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101 reasons for electing
Modi as Prime Minister
WRITTEN BY HARISH CHANDRA BURNWAL
At this
point of time, if any person about whom extensive discussion is taking place,
then it is none other than the Gujarat’s Chief Minister Narendra Modi. While he
is a staunch enemy for his political opponents, for his followers he is an
adorable person. Politics has no meaning for anyone. It is like favoring
development to own people while to the enemies nothing like the painful riots,
but the reality is even if he is just a chief minister, every individual
sitting at the Centre has been keeping an eye on Modi. Now that he has been declared as the prime
ministerial candidate, it is as if Modi is the only agenda for the politicians
from both, the ruling party and the opposition. When left parties hold its
meeting in Bengal, where BJP hardly has any presence, instead of targeting
Trinamul or Congress, they attack Modi. In Bihar, not only Nitish but
Laloo-Paswan also attacks Modi. It is the same stance of other parties. If one section of the country reflects its
fear of Modi becoming the Prime Minster even by accident (according to the
surveys), on the other hand a bigger section of the same country expresses its desire
that Modi becomes the next prime minister so that this country can get an able
person to a country mired in corruption and weak leadership. Such people are
active in all fields and are making all efforts. I have read hundreds of
articles about the ongoing anti Modi campaigns and I have seen more of Modi’s
supporter than his opponents. Basing my opinion on such debates, I am
attempting a write-up on him to find out
what are the reasons that Modi should become the prime minster of this country.(1)
1.
At present, Modi
is the most popular leader of the country. The recent surveys have proved this
point. To the extent that no one can come close to his popularity, whether it
is the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or Sonia Gandhi from Congress or any other
leader from the BJP.
2. For the post of Prime Minster, large numbers
of people prefer Modi as their first choice. A recent survey also points to
this. According to ABP-Nielson Survey, 48 per cent respondents gave Modi as
their first choice for Prime Ministership, where as Manmohan Singh was preferred
by only seven per cent. From this survey it is clear that no one comes anywhere
close to him.(2) In an open survey conducted on the Dainik Bhaskar
website, 90 per cent gave their first choice to Modi.(3) According to the latest survey conducted by Times of
India, 58 per cent gave their choice to Modi for prime ministership.(4)
3. Modi is a leader of the masses. This
can be said for other leaders, but the question is for the potential candidate
for the post of Prime Minister. Out of those in the list of Prime Ministerial
candidates, many would be left behind because of their dim prospects of
getting a seat from their parties (for example Nitish Kumar) or they would not
have risen to the stature of Modi who comes from a middle-class family (
example Rahul Gandhi) or then they would not be so popular among common people
(example Manmohan Singh).
4. Modi comes with a strong election
victory to the battlefield and not by indulging in groupism or making a war
strategy. To put it in other words, Modi not only has the potential to win any
election, from anywhere, but he also is a clever strategist. At least in
Gujarat neither any political opposition is seen, nor has any groupism
unleashed within the party.
5. Modi is being accepted by the entire
country. It can be seen in the context of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and
Chhattisgarh or from the recent election
results in Delhi. The way in which BJP retained its power in Madhya Pradesh and
Chhattisgarh and the way it regained its power in Rajasthan and smashed all old
records, and similarly, despite the wave of Kejriwal, in Delhi, BJP’s emergence
as the single largest party can be clearly attributed to the Modi's charisma.
6. Modi has the popular support from the
entire country. Not only Gujarat, most
of the regions of the country are looking up to Modi. Wherever Modi goes, he
becomes the centre of attraction for the Media. Starting from Tamil Nadu to
Jammu-Kashmir, through Maharashtra to UP-Bihar, people gather in lakhs to
listen to his speech.
7. Electoral results further strengthen
his bid to the post of Prime Ministership. Consecutively, he won the Gujarat
elections with thumping majority. Despite a concerted and strong opposition to
him, Modi’s stature only saw an improvement. Even before the assembly elections,
after being elected as Prime Ministerial candidate, he was victorious in his
mission. People believed in his words.
8. Modi has been successful in projecting
himself as a `VikasPurush’ not only in Gujarat but also in larger stripe of the
country. If you see the policy adopted in Gujarat in any sector, he can forcefully talk about the details of
his accomplishments.
9. He has successfully tried to identify
himself with the younger generation. This has come out in several surveys. This
country’s major chunk belongs to the younger generation, for whom unemployment,
development, rising prices and corruption are the major issues. Modi presents
these issues with a vision. If you listen to all but his election speeches, you
can see the reflection of some new programmes for the youth taking shape.
