Meteoric rise of Hindutva poster boy
Narendra Modi, from being an RSS pracharak to BJP office-bearer to three time Gujarat chief minister and now BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. Despite called by many as a “polarising” and “divisive” figure after the post-2002 Godhra riots, Mr Modi continued to battle against all odds and opposition from within the party to emerge as the face of BJP for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Mr Modi will turn 63 on September 17.
The BJP, backed by RSS, pipped party veteran L.K. Advani and long-time aspirant for the top post by declaring him the PM candidate. In fact, Mr Advani, once considered as a mentor of Mr Modi, opposed the projection of the Gujarat strongman.
In October 2001, Mr Modi replaced Keshubhai Patel as Gujarat chief minister. However, after 59 Kar Sewaks were killed in Sabarmati Express fire on February 27, which was followed by communal riots, many accused him of inaction during the riots in which around 1,000 people were killed, most of them Muslims. Many believe that Mr Modi will find it difficult to shed this taint.
The then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had reminded him of his “raj dharma” but Mr Advani and the late Pramod Mahajan helped Mr Modi to survive as the chief minister.
Despite the difficulties, Mr Modi led the BJP in consecutive elections in Gujarat and virtually decimating the Congress in the state. He has also been under sustained attack over alleged fake encounters and his close aide Amit Shah is under a cloud in a few of these. Though many called him “autocratic”, but the BJP and RSS are of the view that he is the only leader in the saffron fold who can successfully take on the UPA in the Lok Sabha elections.
From being a “Hindutva” poster boy, Mr Modi did a conscious image makeover to someone who can deliver “development” and “good governance.” Even in the business community, he is the chief minister who has led Gujarat to the path of sustained development. His “massive” fan following is a result of it.
It was during the BJP’s Goa conclave earlier this year that it was decided to elevate him, first as the election campaign committee head and at a later stage as the prime ministerial candidate. His elevation led to JD(U) breaking its 17-year-old alliance with BJP as it feared impact on its Muslim votes.
The decision was taken despite stiff opposition by Mr Advani, who even resigned from all the three party posts, only to retract later after intervention by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
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