Why I shall support Modi in 2014?

I have been getting more and more worried over the last year or so at the direction( or lack of it) in which our country is headed. It is like a runaway plane falling from the skies and we are plummeting past one alarming indicator after another– inflation, economic slowdown, falling rupee, complete break-down of law and order, ever emboldened Naxalites, total internalisation of corruption, an administration that answers to no one, complete lack of governance, cronyism on a scale never seen before, a brazen lack of accountability, public intimidation of constitutional authorities, a judicial system that has all but collapsed,environmental disasters that no one knows how to cope with, complete paraplegia of decision-making at all levels in government,appeasement of  “minorities” and other sections that is reaching ridiculous and dangerous levels, dynastic politics at the Centre and the states reminiscent of the Mughal era…….

I could go on and on but after some time the mind becomes numb and registers only one emotion——-IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE.

Another five years of this and we would be well on our way to becoming a failed state and joining the ranks of Pakistan, Haiti and Somalia.

The general elections of 2014 offers us one last chance to redeem ourselves. I have been on this mortal coil for 62 years and have never voted for the BJP but have, after much thought, decided to support MODI in 2014. This is considered a heresy in most neo-liberal circles in India today but we have to go beyond mere labelling and stereo typing to understand my decision.

But before I go on to Mr. Modi himself, let us review the context in which this decision has been taken. The state of the country is self evident in para one above.

The next question then is: What are the alternatives or choices that we as voters have?

The Congress will only perpetuate the present mess-even more worrying and dangerous is the fact that, were the Congress to return to power, it would consider it had a renewed mandate to carry on as before.

In any case, who in the country would lead the Congress- a reluctant dynast, or an ageing economist who has discovered his true skills lie in politics, or a backroom puppeteer? Or, God forbid, all three? (Seriously, this is a possibility- after all not one of these three want to shoulder sole accountability, and they may reason that if a dual power centre can ensure two terms, a triple may be good for even more!) No, to my mind the Congress is not an option.


Who else, then?

Well, if we scrape the bottom of the barrel assiduously we will come up with Mamta Banerjee [ TMC], Mulayam Yadav [SP], Nitish Kumar [JDU], Naveen Patnaik [BJD], Jayalalitha [AIADMK], Sharad Pawar [NCP] and Mayawati (BSP). There is no need to discuss their achievements or ideologies at a national level (incidentally, not even one of them has a remotely national outlook or ideology since they cannot see beyond pandering shamelessly to the vote banks in their respective states) because they are state (not even regional) leaders and none of them can hope to be Prime Minister on the strength of their own parties.

They all realise this, of course, hence the idea which periodically emerges like a skin rash, of a Third or Federal Front. This didn’t work even when a Third Front could agree on a leader (as in the case of I.K. Gujral or Deve Gowda). How on earth will it work when every one of the state leaders mentioned above feels that he or she has been reincarnated precisely to become the Prime Minister of India?

The negotiations for choosing a PM (if the Front comes up with the numbers, that is) will resemble one of those WWF fights where about six hunks are put into the ring to beat the daylights out of each other till one of them is left standing to claim the crown. I cannot see all of them agreeing on even one policy issue, whether it is reservations, industrial stimulus,foreign policy, disinvestment, environmental protection, centre-state relations etc.

If they come to power at the Center, the paraplegia of today will become quadriplegia tomorrow.

Fortunately, in any case, they can never muster the 274 seats required-it will be difficult for them to reach even hundred even if they do very well in their states.

So a Third Front is a non-starter, and voting for any of these parties will only help the Congress by dividing the anti-congress vote. [You will have noticed that I have not mentioned Mr. Karat of the CPM. That’s because he’s become like a flat bottle of Coca-Cola- earlier he was all fizz and no substance: now even the fizz has gone].

namoThat leaves only the BJP, with its historical baggage of the RSS, Hindutva, Ramjanmbhoomi (by the way, this baggage also includes five years of exemplary governance under Vajpayee from 1999 to 2004) -perhaps enough baggage to dissuade me from voting for the party. Except that this time the BJP has an add-on: Narender Modi.

And that, to my mind, adds value to the party and makes the crucial difference.

Modi has been reviled ad-nauseam by the “secular” parties and sections of the elite media for many years for the 2002 riots in Gujarat, by the former not because of any love for the Muslims (as I hope to show later) but simply in order to appropriate the Muslim vote, and by the latter because they have to keep whipping somebody in order to get their TRPs – in India only extremes succeed. Modi has been tried and condemned by them not on the basis of facts but by an opportunistic mixture of innuendo, presumption, speculation, half-truths, hear say. Look at the facts.

There was a horrendous orgy of killing of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002 where about 2000 of them were massacred. Some of Modi’s ministers and many BJP / VHP workers were involved: quite a few of them have also been convicted, the trials of many still go on.

The Supreme Court set up at least three SITs and is itself monitoring the investigations. Many PILs have been filed in the SC and the High Court accusing Modi of master-minding these massacres. In not a single case has either the Supreme Court, the High Court or the SITs found any evidence of Modi’s personal complicity.