10. Modi is equally popular among women. It
is clear from the Open/C- voter survey that compared to Rahul, not only is Modi
the first choice among the male population, but by and large women have also
expressed their faith in him. The reason for this is because Modi has worked
hard to include women in the development strategy. He keeps making
efforts to give importance to women’ progress in all the development plans of
Gujarat - From girl child’s education to giving equal status in panchayat
elections.(5)
11. Modi is popular among all age groups. A
survey was conducted by the Open/C- Voter among the youth, middle aged and
senior citizens. Modi is immensely popular in all groups. (6)
12. In the present circumstances, when in the
backdrop of the 2014 elections, Congress has openly decided to project Rahul
Gandhi’s leadership, BJP has strongly projected Modi as his candidate. Apart
from this, people have also started projecting Kejriwal. My belief is that it
should be better to give some time to Kejriwal. He has to prepare his ground
nationally. Besides, he has to prove his ability by doing some work in Delhi.
If the comparison is made between Rahul and Modi then Modi is the choice of majority. According to ABP
News- Nielson survey, 48 per cent of the country’s people have shown their
preference for Modi against only 18 per cent for Rahul. (7)
And India Today also talked
to 12,823 people during a survey. This also indicated Modi as the choice of 36
per cent of the people while only 22 per cent said Rahul was their choice.(8) The results of NDTV survey were also on the same
lines.
13. Modi is always involved with the
people. Whether it is social network or
any other means, Modi is easily accessible to anybody. Despite being the Chief
Minister of a state like Gujarat, since long not only he has been accessible to
a college or university, but also his busy schedule has not affected his
official work. Just try this arrangement with any other state leader and you
will see the difference.
14. Modi has admirable ability to take
decisions. He can take decisions without coming under any pressure. Can you
find this ability in any person aspiring to be the prime minister?
15. Every partner of NDA is with him
now. Nitish Kumar might have opposed Modi and later decided to
go on his way, but see what damage has befallen Nitish Kumar. Nitish’s popularity has seen a drastic drop.
At this time, there is Modi wave in Bihar. At least this could be seen from the
Patna rally. Within JDU itself, there are differences over Modi. The effect of Modi’s spectacular personality
is such that JDU Member of Parliament, Narayan Nishad not only extended his
support openly but also held a two-day Yagna at home for the success of Modi’s
candidature for prime ministership.
During the Party’s Working
Committee meeting, Shivanand Tiwari also gave a description of Modi’s
increasing popularity and criticized Nitish.
16. At this moment, leaders of all political
parties are assessing their prospects against Modi’s. PDP President Mahbuba
Mufti openly said that Modi could take a firm stand on Kashmir, which can bring
benefits to the people of the state. (9) Similarly
Chandra Babu Naidu of Telugu Desam has no hesitation in coming closer to Modi,
Tamil Nadu PMK and MDMK also started seeing in Modi the country’s future. Vaiko
and Ramdas are themselves talking to BJP. (10)
17. If after a long time, absence of groupism
is seen in BJP, it is simply because of
Modi. After Vajpayee and Advani, it is Modi who earns the respect of the
Party.
18. In BJP, there is no other big leader who
has acceptance from the entire country. It is perhaps due to this reason, the
Party had no problem in declaring Modi’s name.
19. Modi also carries the RSS’s support. They also acknowledge that Modi’s working
style is entirely different from that of the Sangh. Sangh had little role in Modi’s leadership of
Gujarat. Modi’s development approach dominated over them.
20. Post riots, Modi has been able to successfully improve his image sullied by the opponents
imposed allegations against him.
21. There was no allegation of corruption
against Modi. Modi’s strong point is his
transparency. He believes in placing his work on line before the public. Thus
there can be no scope for corruption. Whatever happens is shared in the public
domain.
22. Despite just being the Chief Minister of
a state, Modi has been able to present the Gujarat Model before the World,
which has been commended globally.
23. Gradually Modi’s acceptance in other
countries is also increasing. Ambassadors of European Union, Britain and
America have acknowledged this.
24. Because of a few opponents within the
country, many countries in the world might have tried to isolate him, but with
the passage of time, the outlook of the entire world towards Modi has changed.
Today, big nations are making efforts to build relationships with him.
Including that of Britain, ambassadors of many other countries went to Gujarat
and met Modi.
25. Because of opposition from a handful of
people, the ‘Wharton India Forum’ might have cancelled the invitation to Modi
as the prime speaker, but whatever happened after that can easily be
guessed from the influence of Modi. All companies, which had sponsored withdrew
their support. First of all, the chief sponsor Adani Group
sidelined itself. After this, ‘Silver Sponsor Colours’ and ‘Bronze
Sponsor Hex aware’ also pulled out their hands. Not only this, the people who
were associated with the programme also declined to participate. Shiv Sena
leader Suresh Prabhu refused to go to the forum .Dr.Asim Shukla, Assistant
Professor of ‘Pennsylvania Medical
School' had started campaign against this. And at the same time, Sadanand
Dhume, columnist of “Wall Street Journal
and an associate of ‘American Enterprise Institute’ in his tweet, announced to distance himself
from the ‘Wharton India Economic Forum’.
