Narendra Modi: The man who made his own luck a Chaywala to the PM of India

Narendra Modi

 Narendra Modi (Full Name: Narendra Damodardas Modi) is the 15^th Prime Minister of India. He led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a decisive victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Birth and Brought up:

He was born on September 17, 1950 in the house of Heeraben(mother) and Damodardas Mulchand Modi(father)  of Vadnagar, Mehsana district (then Bombay state), Gujarat. He is the 3^rd child of the 6 children of his parents. During his childhood he helped his father selling tea. He completed his schooling in Vadnagar. During his schooling although he was an average student he was described as a keen debater who had interest in theatres.

 Marriage:

NaMo when he was a child

 At the age of 13 he got engaged to Jashodaben Chimanlal and the got married with her at the age of 18. But Modi chose to walk away from the marriage to Belur Ramakrishan Asharam. He became a great follower of Swami Vivekanand. Till 2014 Lok Sabha Elections he claimed his status as single. Modi acknowledged Jashodaben as his legal spouse when he filled nomination form for 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

 Education:

Modi graduated through Distance Education in political science from Delhi University. Modi remained a pracharak in the RSS while he completed his Master's degree in political science from Gujarat University.

Early political career

He joined RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) at the age of 8.  During the 1960's India-Pakistan war, even though he was only a young boy, he volunteered to serve soldiers traveling through railway stations. After completing his early education, side by side, he also worked in the staff canteen of Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation. He became a full–time propagandist (pracharak) of the RSS in 1971.  As a youth, he became a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student wing involved in anti-corruption. So he joined the Navnirman movement and dutifully performed the tasks assigned to him. The movement was further strengthened when it gained the support of Jayaprakash Narayan, a well-respected public figure and a known crusader against corruption.

NaMo when he went underground

NaMo when he went underground

In 1975, when emergency was declared by the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, Modi participated in the movement against the Emergency under Jayaprakash Narayan and went underground.

 In 1985 RSS assigned Modi to the BJP where he showed his signs of becoming a successful politician. 

NaMo during his Yatra

            In 1988, Modi was elected as organizing secretary of BJP's Gujarat unit that led him to his formal entry into mainstream politics. He rose steadily through the ranks, and was inducted into the national executive in 1991 after aiding Murli Manohar Joshi, a party senior, in his ekta yatra (journey for unity) to bolster support. Modi was responsible for the Somnath to Ayodhya Rath Yatra and a similar trek from Kanyakumari in Southern India all the way up to Kashmir in the north.

As secretary, his strategies led BJP to win in the 1995 state elections.

In November 1995, Modi was elected National Secretary of BJP and was transferred to New Delhi where he was assigned responsibility for the party's activities.

In 1996, when Shankersingh Vaghela partnered from the BJP, Modi was promoted to the post of General Secretary (Organisation) of the BJP. His strategies proved to be key role in winning the 1998 elections.

As Chief Minister of Gujarat

Narendra Modi was the 14^th CM of Gujrat and governed for 13 consecutive years as its Chief Minister. He has been the longest-serving Chief Minister of the state.

First term (Oct 7, 2001–Dec 22, 2002)

On Oct 7, 2001, Modi replaced Keshubhai Patel as the CM of Gujarat, as he was unable to solve the problems of corruption and poor administration. However, Modi did exceedingly well, focusing on privatization and minimum interference in business.

2002 Gujarat riots (anti-Muslim riots)

In February 2002, there were riots in Gujrat in which more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed, for which the government of Gujrat was accused for not taking sufficient action against violence.

The matter was led into a national-level debate, with opposition parties demanding Modi's resignation. He resigned and elections were held again.

However, in April 2009, the Supreme Court appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to inquire into the Gujarat government and Narendra Modi's role in the incidents of communal violence.

In December 2010, the SIT reported to the court submitting that they did not find any substantial incriminating evidence against Modi of willfully allowing communal violence in the state.

Second term (Dec 22, 2002–Dec 22, 2007)

During the campaign, Modi's emphasis shifted from Hindutva to the economic development of Gujarat and managed to win 127 out of the 182 seats.