Yes, they have held that he could have controlled the situation better- but nothing beyond that inspite of ten years of frenetic drum beating and sustained vilification.

Now look at the other set of facts. Under Modi’s current watch, perhaps for the first time in India, people have been actually convicted for communal rioting and murder- more than 200 convictions, with about 130 of them sentenced to life imprisonment.

All the communal massacres in India since Independence have not resulted in even one tenth of these convictions.

Modi’s government has to be given some credit for this: yes, the investigations were carried out by the SIT and not by Modi’s police; yet Modi could, if he was so inclined, have interfered covertly in the whole process by asking his officials not to cooperate, by intimidating witnesses, influencing judges, conveying hints to prosecutors- something which, as we all know too well, governments of all political hues in India have mastered.

Modi could have done what the Congress has done so successfully in Delhi in three other high-profile cases being monitored by the Supreme Court- the Commonwealth Games Scam, the 2G case, and Coalgate ( not to mention also the Sikh massacres of 1984): have these cases made any headway? has wrong-doing been proved in a single instance? has anyone been convicted?

No, Sir, these investigations will drag on and on till they are lost in the mists of time.

Supreme Court monitoring cannot ensure justice unless the govt. of the day allows its agencies to function- it is to Modi’s credit that he did so allow them.

Compare this with the manner in which the police in Delhi have been emasculated to protect some senior Congress leaders in the 1984 Sikh carnage- everyone in Delhi knows, even after 27 long years, that their hands are dipped in blood, but the evidence will never reach the courts; the recent acquittal of Sajjan Kumar only confirms this.

The biggest stigmata on Modi is the charge that he is “communal” and not “secular”.

All (non-NDA) political parties never tire of tom-tomming this from the roof-tops and consider this their trump card to ensure that he will never achieve his Grand-slam at the centre. But after eleven years this is beginning to wear thin and people are beginning to question the assumptions behind this charge and even the definition of what constitutes “communal” and “secular.”

Nirad Choudhry had long ago given his opinion that India is the continent of Circe where humans are turned into beasts-it is also the graveyard of the Oxford Dictionary where the meanings of words are turned on their heads to suit political exigencies! So “communal” today means a Hindu who is not ashamed of saying he is a Hindu, and ” secular” means a Hindu who panders to other religions in order to get their votes at the next elections!

By this inverse definition Modi is considered communal- notwithstanding that not a single Hindu- Muslim riot has taken place in Gujarat under his watch since 2002, notwithstanding that the BJP got 17% of the Muslim vote in the Assembly elections in the state earlier this year, notwithstanding that the party won five of the eight seats which had a dominant Muslim voter base, notwithstanding that the average Muslim in Gujarat is much better off economically than his counterpart in Assam, UP or Bihar (headed by ” secular” parties).

Compare this with the record of the Samajwadi party in UP where more than a hundred communal riots have taken place in less than two years, with the Congress in Assam where hundreds of Muslims were butchered last year and at least three hundred thousand of them are still languishing in relief camps with no hope of ever returning to their villages, with the Congress ruled Maharashtra where hundreds of Muslims were killed with the active help of the police after the Bombay blasts. (Needless to say there do not appear to have been any convictions in any of these pogromes). And MODI is communal?

I am a Hindu but I stopped going into any temple twenty years ago because I was sickened by the rapacious behaviour of their pundits.

I am no longer a practicing Hindu in a public, ritualistic sense and frankly I don’t know how many of the religious beliefs I retain, but I still consider myself a Hindu because Hinduism is more than just a religion- it is a culture, a civilisation, a way of life.

But in the Kafkaesque India of today if you were to proclaim that you are a Hindu (even though you have equal respect and regard for all other religions) you would be branded “communal”- this is what political discourse has been reduced to by our politicians.

And being “secular” no longer means treating all religions equally: it means splintering society into a myriad “minorities” (another perversion of the Oxford Dictionary) and then pandering to such of them as suit you in your naked pursuit of power.

In the process India has been converted into a complex jigsaw of minorities, castes, tribes, classes, sections and what have you.

The British could have learnt plenty from us about Divide and Rule!

But more and more right thinking people are beginning to question this recipe for disaster, and I am one of them.

India is 80% Hindu- why should one then have to be apologetic about proclaiming that one is a Hindu ? We have been ruled and exploited and vandalised for eight hundred years by Muslims and for another two hundred years by Christians, and yet we have accorded these two religions a special status as “minorities” with privileges that the Hindus don’t have.

Has any other country in the world ever displayed such a spirit of accommodation and egalitarianism?

Is there a more secular civilisation in the world?

And yet, a Hindu who says he is a Hindu is considered communal!

Does a Hindu have to prove his secular credentials time and again by greater levels (or depths) of appeasement of other religions simply so that they can continue to be vote bank fodder for political parties?

