Narendra Modi

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Narendra Modi

14th Chief Minister of Gujarat

In office
for the 3rd term

Incumbent

Assumed office 
7 October 2001

Governor Dr. Kamla Beniwal

Preceded by Keshubhai Patel

Constituency Maninagar

Born September 17,

1950(age 59)
Vadnagar, Gujarat, India
 Political party Bharatiya Janata Party

Residence Gandhinagar, Gujarat,

India

Alma mater Gujarat University[1]

Religion Hindu

Website Narendra Modi Website

As of 9 March, 2009
Source: Government of Gujarat

Narendra Damodardas Modi (Devnagri: नरें द्र दामोदरदास मोदी, Gujarati: નરેં દ્ર

દામોદરદાસ મોદી, IPA: [nəɾɛn̪dɾ̪ ə d̪ämod̪əɾd̪äs mod̪i]; born 17
September 1950[1]) is the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat since
7 October 2001 making him the longest serving Chief Minister of the state of
Gujarat[2].

Born in a middle class family in Vadnagar, a member of Rashtriya

Swayamsevak Sangh since childhood, and an active politician since early in
life having a masters degree in political science, Modi, along with Keshubhai
Patel was seen as a hardliner early on and his coming to the fore in BJP led
to a shakeup in the organization with Shankarsingh Vaghela leaving the
party. In 1998, he was chosen by L K Advani to direct the election campaign
in Gujarat as well as Himachal Pradesh. His aggressive and confident style
was successful in the midst of failure to unite between Vaghela's RJP and
Congress and the campaign culminated in a victory leading to Keshubhai
becoming the chief minister in March, 1998.

Due to his successful direction of campaign in Gujarat and Himachal

Pradesh, Modi, who was working at national level then, was promoted to
become general secretary soon after.

He became Gujarat's Chief Minister 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.

He was re-elected in December 2002 as chief minister with 127

seats in the 182-member assembly. His term has been praised by
leading industrialists[3][4] and religious leaders[5] for outstanding
administration for turning Gujarat into an economic powerhouse and
controlling terrorism. He has been criticised for alleged
mismanagement of and alleged complicity in the 2002 Gujarat
violence, for which the United States government has instituted a
ban on him traveling to that country.[6][7]

In July 2007 he became the longest serving Chief Minister in Gujarat's

history when he had been in power for 2063 days continuously. [8]

He was elected again for a third term[9] on 23 December 2007 with an

emphatic win in the state elections, which he had cast as a "referendum on
his rule".[10][11]

Some members of Corporate India consider him as a potent "future Prime

Minister of India". These views were openly kept forward at the "Vibrant
Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit" (VGGIS) by Reliance ADAG
chairman Anil Ambani, who called him "the next leader of India (Future
Prime Minister)”. Bharti Airtel chief Sunil Mittal, too, have openly
acknowledged this view by stating that “if there is a CEO who can lead this
country, it is Narendra Modi”.[12]

Contents
 [hide]

1 Personal life
2 Early activism and politics
3 Tenure as Chief Minister
o 3.1 Gujarat
earthquake
o 3.2 Gujarat violence
 3.2.1 Political
fallout
o 3.3 2007 elections
4 Gujarat development
5 Position on terrorism
6 2009 Lok Sabha elections
7 Awards and recognitions
 8 References
9 External links
[edit]Personal life

Modi was born on 17 September 1950 to a middle class family in Vadnagar

in Mehsana district of North Gujarat. 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.
As a young man, he joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, a student
organization 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.[13] He started with Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh (RSS),a socio-cultural organization with a focus on social and cultural
development of India.

He completed his schooling in Vadnagar. He holds the distinction of being a

well-educated politician, having earned a masters graduate degree
in Political Science from Gujarat University. He is known for being a poet and
has published few book of poetry. He is a bachelor. He is the first and thus
far, only, bachelor chief minister of Gujarat.