Expressing his opposition, New Jersey based eminent medical doctor and
Padmashree recipient, Sudhir Parikh,
withdrew his name from the conference. (11)
26. Apart from this, 94 per cent of the
people surveyed by ’Wall Street Journal’ described the cancellation of the
invitation to Modi as wrong. Following this, a campaign was launched on the
topic of `free speech’ in America.
Chairman of the US India-Business Council, Ron Somers also expressed his
unhappiness about the cancellation of
Modi’s programme. (12)
27. If we leave out Gujarat riots, then Modi
has never been involved in any debate. After the court verdict there was no
meaning in believing that the debate was a political or government conspiracy.
Modi has never made any objectionable statement against anybody. Never has he
made any disrespectful remark.
28. Modi is regarded as a mature leader. He
is farsighted. He is never in dilemma about any issue, which is the sign of a
good politician. Not only is his vision clear, but also he foresees the outcome
of things, which are likely to happen in long years.
29. Modi has been having a friendly
relationship with the media.
30. Modi today is a charismatic leader. No
leader from the second generation of BJP appears to be able to stand up to him.
31. Every
urban and young voter is drawn towards him. Young voters are looking up to him
with hope.
32. Modi is technology friendly. Not only
does he use modern technologies, but he also motivates the youth to adopt them.
In Gujarat, he has introduced the use of modern technologies in all spheres
spanning from education to governance. His
clear belief is that if we don’t change in accordance with the advancing
technologies, then we will be left behind.
33. Apart from being popular among the
general public, Modi is also popular among the industrialists. Industrialists
have a good rapport with him.
34. After the 'Nano project' shifted from
Bengal to Gujarat, Modi created a wonderful image of himself on the basis of
development. Although pandemonium was created in Bengal over Tata's Nano
project, but after or during its shift from Bengal to Gujarat, neither the
public nor Tata's faced any problem.
35. Not only in industry, but also even in
social, political, economic, and
administrative areas Modi has worked for development. Modi could reach all
sections of the Gujarat, because Modi's developmental ways have positively
affected everyone's life.
36. Modi has his own vision on overall
development. He has worked in all areas, ranging from farming to animal
husbandry, education to governance, and tourism to industry. Maybe this is the
reason that Modi has been able to gain the confidence of the people.
37. If you dismiss the 2002 Gujarat riot,
there has been no riot in Gujarat since then. That riot left Modi devastated.
It was just a few months since Modi had come to power, but after suffering the
aftermath of riot, if Gujarat regained itself, it must be due to the magic of
Modi’s leadership.
38. Even though attempts have been made to
tarnish Modi’s image, the truth is that no court has ever held him guilty. Not
only this, even the Supreme Court appointed Committee acquitted Modi
completely. Court also made it clear that Modi had no role in the riot. The
truth is that the manner the violence spread as a reaction to the Godhra riots,
it was difficult to control it. In India, many riots had taken place before as
retaliation. The manner in which the killings of Sikhs took place following the
assassination of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi himself had remarked “When a big
tree falls the earth must shake”. (13) Gujarat riot can never be justified. Also,
culprits should be given the severest punishment, but is it right to raise the
question about the prime ministerial candidate just because in an extraordinary
circumstances a riot could not be controlled?
Even after the court’s verdict, continued efforts in cornering Modi are nothing but a political stunt.
39. Due to the riots, Gujarat’s image
tarnished in the country, rather in other words, India’s reputation was sullied
in the entire world. But in the last few years the way in which Modi with his
relentless efforts transformed Gujarat’s image, it can be acknowledged as
Modi’s biggest achievement. Does the country not deserve such a leader?
40. Using
the riot as a ploy, allegations might continue to heap that Modi allowed this
to happen and the entire administration remained helpless. But the truth is
that Modi was not only active, but after taking all decisions, he talked to Defense
Minister on February 28, 2002 and asked
him to take immediate action. This has been explained in detailed in an article
written by Jethmalani in the ‘Sunday Guardian’.(14)
41. Senior Advocate Ran Jethmalani also
established with facts that the post Godhra violence, the riots were not state
sponsored. According to the article, in the six days after the riots started,
61 Hindus and 40 Muslims died.(15)
42. Soon after the Godhra violence on 27
December, 2002, Modi had deployed his 70,000- strong security personnel on the
streets. (The Hindustan Times, 22 February,2002). In the first three days,
Gujarat Police fired 4,000 rounds. Arrested 27,000 persons.‘ National Minority Commission’ Chairman, John Joseph wrote that till "6thApril 126 people were killed in police firing. Of
this, 77 were Hindus”. It is clear that accusations against Modi that he
discriminated against Muslims were proved wrong.