Modi has had the courage to raise these questions and is therefore being reviled by those political parties whose apple carts he is threatening to upset. But people are beginning to pay attention. Modi is not considered secular because he is proud to be a Hindu and refuses to give doles or concessions to any religious group (including Hindus, but that is conveniently glossed over) beyond what is provided in the constitution and the laws of the land. He believes this weakens the social fabric of the country and that even handed development is the best guarantee for equitable prosperity for all. He is not considered secular (and instead is branded as communal) because he says publicly that he is proud to be a Hindu. And has he done anything blatantly or provocatively pro-Hindu in the last ten years?

There is not a single instance of this and yet he is vilified as communal and anti-minorities by the same party that presided over more than two hundred anti-Muslim riots in the seventies and eighties in Gujarat, that massacred 6000 Sikhs in 1984, that lit the fuse in Ayodhya by installing an icon of Ram in the mosque there, that failed to take any action when the Babri masjid was being razed to the ground! Modi has carefully distanced himself from any public support of Hindutva, has kept the VHP and the Bajrang Dal on a tight leash in Gujarat ever since he came to power there, and has even incurred the wrath of the RSS for not toeing the line on their purely religious agenda. It takes time, and some mistakes, to attain maturity; the Modi of today is not the Modi of 2002: then he was still in the pracharak mould of the RSS, inexperienced in the exercise of power, lacking administrative experience. He has now developed into a politician with a vision, an administrator who has delivered to his people and caught the fancy of the entire corporate world in India and abroad. Rahul Gandhi has been around in politics for almost the same length of time but has still not progressed beyond his epiphanic perception that India is a bee-hive.

Pause a while to honestly compare Modi’s qualities with his peers in the political firmament. His integrity is impeccable, both personal and vicarious. Even Mr. Manish Tewari has not been able to charge him on this score, and that’s saying something! I am not aware of a single major scam unearthed during his term( compare this with the Congress either in Maharashtra or at the Centre: the Congress has more skeletons in its cupboard than a graveyard does).

Modi has no family to promote or to insure against inflation for the next hundred years (compare this with any other party leader, all of whom have given an entirely new meaning to the term “joint family”- brothers, uncles, wives, sons, sons-in-law, nephews-all happily and jointly looting the nation’s resources).

Modi has a vision and a road map for the future and he has demonstrated in Gujarat that he can implement his vision.

No other major leader of the parties that are vilifying him comes even close to comparing with him in this respect- Manmohan Singh once had a vision but his unique concept of “coalition dharma” has ensured that he now cannot see, or hear, or talk; Rahul Gandhi cannot see beyond bee-hives and boats that rise with the tide, Sharad Pawar cannot see the woods for the sugar-cane stalks, Mulayam Singh has been fixated on the Prime Minister’s chair for so long that he has now started hallucinating; Nitish Kumar’s vision is a peculiar bi-focal which enables him to see only Muslims and OBCs; Navin Patnaik, being erudite and sophisticated must be having a vision but he has not deigned to share it with anyone yet; Mayawati cannot see beyond statues of herself and of elephants; and as for Mamta Banerjee, she is colour blind-she can only see red. Modi’s track record as an administrator inspires confidence in his ability to play a role at the national level.

He sets specific goals, provides the resources and then gives his bureaucrats a free hand to operate.

He has ensured water availability to towns and to greater number of farmers, Gujarat now has 24X7 power and has even offered to sell power to other states.

Modi has realised long before his peers that future growth can only come from the manufacturing sector since the past stimulus provided by the service sector is now bottoming out, and has prepared his state to attract capital: perennial roadblocks which have bedevilled other states- land acquisition, labour issues, law and order, lack of decision making, cronyism- have all been sorted out. It is no surprise then that Gujarat has been receiving the second highest amount of investment funds after Maharashtra.

His opponents, looking for anything to denigrate his achievements, cavil that Gujarat has always been a progressive state and no credit goes to Modi for all this. True, Gujarat (and Gujaratis) have always been entrepreneurial and progressive, but any economist can tell them that the higher you are on the performance scale, the more difficult it is to make incremental gains- and these gains Modi has been making year after year.

Gujarat has consistently been among the top five states in just about all economic, social and human development indicators, and far above the national figures.

Here are some figures I picked up in the Hindustan Times of June 12, 2013:

[a] Infant Mortality Rate
                                   2005           2010
     Gujarat                      54              44
     Haryana                    60              48
     Orissa                        75               60
     INDIA                       58               47
[b]  Access to Safe Drinking Water( in %)
                                      2002           2011
      Gujarat                    84.1            90.3
      Maharashtra          79.8            83.4
      Andhra                    80.1             90.5
      INDIA                     77.9            85.5
[c]  Poverty Reduction ( in %)
                                     2004-5         2009-10
     Gujarat                    31.6            23
     Karnataka               33.3            23.6
     MP                            48.6            36.7
     Orissa                       57.2            37
     INDIA                      37.2            29.8
[d]  Annual GDP increase( in %) from 2005-6 to 2012-13
     Gujarat                       10.3
     Uttarakhand                 12.36
     MP                                  8.82
     Maharashtra                 9.97
     Delhi                              11.39

 

Modi is no paragon of virtue. He is arrogant, does not allow a second rung of leadership to emerge, brooks no opposition, is impatient and authoritative, is not a consensus builder. But then we are not seeking to canonise a saint but looking for a political leader who can get this country out of the morass that its present stock of politicians has got us into. We are looking for someone who can be decisive rather than justify inaction under the garb of seeking an elusive “consensus”. We are looking for someone who has the courage to have a vision and the skills to translate it into reality. We are looking for someone who will work for the country and not for his ” joint family”.