[edit]Early activism and politics

Narendra Modi (left) with Nitish Kumar, Bihar chief minister, at a BJP rally

During his tenure with the RSS, 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
(India)’,declared by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, 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 [citation
needed]
. Modi was a Pracharak in the RSS during his university years.[14][15].

He entered mainstream politics in 1987 by joining the BJP [citation needed]. 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[citation needed]. 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, 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[citation needed].

Narendra Modi with people during Rakhabandhan

During this period, Modi was entrusted with the responsibility of organizing
two crucial national events, the Somnath to Ayodhya Rath Yatra (a very long
march) of 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 Modi[citation needed].
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[citation needed]. 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, 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[citation needed]. While working at the national level, Modi emerged as an
important spokesman for the party and played a key role on several
important occasions.

[edit]Tenure as Chief Minister

Narendra Modi with Lal Krishna Advaniand India Inc Leaders during VGGIS

2003

In October 2001, he was called upon by the party to lead the Government in
Gujarat. When the Modi government was sworn in on 7 October 2001,
the economy of Gujarat was reeling under the adverse effects of
several natural calamities, including a massive earthquake in
January 2001. However Modi, a master strategist, who was enriched by
national and international exposure and experience, decided to take the bull
by its horns.

He is believed to be a protégé of Lal Krishna Advani, who is a senior leader

of the Bharatiya Janata Party himself. Advani has praised Modi on numerous
occasions, referring to him as "a leader who, after being subjected to a
malicious and prolonged campaign of vilification, has been able to impress
even his critics with his determination, single-minded focus, integrity and a
wide array of achievements in a relatively short time."[16]

[edit]Gujarat earthquake
Main article: 2001 Gujarat Earthquake

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 Gujarat 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 Modi has turned
adversity into an opportunity for holistic development. In this critical
situation, Modi is credited with starting immediate work to re-organize and
stimulate the local economy.[17] Modi made an international record of
restoration of 876618 houses in just 500 days. For Narendra Modi's
outstanding contribution for disaster management and
rehabilitation, on 16-10-2003 Gujarat govt got UN Sasakawa Award
for outstanding work in the field of disaster management and risk reduction.

[edit]Gujarat violence
Main articles: 2002 Gujarat violence and Godhra Train Burning

The skyline of Ahmedabad filled with smoke as buildings and shops are set
on fire by rioting mobs.

In February 2002 violence broke out across the state claiming

around 1000 lives. Independent estimates by human rights groups and
NGOs place the figure higher to around 2000. The official estimate stated
that 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were killed, 223 people were reported
missing and 2,500 were injured.[18] The root cause of riots was attributed to
the Godhra Train Burningincident in which 58 Hindu Kar Sevaks were burnt
alive by an alleged Muslim mob.[19][20] The Banerjee committee, set up by
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad in September 2004, in its report submitted in
2005 had said the burning of S-6 coach of Sabarmati express on 27
February 2002 was an accident started by people cooking food in the railway
car and said there was no Muslim involvement. [21][22] The Nanavati
Commission however termed the Sabarmati express incident as a 'pre-
planned conspiracy' and gave a clean chit to Mr. Modi[23]

[edit]Political fallout
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.[24][25] Modi submitted his resignation to the Governor and
recommended the dissolution of the 10th Gujarat Legislative Assembly. [26]
[27]
 In the following state re-elections the BJP, led by Modi, won 127 seats in
the 182-member assembly.

The United States revoked a visa for Modi the following year. He was cited
for responsibility for violations of religious freedom under the International
Religious Freedom Act of 1998.[28]

In April 2009, India's Supreme Court appointed a special team of

investigators to look into the role Modi had played in the alleged anti-Muslim
conspiracy.[7] 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.[29]

[edit]2007 elections
Modi's 2007 election campaign was marked with some passionate speeches
speech was given at Magrol in response of Sonia Gandhi's reflecting
his vision for Gujarat and his aggressive leadership. One such speech
calling him a "merchant of death",[30] and referred to Sohrabuddin's
killings. 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. However, a similar procedure
was not brought against Sonia Gandhi causing a lot of furore in Modi's
supporters.[31]