43. Modi may well be propagated as a poster
boy of Hindustan, but during Modi’s
rule, several temples were demolished
stating they were unauthorized construction.
In just one month, 80 such temples, which had been built illegally on
the government land, were demolished. It is clear that this is the first slogan
of his Mission Development.(17)
44. As per the census of 2001, 9 per cent of Gujarat’s population was
Muslims. That is, Gujarat had 45 lakh Muslims. Their literacy rate was much
higher than the national average at 73 per cent. Not only this, the sex ratio
and employment statistics are better than the national average. Ali Asghar, an
architect of Jamnagar has written that
"if people are unemployed, then there will be unrest. Now that
everyone is getting a job, then why would there be unrest?"(18)
45. With the passage of time, Muslims trust
in Modi has increased. According to an Open/C- Voter survey, on the issues of Muslims' welfare and
communal harmony, the minority community’s trust in Modi has seen to be increasing. On resolving issues related to
Dalit, Naxals and Kashmir, people have openly trusted him..(19)
46. Even if Opposition parties and their
leaders from different parts of the country may continue to corner Modi using
the riots as the argument, but in Gujarat itself Muslims' opinion towards him
has softened and in many places Muslims voted for Modi. This is what Maulana
Mahmood Madani, General Secretary, 'Jamiat –e-ulama' has said. Madani, in an
interview went on to say to his extent that in Gujarat Muslims have not only
progressed a lot, but in fact the Muslims in Gujarat have made much higher
progress than in the states under the so-called secular governments.(20)
47. It is not only that Modi slowly started
earning the minority community’s support
, but if the need arose, Modi also expressed his full faith in giving election
ticket to minority community. In the
local body elections in Jamnagar, Modi put up 24 Muslim candidates out of total
27 nominees. Of this, 9 were women. Surprisingly, all the 24 candidates won
from the BJP citadel. (21)
48. Modi has earned support not only from the
Minority communities, but also from the backward communities. On one hand he
has worked steadily for the development of farmers who bear the brunt of
weather, and on the other hand, he has connected those who were earning their
bread through ranching with the mainstream. I have described this in detail in
the chapter "Modi's Economic Policy".
49. Modi has never played caste politics,
which has now become poison for several large states of the country.
50. Modi
never supported regionalism and nor did he play petty politics, rather he
always marched ahead with a national outlook.
51. Not only did Modi stop politics of
regionalism, but also he went a step ahead and welcomed youth from different
states in Gujarat. When many states were trying to prevent immigration from
other states, even national Capital Delhi is not an exception, Modi only made a
forceful appeal to the people to come to Gujarat, earn their living and thus
contribute to the development of the country.
52. Right now, the country is under the
influence of divisive forces. If it is regionalism in some place, it is casteism
in other places. Despite this, Modi changed the attitude of the people of Gujarat.
It is obvious, national unity is the need of the hour.
53. Even after becoming the Chief Minister
of Gujarat, Modi started successfully
projecting himself as a national leader. This political experience will come to
use for national development.
54. One interesting fact is that not only did
Modi’s popularity start increasing, people forced the party to make Modi their
leader. Now he has become the first choice not only in western India, but also
in eastern, northern and southern Indian states. In an Open/C Voter survey, a
fact has come to the fore that in southern India, Modi is the favorable
candidate for twice the number of people
than other leaders. And when the truth is that
BJP does not have a strong base in southern India excluding Karnataka. (22)
55. Modi is a strong administrator. He has
come up from the grassroots of politics and has good grasp of the governance.
It is obvious that this country needs a devoted politician for stability and
development.
56. A big leader is one who has the maximum
number of political adversaries. The reason is his working style, which is not
based purely on political interests but on development goals. If superficial
politics crosses the path of development, then he goes ahead ignoring those who
have selfish interests. It is this issue that is disliked by many politicians,
who consider politics as a means to prosperity. Therefore it is clear that the
development oriented politician becomes an irritant. At present Modi tops the
list in this country, which has maximum political rivals. Despite this, Modi
never left the battlefield, on the contrary he kept marching ahead fighting
them.
57. The biggest irony of the hour is that
even at the critical hour, the top most leaders never come out and do not speak
publicly. They confine themselves within the air-conditioned rooms. Such
problems will resolve once Modi sits at the pinnacle of power.