We are looking for someone who can restore our identities as INDIANS and not merely as Brahmins or Scheduled castes or Muslims or Backward castes.

We are looking for someone who will not pander to religions and be truly secular.

And we are looking for someone who will not be ashamed to say that he is a Hindu in the land that gave birth to the most tolerant and enlightened religion this world has seen.

Modi may fail- in fact, there are good chances that he will. But he at least promises change, whereas the others promise only more of the same. He offers us Hope. Shouldn’t he be given a chance?

Join the Conversation

141 Comments

  1. says: Vaibhav Kabdwal

    Rahul gandhi was celebrating his b’day after Uttarakhand disaster with all top leaders.Modi reached Uttarakhand 2 days after tragedy.

  2. says: Vaibhav Kabdwal

    FBI stated Ishrat Jahan was a
    terrorist. IB stated Ishrat Jahan
    was a terrorist. Lashkar e Toiba
    declares her as a martyred
    terrorist. Arrested Terroritst
    David Headley claimed Ishrat was
    a terrorist. J&K Police claims
    Ishrat’s accomplices were part of
    a conspiracy to kill Modi. But CBI
    gives a clean chit to Ishrat. Whom
    would be believe more?

  3. says: Parikshit Singh Goutam

    Dear Sir,
    This is very meticulously written article. I feel every Indian should read it and make a balanced decision for 2014. Our youth needs to come out and vote and change course of India.
    Thanks a lot for investing your time, coming out with solid numbers, brilliant comparison. We are for One India Developed India.
    Jai Hind.

  4. says: Shailaja

    Excellent presentation of what matters for this country, everyone is on a crusade to bury a good man to pander to their own selfish interests!!!

    The sad part is that the media is playing the same game. They call themselves secular but play down Hindu stories and play up that of muslims…. so how does this make them secular? Secular is supposed to mean… equal to all… then why this disdain towards Hindus?

    They are playing games basis religion while the country is wallowing in poverty and politicians from UPA are looting the country blind!!

    I vote for MODI!!

  5. says: Ankita

    So much for Modi Propoganda. Whoever you wish to vote for, its your right, but facts can not be changed. He was responsible for the Godhra riots as the head of the state at least and he has been elemental in affecting the investigations and judicial process as well. The memory of masses is short. If people are ready to be so ceremonial about criminals and want to see them leading the nation, the future of this country does not seem too bright.

    1. says: ram singh yadav

      Facts cannot be changed that you have a myopic vision and your father or some influential chacha-bhatija may be in congress “family”. I don’t see no reason to not vote for modi. My vote goes to him.

    2. says: A K

      Did I miss your statement that all the chief ministers and prime ministers under whom any riot ever took place are responsible and should be tried?

      By that logic, all the congress leaders past and present will be in jail or under trial.

      How on earth do you have the nerves to keep repeating the same thing over and over? It’s simple logic – do you think the congress government with all the central agencies working for them would have spared Modi of there was any shred of evidence against him?

      I personally do not read too much into wiki leaks but given so many do, let me quote them, “Narendra Modi is personally corruptible”.

      I don’t think a man of that calibre deserves to be the best prime minister India never had.

      1. says: Ishan

        I have lived in Ahmedabad for 20 years,

        I was a school kid when i witnessed the Godhra riots.

        All arguments aside, someone might be responsible for something. I dont know.

        Prior to 2002 every year, several incidents of communal riots used to happen in Ahmedabad. Every year during the rath yatra’s something or the other would come up. People used to be scare to go in ‘other’s’ areas.

        10 years from then, i have not heard of a single, smallest outburst of communal riots!!

        And it is not because one community dominates over the other, or one is scared of the other.

        It is only because in the last 10 years, our leader has not been instigating us against other communities, instead he has been working on making sure that we can learn to think rationally before being lured by political speeches which used to be the prime reason for communal tension in ahmedabad prior to 2002

        1. says: sachu

          please have a look all over India in past 10 years. You can see soo many communal riots happened especially in south part where soo many hindus lost their life. Plz dont close your eyes and make it dark.

          1. says: Ishan

            I was referring to Gujarat.

            But people like you always want to find faults and mistakes. you will keep saying what you hear from the media. And think you have all the knowledge in the world about the matter!!

            I pity you!

