Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi began his three-day fast for peace and communal harmony on Saturday, vowing to end vote-bank politics in an attempt to project himself as an acceptable face for the NDA and to remove the taint of the 2002 communal carnage in the state.
Mr Modi spoke of the “pain” he felt during the communal riots in Gujarat. The political drama was in full swing in the state as Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela also sat on a counter-fast on the footpath outside Sabarmati Ashram.
While the NDA allies Akali Dal and Shiv Sena went to Ahmedabad, the BJP’s most powerful ally, the Janata Dal (U), stayed away from Mr Modi’s “Sadbhavna Mission”. The JD(U) is pitching for Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to be the NDA’s face for the 2014 general elections. AIADMK chief J. Jayalalithaa sent two emissaries to attend Mr Modi’s show.
Mr Advani, who failed to win elections for the party despite his “lauh purush (iron man)” tag, appeared in the mood to relinquish it in Mr Modi’s favour. He praised the Gujarat CM for his policy of “zero tolerance” towards terrorism and corruption”.
However, addressing the gathering, which was well attended by Muslims, Christians and Sikhs, Mr Modi said: “I had said at that time in 2002 that these riots should not have happened in a civilised society. At that time I had felt the pain and now also I am feeling the pain.” Stopping short of an apology, Mr Modi said he wanted to ensure that “Gujarat never slips below the parameters of humanity”. Though he has earned himself a reputation as an able administrator and one who turned around the state’s economy after he took charge in 2001, he is still targeted for alleged complicity during the 2002 riots.
Realising that to make himself acceptable to the NDA he would have to make his critics believe he was not “communal”, Mr Modi tried to reach out to the minority community. While nearly 10,000 Muslims are expected to attend his three-day fast, the BJP is also planning a meeting of Muslim councillors in Surat.