[edit]Gujarat development

Main article: Gujarat Development under Narendra Modi

Narendra Modi with Anil Ambani duringVGGIS 2003

Modi took charge of Gujarat when its economy was shrinking and the
domestic growth was stagnant.[32] Faced with massive economic losses, he
re-organised the government's administrative structure and embarked upon
a massive cost-cutting exercise.[33] As a result of his elaborate efforts,
Gujarat registered a GDP growth rate of over 10% during his first tenure.
This was the highest growth rate among all theIndian states.[34]

As a Chief Minister, Modi concretely put to practice his envisaged Gujarat by

means of various yojana.[35] This includes Panchamrut Yojana,[36][37][38] 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 to protect baby girls to improve sex ratio
 Jyotigram Yojana – to electrify every village
 Karmayogi Abhiyan – to educate and train government employee
 Kanya Kalavani Yojana – to encourage the education of girls
 Balbhog Yojana – for midday meal for students
As a result of these yojna's Gujarat became number one state in India in
various perspective. Many scholars[who?] and India Inc leaders suggested that
if Gujarat model is applied in all states in India, India can easily become a
developed nation[citation needed].

He also took the intiative to raise the controversial Narmada Dam's

height above 100 metres. Modi went on to raise the dam's height to
121 metres even after being criticised by environment activists.
Though large sections of farmers and other communities were unhappy with
his policies, industries thrived during his regime and the condition of the
infrastructure in the state improved.[14]

[edit]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.
[39]
 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.[39] ”

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.[40] Afzal was convicted of terrorism in the 2001
Indian Parliament attack in 2004 by the Supreme Court of India and is
in Tihar Jail.[41]

During the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, on Thursday 27 November,

Narendra Modi held a meeting to discuss waterfront security along the
coastline.[42] At the conclusion of the meeting, it was decided that a number
of steps be taken to improve security:

 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 (there are currently none)
[edit]2009 Lok Sabha elections

Although the BJP narrowly managed to win majority of the seats in Gujrat,
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.[43] 'A confidential report, prepared by
the BJP on the reasons for the party's humiliating defeat in the 2009 Lok
Sabha election, has blamed Modi' among many Indian politicians and other
factors'. Furthermore BJP criticism of Modi worries Gujarat leaders [44][45]

[edit]Awards and recognitions

 30 January 2006 – In a nationwide survey conducted by India Today,

Narendra Modi was declared the Best Chief Minister of the country.[46]
 5 February 2007 – Adjudged the best CM for the third time in the
nationwide survey conducted by India Today – ORG Marg, a unique
achievement for any CM during a 5-year tenure.
 25 August 2009 – Chosen as The Asian Winner of the fDi
Personality of the Year Awards for 2009 by fDi Magazine.[47]
[edit]References