        2. says: Srinivas Reddy

          Good information Ishan.. this is a supporting point of Modi Ji.. I heard it in speeches by Modi and read it in news paper.. But, your personal experience now acknowleding it..

    3. says: amar

      u seem to be die hard supporter of COngress…hv u ever been through the data regardsing the riots in Gujarat pre-modi era…juss go through it and decide..y did u choose congress again n again..??ex: 1969 riot in Gujarat under Congress Govt and many more..juss google it..

    4. says: Ram

      You know what… Get out of pseudo intellectual oblivion & externally fed information which turns out to be your opinion without a thought. First of all you are neither capable nor informed enough to proclaim that Modi was “Responsible”. Then keep one thing in mind too.. We Indians ( That goes for me too..though I have been trying to improve) always point out the problems & are so obsessed with negativity that we stop looking for positive signs. If you can’t suggest an alternative, then evaluate yourself before being judgmental about anyone else. Or do you want Egypt like situation here too.. But for that also, we need to give chance to this promising leader of contemporary India.

    5. says: Bong

      Ma’am, you wrote: “……the future of this country does not seem too bright” (if Modi becomes PM).

      (Sigh) It isn’t exactly bright as on date. What to speak of bright, i would even settle for a faint flicker right now. The rupee is headed the way of the Zimbabwe dollar. On top of that the present rulers are bent on buying votes on an empty treasury with more doles. And propaganda substituting for performance.

      No harm in trying out a new captain before swinging out the lifeboats.

    6. says: Ravi

      Even I hate modi for the same…But is there a better alternative?? If you got some answer reply with justification… may be it can help other persons who are in my situation

    7. says: Gujju

      Hello Ms. Avantika,

      Problem is… these days it has become fashion to talk about godhra riot, and portray yourself as secular, let me tell you madam, why you didn’t ever talk about the burning train, sikh issue in 1984, regular communal fight in gujarat with the help of congress, panditji’s connection in edwina, panditji’s stubbornness to keep away sardar patel from becoming PM, highest Income tax, death or murder of PM Shastriji in Russia to maintain defense nexus of congress…, Madam take a break and get in to the history, being or portraying your self so called secular you do not know you are supporting toxic political party, process, leaders and terrorist,

      Be witness of Development of Gujarat, which has created lot of employment opportunity and reduce poverty,

      You won’t understand, so called pseudo intellectual fashionable, double standard

    8. says: Piyush

      In reply to your statement,
      If people are ready to be so ceremonial about criminals and want to see them leading the nation, the future of this country does not seem too bright.

      Are you kidding me? Do you really think India is being led by non criminals? And believe me,If you have read about criminal acts that our current leaders are involved in,Modi will be a saint by that standards. 🙂

    9. says: Sant

      Ok, you are afraid of repetition of past. Question is “Out of the available resources who is the most preferable and why?”.

      Have you got any better option. Saying “NO” at others is very easy. But coming with an option is difficult. Better Quote, whom do you suggest and rationalize your choice comparing with the rationale the author presented. If you cant throw lime light on better option you can no longer comment in public quorums.

      GO BACK and RETURN WITH ANY OPTION OF YOUR CHOICE.

    10. says: Keshav Iyengar

      Innocent until proven guilty, that’s what democracy works on. All investigations carried out in order to frame Modi have failed to incriminate him. By your logic, Rajiv Gandhi is responsible for the 84 riots and Nehru himself killed everyone in the 47 riots. You might not want to vote for Modi, but there are people who see a lot of hope in him. If numbers are to be taken into account, I don’t think there’s a very strong argument against him. And tell me this, does the future seem bright if the country is in the hands on a dimwit heir to the Congress throne who has absolutely no credentials to his name apart from the fact that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth?

    11. says: Rajan

      How do u know that he is at Fault , did u see him personaly ,Every investigating agency is failing to fix Modi , Your favorite UPA is trying hard all these years still cannot prove anything , Propaganda against him is much bigger than the pro Modi.

      I see there is clear International conspiracy to put India back to the slavery, people like you without knowing what you are doing hurting progress of this country.

      We need someone who can generate Pride in Indians so that everybody starts contributing towards the progress.

    12. says: lagarwal

      you can talk only about riots…if you believe in the law system then be aware of the fact that SC court has already given its decesion in favour of Modi….why dont you talk about riots in 1992 (ayodhya)… who was the ruling party then? … why people talk only about Godhra and not aydhya?….lets talk about Mother-in-law helping mista Vadra in making billions…talk about uttarakhand choppers offered by mista Vadra and the cost for each dead body and a living body as against the help offered by Modi which was denied by the state government of Uttarakhand just cuz of dirty politics….isin’t that equivalent of killing innocent people …y Raul Vinci should be head of the country (though he has so many criminal charges against him)…so i would suggest lets not talk about what happened but talk about how can we change the current situation…state of Gujrat is a great example (when compared to other states)…state of Andhra Pradesh is a great example (growth happened when CB Naidu was ruling…its stagnent thereafter)…who came up with the developement projects like golden quadilateral…joining all the rivers of India to avoid floods and drought…its all under the rule of one man Mr.Vajpayi (BJP)…Modi is just doing it for a state as he has his powers limited…its time we help him unleash his power and give him a chance to prove!!!

