Modī Narendra - The NaMo story : a political life

About the Book

One of the truly enigmatic personalities on the contemporary Indian political canvas, Narendra Damodardas Modi is difficult to ignore. From his humble beginnings as a RSS pracharak to his rise in the Hindutva ranks, and from being Bharatiya Janata Partys master planner to one of the its most popular and controversial state chief ministers, Modis mantra of change and development is gradually finding many takers. Though he evokes vastly different reactions among the citizens for his alleged role during the Godhra aftermath, what is absolutely clear is that he indeed is racing towards the centre stage, making the 2014 General Elections look more like a Presidential system where, you either vote for him or against him. And that, as they say, is the Modi effect. Kingshuk Nag paints the most vivid portrait of the extraordinary politician who is poised to take on a new role in the coming years.

About the Author

Kingshuk Nag was the Resident Editor of the Times of India s Ahmedabad edition between May 2000 and July 2005, which was the most eventful period in the history of Gujarat with a major earthquake and deadly riots. He received the Prem Bhatia Memorial Award which is considered the Indian equivalent of the Pulitzer for demonstrating excellence in political reporting and analyses in Gujarat. Presently the Resident Editor of the Times of India s Hyderabad edition, this is Nags third book. Alumnus of the Delhi School of Economics, Nag writes a hugely popular blog titled Masala Noodles on the TOI site.

ROLI BOOKS

This digital edition published in 2014

First published in 2013 by
The Lotus Collection
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Copyright Kingshuk Nag 2013

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Editor: Padma Rao Sundarji
Cover design: Sneha Pamneja
Inside front and back cover Press Trust of India
Insert: Pages 1, 2-3, 4, 6, 7 Getty Images

Pages 5, 8 Press Trust of India

eISBN: 978-93-5194-015-9

All rights reserved. This e-book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated, without the publishers prior consent, in any form or cover other than that in which it is published.

Contents

Dedicated to the memory of my mother, Manjusri Nag
who spent her last days with me in Ahmedabad and
passed away in July 2002 as the riots were ebbing.

Authors Note to the Second Edition

The NaMo Story has never been out of the news ever since the book was published a little over a year ago. This is not surprising considering that the subject of the book has been the focus of national news in the period. Encouraged by the overwhelming public response, I have added two chapters to the book. Instead of the chapter on whether Modi can become prime minister, the new chapter added is Modi as PM: What Will He Do? It is early days still but the Modi mission is becoming clear and the chapter dwells on his style of governance and policy initiatives that are likely. The last chapter of the book is a new addition. Titled The Victory Campaign it sketches the remarkable electioneering done by Modi in an election that elevated him to the corner office in South Block. As readers know, this was an election that became a referendum on Modi. At least those who voted for him saw in Modi a new hope for the country, albeit different people saw different things in him. At the risk of being accused of boasting, I would like to point out that the name NaMo was earlier restricted in some sections of Gujarat. What this book did was to popularize this shortened name for Narendra Modi across the nation. Thus NaMo has become a household usage throughout the country.

Modi is going to be around as Prime Minister at least for five years and his tenure is likely to be full of action. Thus there will be continued focus on the subject of the book, nationally and internationally. Therefore it is not unreasonable to expect that this second edition is not going to be the last one.

Kingshuk Nag
June 2014

Authors Note to the First Edition

You can love him, or hate him, depending upon your predilection, but there is no way that you can ignore Narendra Modi. He is one of few, truly enigmatic personalities gracing the contemporary Indian political scene. This is my raison dtre for writing his biography. As early as 2004, I could discern that this man would leave behind all his political rivals, including his (then) godfather L.K. Advani, and become the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) official prime ministerial candidate.

In 2009, I was confident that Modis moment had come, but the opposition within and outside the BJP was so strong that the man had to cap his ambitions for a few more years. In mid-March 2013, as I write this note, there are clear indications of the fact that Modi is racing towards centre stage, aided not only by his resolve but also a weakening Congress regime. His forceful speech, promoting the Gujarat model of development as an alternative to that of the ruling Congress alliance and delivered to the enthralled students of the Delhi Universitys Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) is a clear indication of his intentions. But the protests that raged outside the college show the opposition that he will have to face on his journey to 7, Race Course Road. They also demonstrated the vastly different reactions that he evokes among the citizens. That this was not an isolated incident is clear from the proposed video talk that Modi was to deliver to students of Wharton in the beginning of March 2013. Even as the talk scheduled was cancelled following protests from a section of the university faculty and student bodies, there was a howl of counter protests. Barely a fortnight before his SRCC speech, Modi offered the services of the BJPs Gujarat unit to the new BJP boss, Rajnath Singh, to strengthen the party nation-wide. Considering that the BJPs Gujarat unit is nothing but Modi (the BJPs Gujarat unit president, an unassuming gentleman lost the 2012 polls as even Modi romped home victorious for the third time), this was a thinly-veiled proposal to be made the prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections. Taking a cue, BJPs senior leader Yashwant Sinha was quick to openly demand that Modi be declared the partys prime ministerial candidate, as his candidature would result in the party getting more votes and seats. Sinha said that during his travels across the country, he had encountered numerous demands from BJP workers and common people that Modi be declared the candidate for the highest executive office. Former actor and now BJP MP, Shatrughan Sinha seconded his proposal even as the new party president, Rajnath Singh, warned party workers against airing their views in public. His contention: it is an intra-party matter and must be decided by BJPs Parliamentary board. Rajnaths warnings (read fears) have fallen on deaf ears as more and more BJP members are joining the Modi bandwagon. Over the next few months, the numbers are bound to swell as the chorus for Modi will reach its crescendo. But let us not harbour any illusions: much of this hype could be the result of a well-orchestrated effort, blessed by none other than Modi himself.