1. ^ a b "Narendra Modi - Biography". Moneycontrol. Retrieved April 5,

2009.
2. ^ "Narendra Modi". Retrieved 2010-03-28.
3. ^ Handful of industrialists can’t decide our next PM: Congress Indian
Express - January 16, 2009
4. ^ Modi’s success saga: Now, told by Gujarat Inc Indian Express - 26
April 2007
5. ^ Sants pour scorn on LKA, praise Modi Times of India - June 21, 2005
6. ^ "Don't mention the massacre". The Economist: pp. 47. 8 December
2007.
7. ^ a b Sengupta, Somini (2009-04-28). "Shadows of Violence Cling to
Indian Politician". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
8. ^ Modi becomes longest serving CM of Gujarat
9. ^ "Modi begins new term in Gujarat". London: BBC News. December
25, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
10. ^ "Hindu Leader Begins 3rd Term in Gujarat". ABC News. Retrieved
2008-05-07.
11. ^ "Narendra Modi begins third innings as Gujarat CM". The Times of
India. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
12. ^ Handful of industrialists can’t decide our next PM: Congress Indian
Express - January 16, 2009
13. ^ "Biography - Narendra Modi". Retrieved 2008-05-08.
14. ^ a b [1]
15. ^ "Profile: Narendra Modi". BBC News. December 23, 2007. Retrieved
May 19, 2010.
16. ^ "Gujarat CM Modi, is a role model". Press Trust of India. Retrieved
2007-11-16.
17. ^ Modi for early revival of Kutch economy The Hindu - 21 October
2007
18. ^ "Gujarat riot death toll revealed". London: BBC News. 11 May 2005.
Retrieved 2006-04-15.
19. ^ "Godhra's bitter harvest". London: BBC News. 26 February 2003.
Retrieved 7 September 2009.
20. ^ "III. MASSACRES IN GODHRA AND AHMEDABAD". Human Rights
Watch. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
21. ^ "Godhra was an accident, reiterates Banerjee". India News Online.
September 25, 2008. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
22. ^ "Godhra was an accident, reiterates Banerjee". Expressindia.
September 25, 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
23. ^ "Truth brought out by Nanavati Commission: Modi". PTI. DNA.
September 26, 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
24. ^ "Gujarat Cabinet puts off decision on elections". The Tribune. 2002.
Retrieved 2006-05-09.
25. ^ "Congress demands Modi's resignation over Bannerjee
report". United News of India. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
 26. ^ "Modi resigns; seeks Assembly dissolution". The Hindu. 2002.
Retrieved 2006-05-09.
27. ^ "Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi resigns; assembly dissolved".
Rediff.com. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
28. ^ Krittivas Mukherjee. "Five years on, India's "modern-day Nero"
prospers". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
29. ^ Mahapatra, Dhananjay (2009-07-31). "SC rejects Modi govt's plea
to stall SIT probe". Times of India. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
30. ^ Sonia's 'merchants of death' was aimed at Modi: Cong
31. ^ Election Commission Official Notice to Mr. Modi
32. ^ Laveesh Bhandari (October 15, 2007). "Riots+economic
growth=?". Indian Express. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
33. ^ Chief Minister – Government of Gujarat
34. ^ How to achieve 10% GDP growth Rediff - 16 March 2006
35. ^ Gujarat progress under Narendra Modi
36. ^ "Modi invites investment in Gujarat". Press Trust of India.
Expressindia. January 11, 2003. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
37. ^ "Modi Steals The Show At Pravasi Divas". The Financial Express.
January 12, 2003. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
38. ^ "With Panchamrut, Modi targets 10.2% Growth". The Financial
Express. June 9, 2003. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
39. ^ a b "Mahatma on lips, Modi fights Centre". The Telegraph. 19 July
2006. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
40. ^ Now, Amar Singh says Afzal Guru must be hanged
41. ^ Indo-Asian News Service - Afzal Guru's guilty verdict
42. ^ Modi wants 3-layer ring to secure coast
43. ^ http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/27/stories/2009052755431100.htm
44. ^ BJP Criticism of Modi worries Gujarati leaders
45. ^ [2]
46. ^ "Making Up For Lost Time". India Today. Retrieved 2006-02-12.
47. ^ "Modi wins fDi personality of the year award". Sify. Retrieved 2009-
08-25.
[edit]External links
 His Personal Website
 His Official Blog
 His Official Twitter account
 Bharatiya Janata Party Gujarat: Narendra Modi
 Narendra Modi's Speeches/Interviews Audio/Video
 Profile of Narendra Modi from The Hindu
 Profile of Narendra Modi from BBC
 Profile of Narendra Modi from The Guardian

Preceded by Chief Minister of Gujarat Succeeded by

Keshubhai S. Patel 6 October 2001 – present incumbent

Categories: 1950 births | Living people | Indian politicians | Gujarati

people | Politics of Gujarat | Chief Ministers of Gujarat | Gujarat University
alumni | Indian vegetarians | Bharatiya Janata Party politicians | Personae
non gratae | People from Mehsana district