  6. says: Shrikant

    As per figures given by the Union Minister of State for Home Shriprakash Jaiswal, who belongs to the Congress Party, in Parliament on 11 May 2005, 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were killed in the riots, 2548 people were injured and 223 people were missing. This was in a WRITTEN REPLY to a question asked by a Congress member on the religion wise casualties in Gujarat after Godhra. The report placed the number of riot-affected widows at 919 and the number of children orphaned at 606. The UPA government gives these figures, and hence they themselves may be inflated.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4536199.stm

    now who the fuck do i believe? the union minister of state for home of the government or these human rights activists and journalists who peddle any no, they like??

    1. says: ALI YOUSUFF

      DEAR GERE THE QUESTION WHY THIS WAS PLANNED WHEN THE TRAIN BURNED FROM INSIDE AND THE MATTER WAS ESCALTED SAYING IT WAS MUSLIMS FROM OUTSIDE DID IT –
      THESE GAMES OF THE GUJ CM IS TO BRING ALL THE HINDUS TO ONE SIDE AND SEPEARTE THE MUSLIMS FROM THEIR BROTHER HOOD
      AND FINALLY GARB THE HINDUS VOTES WHICH HE DID AND THE NRI’S SUPPORTED FINALACIALLY AND THE GUJRAT MODEL HE THINKG CAN MAKE FOR INDIA SORRY THE AYODHA VOILNED CHASE AWAY FOREIGN TOURSITS FOR 5 YEARS LOSS 50,000 CRS AND EXPORT EFFECTED TO MILLIONS OF RUPEES AND THE TRUST OF INDIA IN TH GOLBE CAME DOWN TO ZERO DUE TO VLILENCE AND MAHEM SEE WHERE ADVANI IS TODAY =ONLY DUR TO VAJPAEE THE INDIAS GOOD CITIZEN GAVE VOTE FOR BJP TO GIVGE A CHANCE AND SEE WHAT THEY WILL DO-THEIR GARLANDING MODI FOR GODHRA GAVE THE SIGNAL TO INDIAN PUBLIC THE HINDUS WHOM I LIKE VERY MUCH- THAT INDIA IS BETTER OFF WITHOUT VOILENCE AND SHAME ALL OVER THE WORLD THAN A TRON COUNTRY –
      REGARDS

  7. says: Rohit

    Very well written article, gives us deep insights into the issues being faced my Modi and accomplices over the past few years. I believe every Indian should read this article and vote for Modi in the 2014 election. Its high time we need change we need Modi!

  8. says: Omkar

    Why did you not mention about AAP(Aam Aadmi party)? I would like to hear some points regarding why not to vote for them.

    1. says: Girish

      Omkar, I am a great fan of Kejirwal and I am a member of AAP too. But I will not vote for my own party in this loksaba elections. My vote is for Modi. AAP is very young. My full support to AAP at state level but not at national level at this moment.

    2. says: Keshav Iyengar

      Because they have no experience and no ideas. Harping about corruption all the time doesn’t give the AAP the right to govern the nation. They have no economic view, no view on foreign affairs, on what basis is anyone to vote for them?

  9. says: Vibhav

    Madam ji, ye chashma jo aankh pe lagaya hai wo dimaag pe lagaao. Shayad tab samajh me aa jaay. pata nahi aur kitne padhe likhe hain is desh me….

  10. says: Wg Cdr Dr P Sukhlecha-Rtd- IAF

    My Dear Sir,
    Vande Maataram !
    Well thought/deliberated/with proof/detailed/ descriptive/need of the day, article. I personally agree
    that the meaning of Secular in our country is not at all Secular but one sided, for minority appeasement only.
    I am sure as on today, Indian politics, if at all any one can give any respite alone. Unless an united effort by–MOdi led BJB–RSS, Baba Ramdaveji & people fighting for Lokayukt–Anna-Kajariwal-Kiran Bedi-Dr Kalam ,etc come together 7 fight the corrupt present system, coming 2013-2014-Election will be a desastrous one.
    Lets do our best rest will be done by The Almighty.
    No doubt my full support is for Modi.
    With best wishes & good luck to all my Countrymen for the vary soon coming next Election.
    Jai Bharat ! Jai Hind !

    Wg Cdr Dr P Sukhlecha -Udaipur-Raj

  11. says: Indian (that want to see his country grow)

    Compare to other countries of the world, the condition of India is very bad. In India when you wake up in the morning what would be our breaking NEWS?

    POLITICAL VIEWS.
    NATURAL DISASTERS,
    RIOTS,
    RAPES,
    ECONOMICAL BREAKDOWNS…..

    Nothing positives I see in the NEWS.

    While watching the NEWS in other country

    You will be heard about

    US launches new SATELLITES…
    Canada has discover new vaccines for Flu…
    And So on…

    And thus Nothing’s going to change in INDIA.

