right earnest. The party started gaining political mileage and formed a coalition government at the centre in April 1990. This partnership fell apart within a few months, but the BJP came to power with a two-thirds majority on its own in Gujarat in 1995. Since then, the BJP has been governing Gujarat.
Between 1988 and 1995, Shri Narendra Modi was recognized as a master strategist who had successfully gained the necessary groundwork for making the Gujarat BJP the ruling party of the state. During this period, Shri Modi was entrusted with the responsibility of organizing two crucial national events, the Somnath to Ayodhya Rath Yatra (a very long march) of Shri L.K. Advani and a similar march from Kanyakumari (the southernmost part of India) to Kashmir in the North. The ascent of the BJP to power at New Delhi in 1998 has been attributed to these two highly successful events, substantially handled by Shri Modi.
In 1995, he was appointed the National Secretary of the party and given the charge of five major states in India – a rare distinction for a young leader. In 1998, he was promoted as the General Secretary (Organization), a post he held until October 2001, when he was chosen to be the Chief Minister of Gujarat, one of the most prosperous and progressive states of India.
During his stint at the national level, Shri Narendra Modi was given the responsibility to oversee the affairs of several state level units, including the sensitive and crucial state of Jammu and Kashmir and the equally sensitive north-eastern states. He was responsible for revamping the party organization in several states. While working at the national level, Shri Narendra Modi emerged as an important spokesman for the party and played a key role on several important occasions.
During this period, he travelled extensively across the world and interacted with eminent leaders of several countries. These experiences not only helped him develop a global perspective but also intensified his passion to serve India and lead it towards the socio-economic supremacy in the comity of nations.
In October 2001, he was called upon by the party to lead the Government in Gujarat. When  Shri Modi 's government was sworn in on October 7, 2001, the economy of Gujarat was reeling under the adverse effects of several natural calamities, including a massive earthquake in January 2001. However Shri Narendra Modi, a master strategist, who was enriched by national and international exposure and experience, decided to take the bull by its horns.
The biggest challenge which he had to face, when he took over as the Chief Minster, was the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the areas affected by the massive earthquake of January 2001. Bhuj was a city of rubble and thousands of people were living in temporary shelters without any basic infrastructure. Today Bhuj is proof of how Shri Narendra Modi has turned adversity into an opportunity for holistic development.
Even when the reconstruction and rehabilitation was going on, Shri Narendra Modi did not lose sight of the bigger picture. Gujarat had always focused on industrial growth. Shri Narendra Modi decided to correct the imbalance by focusing appropriately on social sectors for an integrated socio-economic growth. He conceived the Panchamrit Yojana – a five-pronged strategy for an integrated development of the state.
Under his leadership, Gujarat is witnessing massive transformation in several sectors including education, agriculture, healthcare and several others. He developed a clear vision of his own for the future of the state, launched policy-driven reform programmes, reoriented government’s administrative structure and successfully put Gujarat on the road to prosperity. His intentions and capacity were noticed within the first 100 days of his coming to power. Little wonder that these skills coupled with his administrative acumen, clear vision and integrity of character translated into a landslide victory in the December 2002 general elections and the Modi government was voted back to power with a massive majority of 128 seats in a house of 182.
This victory was even more impressive than what is suggested by the figures because of the fact that the opposition Congress party had concentrated its nationwide resources on the Gujarat elections. Skilfully wading his way through the onslaught of a massive slander campaign unleashed by the opposition, Shri Narendra Modi gave a crushing defeat to the principal opposition party, the magnitude of which stunned friends and foes alike.
On December 22, 2002, when he was sworn-in as the chief minister of Gujarat for the second time, the ceremony had to be held in an open-air stadium because of the sheer number of people who wanted to watch and hear the leader they had so overwhelmingly elected.
People’s expectations have been more than fulfilled. Today Gujarat is leading the nation in a variety of sectors be it e-Governance, investments, poverty eradication, power, SEZs, road development, fiscal discipline and many more. The heart of the matter is the people’s participation.
Fighting against all odds, he ensured that the Narmada dam reached 121.9m. Height – He even observed a fast to counteract those obstructing the construction. “Sujalam Sufalam” – a scheme to create a grid of water resources in Gujarat is yet another innovative step towards water conservation and its appropriate utilization.
Certain novel ideas like introduction of Soil Health Cards, Roaming Ration Cards and Roaming School Cards show his concern for the most common man of the state.
His initiatives such as Krishi MahotsavChiranjeevi YojanaMatru VandanaBeti Bachao campaign (save the girl child), Jyotigram Yojana, andKarmayogi Abhiyan etc. aim at multi-dimensional development of Gujarat. The vision, concept and time-bound implementation of such initiatives is what makes Shri Narendra Modi stand out as a true statesman who thinks of the next generation against the backdrop of politicians who can only think as far as the next elections.
Widely regarded as a youthful and energetic mass leader with innovative thoughts, Shri Narendra Modi has successfully communicated his vision to the people of Gujarat and has been able to impart faith, trust and hope among more than 50 million people of Gujarat. His outstanding memory of addressing lacs of people, even common men, by their first name has made him the darling of the masses. His immense respect for spiritual leaders has helped build bridges across religions. A wide crosssection of the people of Gujarat, cutting across income groups, religions and even political affiliations, continue to adore Shri Narendra Modi as an able and visionary leader who is transparently and convincingly uplifting the quality of their lives. A skilled orator and a deft negotiator, Shri Modi has earned the love of people from villages and cities alike. His following encompasses people belonging to every faith and religion and every economic section of society.
It is under his able leadership that Gujarat has bagged several awards and accolades from all over the world – including UN Sasakawa Award for disaster reduction, Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) award for innovations in governance, UNESCO award, CSI award for e-Governance etc. The very fact that Shri Narendra Modi has been ranked as the number one Chief Minister by the public for three consecutive years speaks volumes for his achievements.
His masterstroke of putting Gujarat on the global map essentially is ongoing campaign called the Vibrant Gujarat that truly transforms Gujarat into one of the most preferred investment destinations.
Gujarat has been registering double digit growth rates for the past several years. While Gujarat continues to accelerate on the path of growth and development, the voyager continues to walk tirelessly, leaving behind his footprints on the sands of time, transforming milestones into smilestones, step by step and marching towards the goal to celebrate the golden jubilee of the state in 2010, when Gujarat will proudly stand among developed economies of the world.
Even an overview of his journey in politics from grass-roots to the helm will speak volumes of his ever rising stature as a leader.
If one looks for the ideas and ideals of leadership, here is a classic role model showing how the youth, endowed with strength of character, courage, dedication and vision at once flowers into creative leadership. It is not quite common to see, in public life, a man with such profound spirit of service and fixity of purpose; loved so well by the people whom he loves so deeply. He has, in not so long span of time, emerged as the man of destiny


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