58. Though Modi has become a favorite of
Sangh (RSS), he does not seem to be following the orders of the Sangh.
Actually, he will take decision on his own. The posture of Modi so far is
indicative that he will invest his efforts only on those kinds of work, which
will be necessary for development.
59. Modi is an expert at experimenting with
ideas. Whether it is for branding, or adopting new technology, or developing
any new policy. For instance – Vibrant
Gujarat, Connecting people through Google Plus, Organization of many festivals
in the state. The fact is, if you want to develop the country or take youth on
a new path, you do require experimentation; else it is be difficult to attain
progress at a faster pace.
60. Modi knows the art of dealing with his
opponents. For example, once before the election in Gujarat, Congress posed a
temporary challenge having made surfeit of promises, but Modi’s promises made
light of Congress’s claims. This should be taken in the current circumstance
when the Government at the Centre keeps carping at opposition parties. It feels
that because of its alliance partners it is not able to work towards its
development programmes. I feel that Modi
can take strong decisions by taking along alliance partners and go ahead with his
development plans.
61. It is also necessary that Modi becomes
Prime Minister because he is also the number one political enemy of even the
ruling dispensation. Yet, he is entrenched strongly in his position and
directly challenges the Centre from Gujarat.
Don't you think that the country needs such a smart leader at present?
62. Even when attempts are made using Godhra
violence to create fear about Modi, he has never made a reference to
communalism in his speech. He found
success in projecting himself as a development-oriented person, while the reality is that all parties set aside
even rules and norms to woo minorities today. Has Modi ever said anything on
communalism even when he was speaking in support of minorities?
63. Modi also made a promise that he will not
allow another riot in Gujarat like Godhra. This was mentioned by the German
Ambassador at a Press Conference. There is also the proof that there has been
no riot again in Gujarat during his rule. Moreover, if I can give a second
example, in Uttar Pradesh, more than 100 riots have taken place under
Akhilesh’s Chief ministership. They are still continuing. Should he be, for this reason alone, removed
from his post of Chief Minister or should he be deprived of Prime Minister’s
post forever. It is obvious that keeping the circumstances in view, this matter
should be evaluated. (23)
64. If elections are fought on development as
the issue, then no one can stand before Modi. The country has to decide whether
to keep wailing on the debating of riots or dream about development and give Modi
a chance.
65. Modi is a good manager. It is necessary
that such a person should occupy the post of
Prime Minister, who can manage all affairs simultaneously.
66. Under the leadership of Modi, Party
discipline is intact. The truth is that any leader will be able to work well,
only when he does not have to face groupism within the party. By and large this problem can be seen
everywhere, but such a thing never happened in Gujarat under his leadership.
Never has anyone been able to damage the party from within.
67. Modi knows the skill of bringing his
opponents from his own party closer to him. It is well known to everyone, how
Keshubhai tried to create problems for Modi in Gujarat, but ultimately when he
won the election he first took blessings of Keshubhai and won him over. It is
the truth of this nation that when a person reaches the pinnacle of power, he
takes revenge on each of his political rivals, but in Modi’s politics such
pettiness cannot be seen at all. It is
this style of Modi that makes him different.
68. Modi is seen to be distant from family
life. One has never seen the welter between power and family relations.
Peculiarity of such a personality is that wealth and riches hold very little
attraction to them. In this regard, Modi is comparable to Vajpayee.
69. Modi has no child. Except his elderly
mother he has no close relations, and hence has no need to indulge in
corruption.
70. Modi is 62 years old, which means he has
spent so much in life that he can make use of his experience quite well. At the same time, he is not that old, where
only veteran leaders are seen in Indian politics. It may be noted that average
age of cabinet ministers at present is 64 years. (24)
71. Modi retains his simplicity, which was
found when he became the chief minister.
He may have become chief minister for the fourth time, but simplicity continues
unchanged. His mother still stays in the same home, where she was living
before.
72. The compulsion of BJP is that just the
syrup of Hinduism will not work in the election, rather party base started the
cocktail of growth along with it and Modi beats everyone in the matter of these two qualities. If
opponents keep labeling him a Hindu fanatic, Modi has proved himself by
completing all the developmental work and circumventing slander. (25)
73. World’s most influential magazine ‘Time’
featured Modi on its cover in its March 2012 issue. It also wrote that the name
Modi means business. The magazine not only gave credit to Modi for Gujarat’s
development, it also wrote that Modi is a determined and an impressive leader
who can take the country towards development path and which can help the
country compete with China. It gives a glimpse of Modi’s recognition at global
level.