    Until….

    WE CHANGE THE CURRENT SYSTEM IN INDIA.

    NOW THE TIME IS CALLING FOR THE CHANGE.

    THEN WHY ARE WE HESITATING.

    LET’S TRY ONCE THE MODI.

    GO FOR MODI……..JAY HIND

  12. says: Puneet

    Fuck Congress!!! Cheaters…they have spoiled the country and even the media is with them..no one will show the real face of congress, We need a unbiased news channel…which really cares about the country rather then just a fucking political party like congress…I feel times group have there share in every scam, thats why they will never be against congress….and they will always speak against NAMO!!! Jai NAMO!!!
    I will vote for him…

  13. says: Milan Kumar

    No doubt the article is well written, yet some questions need answers. Systems and not individuals are needed for good governance. Defective systems lead to bad governance. Can individuals bring change? Let us see what recent history has to say. JP movement was almost a political apocalypse for the Congress wiping it out completely in its four major northern bastions. It threw up innumerable leaders on the national and state platforms. V.P.Singh had an immaculate image. But, could he bring change? Youngsters may not know that when lathis were being blown on JP (in what was also suggested as a conspiracy to kill him), it was Lallu Prasad Yadav( Yes the erstwhile CM of Bihar and Later railway Minister) who covered him and took all the blows on himself . A painful sacrifice that saved JP’s life. Lallu and Mulayam Singh Yadav were staunch socialists representing the have-nots. They had clean backgrounds before they came to power. What happened when they got power? Prafulla Mahanta was a product of a mass movement that transformed the political contours of Assam. A man with sterling credentials. What happened when he came to power? Apart from VP these names have become synonyms of corruption. I can go on and on…. The moot point is that however honest a person may be, if he enters a flawed system, he become a part of that system and is ultimately consumed by it. Can anyone doubt the personal integrity of Atal Bihari? Even he could not become bigger than the system and the systems prevailed. India continued to reel under the maladies it always had. Even if we presume Modi has immaculate credentials, the fact is he can in no way become bigger than the systems of governance as they exist today. With due apologies to Modi fans, it is humanly impossible. The systems will again takeover and India will be as it has always been.
    So, is there no hope? Yes, there is no hope till we change the systems. And this is where Arvind Kejriwal steps in. His analysis of our problems is almost flawless. It lies in the systems and not individuals. Lord Acton had said more than a century ago ‘Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely’, and it has proved to be truism. Arvind has provided a workable solution through ‘Swaraj” where there will be a sweeping change in systems and power will be decentralized to the people. (I recommend that the book ‘Swaraj’ is a must read as it will answer most of our questions on bad governance) AAP is the only party which is Systems and not people centric. So, those who think Modi can work miracles without changing systems may be in for a huge disappointment. Until we change the systems that yield bad governance there’s little individuals even like Modi can do. These are my personal views and I respect the right of my friends to disagree.

  14. says: Deepak

    Thank you sir.. we hope that true people (civil servents) like you who have been doing the hard work behind the scenes and keeping this country running will come out more openly and will make things clear to the people of this country at this hour of judgement. We need you people to speak more often and more openly. Thank you for what you have done and what you are doing for our country and us.

  15. says: Srinivas Reddy

    Very nice View of Shri. Avay Shuklya ji, Rtd. IAS.. Shri. Modiji achieved a religious riots free state in past 10 years (Refer Ishan comments in blog who is resident of Ahmadabad).. I feel that Modi, if not involved in Gujrat Riots, can make a public announcement that he was not involved.. I know few Muslim friends who get so much angry and start saying “harami” when Mr.Modi appears on TV. Such negative impression has he got in Muslim’s mind.. he must answer them in public.. then only, he can call himself as a secular leader.. When media asks questions about the riots, he is simply passing it by saying ” I had answered this question in the Court and any one can check those records”… As a Hindu, i may not have such emotions like Muslims.. But, as a human being, i consider such riots seriously.. And, when, the Court could allow Excavation around Ayodhya mosque and investigations legally in a democratic way, why our leaders had to demolish literally standing on it, which is nothing but the repetition of same action that was done by uncivilized afghan emperors centuries ago.. Anger was initiated by BJP.. they have to initiate steps and take responsibility, to answer the public.. at least for minority vote bank sake….

  16. says: K.B.Raghavan

    Truly well researched & thought provoking article on the current state of our nation & its leaders.
    I sincerely hope all right thinking Indians of whichever Caste or Religion will atleast read this article & make the right choice of voting Modi to lead India to become a Super power much faster.

  17. says: Dhiren

    My and my family’s votes will go for NaMo. Whether he becomes PM or not, I will be satisfied that at least I tried electing someone who has a potential to bring change and take the entire country (all people) forward and lead it to peace and prosperity; bring India on the global map, towards becoming a super power.

    Like it or not, MoDi is an Irnonman, and today given the situation, such person is the need of the hour, seems to be only alternate. No one can ignore NM.