The changes brought by Modi in the period 2002–2007 have led to Gujarat being called an attractive investment destination. Modi started financial and technology parks in the state. During the 2007 Vibrant Gujarat summit, real estate investment deals worth ₹6.6 trillion were signed in Gujarat.

            In July 2007, Modi completed 2,063 consecutive days as chief minister of Gujarat, making him the longest-serving holder of that post.

2007 election

On July 18, 2006, Modi criticized the then Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh by saying that he is reluctant to revive anti-terror legislations. He frequently demanded strict actions against terrorists and terrorism.  He demanded to invoke tougher laws in states following the 2006 Mumbai blasts. Time to time he finds issues to attack central government. In the wake of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, Modi brought up the issue of security along Gujarat's 1,600 km long coastline. The UPA government acted upon this immediately and sanctioned construction of 30 high-speed surveillance boats.

Despite the troubled waters, Modi managed to win the 2007 election, bagging 122 of the 182 seats.

Third term (Dec 23, 2007–Dec 20, 2012)

Development projects

Successive BJP governments supported the creation of infrastructure projects for conservation of groundwater.

By December 2008, many serious projects were taken into consideration that helped to regain groundwater level by 2010 at a time when it was falling in all other Indian states.

As a result, production of genetically-modified Bt cotton, which could now be irrigated using tube wells, increased to become the largest in India. The boom in cotton production and utilization of semi–arid land leads the agriculture growth rate of Gujarat to 10.97% in the period 2001–2010, the highest among all Indian states.

The Narendra Modi government also succeeded in bringing electricity to every village in Gujarat.

In his third term, progress was made on the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City project, considered as one of Modi's pet projects.

Debate on Gujarat's development under Modi

Modi's government has worked to brand Gujarat as a state of dynamic development, economic growth and prosperity, using the slogan "Vibrant Gujarat".

 The economists Arvind Panagariya and Jagdish Bhagwati state that Gujarat's social indicator improved from a much lower baseline than other Indian states. They state that Gujarat's performance in raising literacy rates has been superior to other states in India, and the "rapid" improvement of health indicators in Gujarat as evidence that "its progress has not been poor by any means.”

In 2011, the Supreme Court complimented Gujarat Government for its land acquisition policy as there were "no complaints of any forcible acquisition."

Election commission's cautioning

In 2007, Modi was cautioned by the Election Commission of India for his speech at Mangrol, in which he justified the extrajudicial killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh. The Commission considered the speech to be "indulging in an activity that might aggravate existing differences between different communities."Modi had made this speech in response to Sonia Gandhi's speech calling him a "merchant of death", referring to Sohrabuddin's killing. Amit Shah, a close aid of Modi's, was accused of being involved in the killing.

Sadbhavana mission and fasts

During late 2011 and early 2012, Modi undertook a series of fasts as part of a Sadbhavna Mission (Goodwill Mission), meant to reach out to the Muslim community in Gujarat. According to him, his fast would "further strengthen Gujarat’s environment of peace, unity and harmony."

The mission started on 17 September 2011 in Ahmedabad with a three-day fast. He subsequently observed 36 fasts in 26 districts and eight cities. However, these fasts were not well received by all Muslims. For example

-          When Modi was offered to wear a skull cap by a Muslim cleric( named Sayed Imam Shahi Saiyed of a Dargah in Piranawas), he refused to wear it.

-          Another example occurred when Modi was fasting in Godhra( the place where a train was burnt that sparked the 2002 riots), a number of activists were detained for allegedly planning rallies against Modi.

Press and public relations

In 2011, on banning Gujrati TV channel TV9 by Indian National Congress party, Modi criticized it by saying that Journalists who speak against Congress are blocked.

He was quick to realize the potential of Twitter and Google + hangouts, and has been using these effectively.On August 31, 2012, Modi interacted with netizens on Google+ which was also broadcast live on YouTube. The event made Modi the first Indian politician to interact with netizens through live chat on the internet.

Fourth term (Dec 20, 2012–May 21, 2014)

In the 2012 Gujarat legislative assembly elections, Modi led BJP won 115 of the 182 seats, continuing the majority that the party has had throughout Modi's tenure. On compleation of his tenure as Chief Minister in Gujrat he completed his 4609 days.

He left this post forAnandi Ben as he was chose the Prime Minister of the naton.