74. Modi has direct rapport with the common
people. He needs no intermediary for him. Even if it is through the social
networking site. You can have an interaction with him directly through the site.(26)
75. Modi’s one big strength is his language.
He speaks Hindi very well. Despite being a Gujarati, he connects himself with
the entire country quite well. That is, he can listen to the problems of the
multitude of population of the country in their own language and answer them.
Not only this, he is not against the English language. He clearly says that it is not bad to learn a
language that leads you on the path of progress, only that you should not
distance yourself from your own culture. It is important to give due regard to
it. (27)
76. Modi is not only a good speaker, but he
has also written many poems. Besides this, he has also captured his thoughts on
education, nature and his own experiences in many books. It means that he is an
original thinker, which this country needs desperately.
77. Gujarat was given the IBN 7 Diamond
States Award as an outstanding state in providing excellent security
arrangements to its people. It is one
of the biggest contributions of Modi’s leadership, considering personal security has become a big issue in
this country.
78. For an overall agricultural production,
President Pranab Mukherjee presented the most outstanding state award to
Gujarat. It means that under Modi it was not only industry that progressed or
the industrialists were happy, but good tidings came to farmers as well. What
more does agriculture based country need?
79. At this time, country’s biggest problem
is that of inflation, corruption and economic development. On these issues also
people have reposed more faith in Modi. in recent surveys (28)
80. Only 5 per cent of India’s population
resides in Gujarat whereas the land area is only six per cent. But, if we
consider the contribution then “Value of Output” is 16.1 per cent, and
Gujarat’s contribution of imports is 16 per cent. In “stock market capitalization’ its share is
30 per cent. In industrial production, Gujarat’s contribution is 16.2 per
cent. In the 10th Five Year
Plan, India’s growth rate was fixed at 8.2 per cent, but Gujarat grew at 10.2
per cent. In the first year, it was a record increase at the rate of 15 per
cent. In offshore crude oil production, Gujarat’s share was 54 per cent. In
Natural Gas production, the share was 50 per cent. 46 per cent of India’s refinery capacity and
60 per cent of the country’s total export of crude oil is from the Gujarat’s
facility.
81. Modi gave extensive attention to health
issues, which is discussed widely within the country and outside. WHO commended
Gujarat for its school health programme. Under this programme one crore
children of primary school are given health check-up every year. “Chiranjivi” plan for providing healthcare to
women during their pregnancy was also praised profusely. The 'Asian Innovation
Award' in Singapore gave it recognition worldwide. Ample praise was showered on
this in the UNICEF 'State of the Children 2009' Report. Moreover, Gujarat has successfully
established its reputation worldwide in medical tourism.
82. Modi’s mission “Water for All” tells a
new story about development. The water management of Gujarat proved to be a
precedent for other states. Be it rain harvesting or using it scientifically or
interlinking 21 rivers. Water grid has
been built to provide drinking water to 14,000 villages and 154 cities. Before
this, water was being sent in tankers to 4,000 villages, now it has come down
185 villages (Figures are of four years ago).
83. With ‘JyotiGram programme’ Gujarat has
become the first state in the country where all the villages have been provided
with electricity. It is the effect of Modi’s efforts.
84. In getting justice for the common people,
the Gujarat Government under Modi has done an excellent work. According to
available statistics, in 2005, 45 lakh cases were pending, which came down to
22 lakh, while it was aimed to bring it further down to zero. The Government
also set up 67 evening courts, so that it will be convenient to working
people. Also considerable assistance
accrued from the ‘ Lok Adalat’ and `Nari Adalat’ (Women’s court).
85. Gujarat had worked quite fast for
implementing the ‘Hunger Mitigation’ programme. For the first time, any state
won the coveted first position for it for four consecutive years and it was
during Modi’s tenure itself.
86. During Modi’s time itself, Gujarat became
the first state where e-governance has been implemented in its Mahanagarpalikas
and Municipal corporations. It is Gujarat again which implemented a
comprehensive ‘Urban Health Policy’. Gujarat is the first state, not only in
the country, but also in entire Asia to connect 590 village councils with
computer network. Till now, computers have been made available in
13,693Panchayat or Village Councils. Also, people are being trained in computer
operations.
87. On the one side, when other chief
ministers are keen in filling up their coffers with gifts, on other side Modi
has no such temptations. Modi has deposited all the gifts given to him in the
government treasury to be used for education of girls. In the first five years’
record alone, Modi had deposited Rs.287.37 lakh. According to the statistics up
to January 2nd ,2014, Modi in the last 12 years has donated about Rs. 19 crore
received as gift, in the government treasury.
88. While on one side when a chief minister
looks at the next election, Modi can be seen taking a view of the next
generation, means Modi’s farsightedness has no comparison. Perhaps, for this
reason Industrialist Anil Ambani once said ‘If Gujarat had been a separate
country, then it would have been in a
league of developed nations'.