  18. says: Himanshu Jain

    Hats off to your comments and ideologies.The time has come when youth needs to self-reflect and act wise otherwise things will go on as they have been.We need to rise to the occasion and help the country get out of this pit.

    JAI BHARAT

  19. says: ALI YOUSUFF

    INDIA WILL BURN 100 TIMES MORE THAN AYODHA KAND DUE TO VOILENCE AND MAYHEM- AND WONT RECOVER-MIND YOU WHEN BROTHERHOOD OF MUSLIMS HINDUS IF FUELLED WITH POISON OF HATE SEE WHERE IS ADVANI TODAY FOR HIS MISCHIEF AGAINST THE THE PERPETUAL EVERLASTING BROTHERHOOD OF THE HINDU AND MUSLIM BY WHICH EVEN THE BRITISH WAS AFRAID WHEN THEY STOOD SHOULDER TO SHOULDER TO FACE THEIR BULLETS-AND TYRANNY-

    1. says: Avinash

      Going by your argument Gujrat should have seen lot of violence since 2002. But it has not. So chill out. India is not going to burn in violence if Modi comes to power. In fact it will be much more peaceful and safe. Modi destroyed several temples in Ahemdabad to make roads, he doesnt care for Hindu or Muslim, he cares for development.

  20. says: BJ

    I totally agree with author that our politicians has change the definition of “secularism” & “communal” to fit their political agenda (vote bank politics).

    We have to take one more thing in to account here, people of gujarat are not fools to elect Mr. Modi for three terms & he has proved that their decisions were not wrong. He has worked with the same system & has delivered the results, so you need good administrator to make change.

    So I’ll do my part by voting for Mr Modi in 2014 election, to do some good for my country, irrespective of what pseudo-secularist has to say…….

  21. says: shobhana

    very well written and well researched!totally convincing as well!why not publish it in the news paper?everyone truly deserves to read your point of view!
    shobhana

  22. says: lalit

    excellent, correct informative presentation !congates !looking to the world population, the % of hindu population is < other non-hindus , y e t these rulers and ruiners (few decades ago ) are treated with the benifits of minorities !!! MERA BHARAT MAHAAN !!

  23. says: prasanna

    Well, my counterview on this-
    1. we are on the way to become a failed state is entirely false.
    in fact, we are one of emerging powers.
    2. agree with minority appeasement, politicization etc
    3. without the adm complicity the riots cant go on for 2
    months! and our judiciary is very slow. wait for kodnani to spill
    the beans..
    4. comparing one communal riot with another beats logic. two
    wrongs dont make a right.
    5. guj govt hasnt pushed for death sentence to kodnani,
    bhajarangi etc. if thats not intereference, then what is?
    6. just cuz 1984 riot perpetrators have not been convicted,
    does that mean guj riot perpetrators should also be set free?
    7. when you are wondering whether you’ll be alive or not, you
    cant think abt dev- thats what the minorities in guj go through
    8. agree with distorted defn of secular but hate for other
    religions is a big no.
    9. secularism is one of our founding principles- author is trying
    to distort history by saying medival period was muslim rule
    10. hindu being majority, should be accomodative of others
    interests. he cant ignore minorities as ours is democracy and
    not a hindu republic.
    11. 2002 riots are not easy to wash away.
    12. integrity impeccable? please.. this is false.
    13. agree he is a good administrator
    14. author says, ” He is arrogant, does not
    allow a second rung of leadership to emerge, brooks no
    opposition, is impatient and authoritative, is not a
    consensus builder”. thats right. but if a leader doesnt have
    such qualities, it can only be beginning of dictatorship.
    modi is being projected as a solution to all our problems.
    solving those problems is not easy. One single man cant solve all our problems.we need somebody who
    goes by consensus, patient, takes everyone’s views. For which, Modi obviously doesnt suit.

  24. says: LK Kandpal

    I must compliment the writer for so beautifully delineating the picture. His views are unbiased and critically analyzed. I think, there is a wave in favour of Modi, who is synonymous with development. Many youths of India identify with his agenda. His only hurdle is his own party, mainly the haggardly gerontocrats- Adwani and MM Joshi.

    He is a no non-sense professional and believes in delivery of the action. He believes not in acts but in action.

    Let’s hope Modi gets a chance.

    LK

  25. says: Deepak Prahlad Agarwal

    This article by Mr. Shukla is truly thought provoking and articulated in an immaculate fashion.

    I wish to add to this crusade: Vote Modi if you love India and wish to see it grow as only he as its PM can ensure sustainable growth in all the streams

    1. says: AKA

      Congress has ruled for more than 50 years now, if they are really secular and supporting the poor by giving education, facilities, freebies, etc by now two generations of those poor would have been here to support congress. I am still not able to relate the interest free loans to farmers, free laptops to the upbringing of these section of societies. India still has poverty at its peak

      I would say, Modi is one reason for me to ensure that I vote this time and motivate others to vote in his favour

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