Central politics

Path to candidacy for Prime Minister

On March 31, 2013, Modi was appointed to the BJP Parliamentary Board, the highest decision-making body of the party.

            On June 9, 2013, Modi was appointed Chairman of the BJP's Central Election Campaign Committee for the 2014 general election. The party's senior leader and founding member Lal Krishna Advani opposed this decision of the party and resigned from all his posts. However, next day, he withdrew his resignation at the urge of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

            He focused his speeches on jobs, development, poverty and scams. He complained of "illegal migrants" from Bangladesh, who he warned should "pack their bags" once the BJP came to power.

            In September 2013, BJP announced Modi as their prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

2014 General Election Campaign

Narendra Modi contested the election from two constituencies: Varanasi and Vadodara. His candidacy was supported by spiritual leaders Ramdev and Morari Bapu, and by economists Jagdish Bhagwati and Arvind Panagariya

Election victory

            On May 16, 2014, with the announcement of results of 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi emerged as an indisputable champion by delivering the party's best results ever and in which the ruling Indian National Congress suffered its worst ever defeat. His 282 seats of the 543 seats in lok Sabha for the Bharatiya Janata Party mean that he's entirely independent of the allies.
             Modi won from both seats he contested; defeating Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, in Varanasi and Madhusudhan Mistry of the Indian National Congress in Vadodara (by a margin of 5,70,128 votes, the second highest ever.

He will now serve the nation as the Prime Minister, with the goal of implementing the Gujarat model of development throughout the nation.

Modi is the first prime minister of India born after the country's independence.

International diplomacy

To attract foreign investment in Gujarat during his time as Chief Minister, Modi made visits to countries such as China, Singapore and Japan.

He visited China in November 2006 to study the Special Economic Zones that were about to be implemented in Gujarat. He again visited in September 2007 and later in November 2011. A month after his visit of 2011, the Chinese Government released 13 diamond traders from India who had been jailed by the Shenzhen Customs, which Modi attributed to his diplomatic efforts and statesmanship

 Because of the riots in Gujrat, as a international response US denied the Hindu nationalist a visa. In addition, the B-1/B-2 visa that had previously been granted to him was also revoked.

In 2011, the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, impressed with the development of Gujarat, invited Modi to visit Pakistan and address prominent business leaders. They also asked him to consider a flight between Karachi and Ahmedabad, on account of the historical cultural and economic relations between the two regions of Gujarat and Sindh. Modi wanted to help Pakistan out of its power crisis, especially in Sindh, suggesting Pakistan can follow the 'Gujarat Model' in two ways — Gujarat Solar Park and Kalpasar Project.

Personality and image

Narendra Modi meeting the South Korean ambassador in Gandhinagar.

Modi is a vegetarian. He has a frugal lifestyle with a personal staff of three. Narendra Modi has come from a humble background and is known for his simple lifestyle. He has a reputation of being a workaholic and introvert.  He writes poems in Gujarati. As a speaker, he is known as a crowd-puller. His 2-year long escapade into the Himalayas and co-mingling with the yogic sadhus gave him a fair understanding of Hinduism. That partly explains why people listen to him in rapt attention when he talks of ideologies.         

People of India want Narendra Modi as the next PM because they seek a strong leadership that has a clear roadmap and actionable plans ready for execution. According to empirical evidences, Gujarat has been able to position itself as a lucrative destination for investment. Under his era of leadership the level of corruption receded and technology parks have been increased. His iconic call for "Minimum Government and Maximum Governance" has frequently struck the chord with the masses.

                 Modi has tried to change his image from that of a Hindu Nationalist politician to that of a sincere administrator.

In August 2013, financial analyst Chris Wood, chief strategist of CLSA, wrote in his weekly Greed & Fear that "the Indian stock market's greatest hope is the emergence of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate".

Awards and recognitions

• Gujarat Ratna, conferred by Shri Poona Gujarati Bandhu Samaj
• e-Ratna award by the Computer Society of India
• Best Chief Minister, according to a 2006 India Todaysurvey
• Personality of the Year Award (Asia) for 2009 by the fDi magazine
• Featured on the cover of Time magazine (Asia) in March 2012