89. In the "India Today- MARG" survey,
Modi has been ranked no.1 Chief Minister four out of five years. This is a rare
honor given to any chief minister.
90. Writing in praise of Gujarat, noted
author and social worker Mahashweta Devi has said “I have toured Gujarat
several times. Even during the 2002 riots. I was struck by the work culture of
Gujarat. Whether it is the village or town—everywhere there are excellent
roads. To the extent, even in remote villages there are water and electricity
facilities. I was particularly amazed by the health care facility in the
panchayat and local levels”. Later, drawing comparison from the 30 year rule of
Bengal she says, “ the conditions are
not like Bengal, where even in villages and panchayats there is no electricity.
No sign of any healthcare facility could be seen.” (29)
91. Modi suffers from the allegation of being
dictatorial dispensation. Neither does he listen nor has he listened to Party
President Nitin Gadkari. It may well be a charge against him, but this is Modi’s
strength. The question is does this stance of Modi have had adverse effect on
the country? Has BJP been shattered as an organization? The question also
arises whether the country does not need a prime minister like him, who takes
decisions from his own reasoning. Because, at present the biggest weakness is
that country’s top leadership is apprehensive of taking decisions.
92. Allegations are hurled at Modi that he
spreads vicious propaganda. Actually the truth is that if the percentage of his
supporters is a minority at one per cent, he has 50 times more of enemies.
Despite this, if Modi is able to assert with his dominance then it should be
understood as his specialty and strength. The power of people strengthens his
stature.
93. In the recent past Justice Katju emerged
as an opponent of Modi. Despite being
the chairman of the Press Council, he criticized him expressing his personal
views. Aniruddha Dutta on Firstpost.com raised many questions on the statement
made by Katju. Aniruddha wrote that -
And in the survey conducted
by Katju (what else can it be since he has so emphatically written about it), "The truth today is that Muslims in
Gujarat are terrorized and afraid that if they speak out against the horrors of
2002 they may be attacked and victimized. In the whole of India Muslims (who
are over 200 million of the people of India) are solidly against Modi (though
there are a handful of Muslims who for some reason disagree)." So
Katju has surveyed over 200 million Muslims. But then what explains BJP’s
victory in Muslim dominated constituencies in recent Gujarat elections as well
as the recent municipal elections? Probably in Justice Katju's views, a silly
question by an Indian idiot.
How many Muslims in Gujarat
has Katju spoken to? During my visit to Gujarat in November, I spoke to two for
considerable length of time. They certainly did not look terrorized and
discussed politics quite freely. While Katju may not know the reason why some
Muslims disagree, these two Muslims very clearly said that communalism has been
a scourge of Gujarat, like the rest of India, for long and this is the first
time that ten years of tranquility and peace has been enjoyed in Gujarat. Both
these individuals run businesses - one is Nadeem Jaffri who runs Hearty Mart
enterprises, a retail venture and the other is Talha Sareshwala, CEO & MD,
of Parsoli Motors. Of course, there are Muslims who would not discuss politics
and would shy away from it. But even in the lanes of Juhapura, during an earlier
visit, small entrepreneurs like tent wallahs happily said that business was
booming since Gujarat was growing. (30)
94. The Human Development Index in Gujarat is
being questioned, but according to the author Aniruddha Dutta, the human
development index in Gujarat has increased
exceptionally in the last ten years. Aniruddha wrote that –
Katju has criticized the
human development indicators of the people of Gujarat and has rightly asked
should they eat electricity, roads and factories. Like all of Gujarat's development
has not happened in the last ten years, similarly Gujarat's human development
indicators are not necessary a reflection of what has happened only in the last
ten years. It's a legacy of the last sixty years of "development".
Gujarat's human development indicators (HDI) in most cases are better than the
all India average. While it is not the best in India, it is nowhere close to
being the worst and its improvement in the last ten years is in most cases
among the best. That is why it features among the top performing states in
India Today's annual rankings consistently. However, there is no gain saying
that the HDI indicators of India and Gujarat as well are appalling. When
starvation deaths happen in Thane district, what can be more shameful than that
for India. (31)
95. Gujarat has emerged as the foremost state
in financial autonomy. In a survey, to determine financial autonomy three
criteria were examined. They were: (1) Government’s Structure, (2) Legal/ Constitutional structure and (3) Ownership of resources, activities and labor
regulations. In all the three counts, Gujarat has been placed as number one
state. For your information, let me tell
you that India’s ranking is 111 among
144 countries, which earlier were 76. You can understand, if the chief minister
of the no. 2 state, Narendra Modi becomes the prime minister of the country
then would it not change the fortunes of the nation? (32)
96. Modi 's positive thinking makes him a
strong contender . Instead of getting entangled in disputes, he puts himself
firmly in a mission. Recollect the incident that happened a few months ago .
Wherever Modi went, media did not talk about his speeches, but they raised
controversy that how many people opposed him. How Modi defied Congress ,
challenged Gandhi family. It was the
same story when he visited SRCC college of Delhi University , but quoting Anant
Rangaswamy, Sandeepan Deb presented many new things in his article in LIVEMINT,
wherein he has spoken about Modi's congregation. He wrote that -
"Anant Rangaswami has
very perceptively pointed out in firstpost.com: "Decode (Modi's) speech,
and these are the words which pop out: Development, education, youth, progress,
brands, India, success, profit and wealth creation, going abroad, pride,
technology, brains and employment. That about covers all that the youth focus
on." Dripping with positivity, Modi almost seemed like a professional
motivational speaker, using pithy metaphors, humorous anecdotes and simple
examples. One metaphor will surely be remembered for a long time. Holding up a
glass of water, he said: "Some say this is half empty, others say this is
half full. I say this is full, half with water, and half with air." This
is corny, but this is young populist corn at its best. In social media, a new word
has already been born: Motivation.
He delighted his
audience with the sort of acronyms that the young thrive on: P2G2 (pro-people
good governance), 5F (farm to fibre to fabric to fashion to foreign), 3S
(skill, scale, speed). He spoke of building India's largest convention centre
in 162 days, of having 50% of India's gross domestic product under one roof in
his Vibrant Gujarat summit, of having completely eradicated 120 cattle diseases
in six years (SRCC's principal provided further proof of Modi's efficiency when
he said that the college had invited 11 people, including five cabinet
ministers, to address the students, and Modi's office was the first to reply;
some replies were still awaited)." (33)
97. Justice Katju had raised a question on
Modi that whether the malnutritioned children of Gujarat eat these roads,
electricity, and factories? The truth is that it is on the strength of this
development that poverty can be eradicated. Not only this, the means cited by
Katju for planting his bushy allegations, they are also developed for the poor.
The truth is that what Gujarat did for developing its agricultural sector, it
cannot be found in any other state. Modi’s clear views of healthcare cannot be
seen anywhere. Can the problems of decades be solved in a few years? Today,
Modi is attacked from all directions. His enemies are engaged in using various
means to weaken him. They are searching for such a sector, where Gujarat can be
found to be backward. In my opinion, enemies have nothing to establish.
98. Breaking all constraints, Narendra Modi’s
development work has earned praise from all quarters. A veteran Congress
leader, former Member of Parliament and above all granddaughter of Mahatma
Gandhi, Sumitra Gandhi Kulkarni, is one such person. Sumitra openly praises the
development work undertaken during Modi’s time. According to Sumitra, during
Modi’s time Gujarat has seen many changes. (35)
99. If the country has to provide an
alternative to Congress, then the
question arises who should get this opportunity? It will be premature to say
this for Aam Aadmi Party. After seeing the Delhi’s results, it can only be said
that even after coming second, Congress can only be seen as supporting partner.
The truth is that there is no one in sight to match Modi.
100. Several allegations might have been made
against Modi. He was called even “Maut Ka Saudagar”, but actually Modi never
lost his equanimity even amidst all such allegations. On the contrary, he
followed Gandhism. On two issues, he had been threatened with death. He was
sent mails by Omar Farooq Siddiqui in 2002 and 2006. He could have been handed
severest punishments on these issues, but not only did he forgave him; Modi
called Kasim’s family and explained his position to them. He closed the case.
He asked the company, which removed him from work, to re-employ him. Comparing
this to the current circumstance when anyone writing on Face Book or write such
a thing in a mail, it will be difficult to imagine what consequence he would have
faced. (36)
101. Not only from general survey of people, but
even from a market research survey, it is evident that Modi is the most popular
person. As per the survey conducted by IPSOS agency, 43 per cent people said
Modi was their first choice, while 36 percent backed Rahul as their first choice.
As such, it is clear that in the name of development also Narendra Modi is the
first choice of the people. (37)
1.
This article was written between December, 2012 and March,
2013, which was published in the IBN7's blog section on March 19,
2013.
4.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/44-of-voters-in-Indias-top-metropolises-say-they-will-vote-AAP-for-Lok-Sabha-TOI-poll/articleshow/28566136.cms
13.
http://www.sunday-guardian.com/analysis/the-rise-and-rise-of-tomorrows-prime-minister-narendra-modi
27. Said during a speech
at Delhi's Talkatora Stadium on January 5, 2013.
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