Narendra Modi: A Misunderstood Politician?

Narendra-Modi-BJP
India may be tired of NarendraModi’s related news stories and controversies, yet he continues to make news every other day!

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi can be  described as the most controversial figure of Indian politics and as always the headline maker is again in news, this time on a global scale!

It was only a couple of  weeks ago when Time, the world’s largest circulation weekly news magazine had figured Narendra Modi on the cover page of its Asian edition, citing “Modi Means Business, but can he lead India?” and now the same magazine has put him in the poll list of 195 most influential people in the world from different fields such as leaders, artists, innovators, icons and heroes.

The voting  is already over as of now. However, the final result will be declared on April 17 and the decisions of editors of Time Magazine will be the last words for the poll.

The poll data reveals Narendra Modi is in the third position, securing more number of positive votes, ahead of the world’s most powerful person Barack Obama, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the First Lady of the US Michelle Obama, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, popstars Lady Gaga and Shakira.

 

Narendra Modi BJP
India may be tired of NarendraModi’s related news stories and controversies, yet he continues to make news every other day!

Famed for its unbiased approach, the Magazine has also listed several other Indians viz. God of Indian cricket Sachin Tendulkar, Bihar’s pro-development CM Nitish Kumar, anti-corruption activist Anna Hazzare, actor Salman Khan and actress Vidya Valan.

The magazine’s poll profile describes Modi as

“the most polarizing figure in Indian politics. Hailed by his supporters as a pro-business man of action — an uncommon figure in a country constantly criticized for its bureaucracy — Modi is in the running to be India’s next Prime Minister. But he remains associated with the ugly legacy of the 2002 Gujarat riots, where, under his watch, thousands died in an anti-Muslim pogrom.”

India may be tired of  NarendraModi’s related news stories and controversies, yet he continues to make news every other day!  He was again  the center of  another controversy following the publication of an advertisement in a local vernacular Gujarati daily depicting him as Lord Krishna. The advertisement was published by local BJP’s workers as a  tribute to the man as a part  of  BJP’s ongoing Kisan Hith Yatra in Saurashtra.

The party may eagerly describe this as a “Yatra” to make farmers aware of the allegedly anti-farmer policies of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. But the real objective behind this is completely political and ethical. Following a media uproar and taunted by other national parties, the Gujarat state unit of the BJP  tried to explain away the poster  –

“The objective is not to compare Narendra Modi with Lord Krishna. But his role in Gujarat and the BJP is that of a philosopher, guide and visionary similar to that of Lord Krishna in Mahabharata.”

Today if  Gujarat is considered to be the most industrialized state of the country, it is only because of Modi’s administrative skills. It was Modi who welcomed Tata’s dream project to Gujarat after the Tata group was caught in the ugly Singur-Tata controvwrsy with the present Chief Minister of  Paschim Banga, Mamata Banerjee.  Whether it is rehabilitation of Bhuj’s earthquake victims or implementation of e-Governance for transparency;  best practices in solid waste management or environment consciousness – Gujarat has pursued excellence in several areas under his leadership. His highly ambitious project, Dolera Special Investment (SIR), places him in a different league of politicians.

His excellence in the field of administration is already been praised by some of the world’s top iIndustrialists including  Ratan Tata and  Anil Ambani.

Having  mastered the state politics; probably time has come for Modi to take a step further and enter national politics. With less than two years left before the next general election, Bharatiya Janta Party should consider him as the best possible Prime minsiterial candidate.  The fact that many industrialists have voiced their support for Modi and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), party’s ideological head, standing with him, Modi should rank number one on the list of the  so called the 2nd generation leadership of Bharitya Janta Party.

With the Atal-Advani era, which reshaped Indian democracy towards the late 20th century, close to an end and Bharatiya Janta Party witnessing a generational shift, Narendra Modi is the most obvious figure for the party’s new face. His much publicized “Sadbhavana” mission, an act of self-purification and state harmony and very idea of fast seems to have healed his image, the clean chit by the SIT appointed by the Supreme Court, is another important plus to his already improving image.

Narendra Modi can be called as country’s most misunderstood politician but it is the citizens of the country who will decide Mr. Modi’s future, not the recycled allegations which are yet to be proved.

In Mahabharata, Krishna is depicted as a political reformer who redefines the destiny of ‘Pandavas’ and with his shrewd tactics and strategy shapes the outcome of  the “Kurukshetra” war.  In short Modi can be called Krishna, not of India, but at least of BJP rewriting the fate of the party and thereafter the country’s with his vision, ideas and efficient administrative skills.

This is a Guest Post by Aditya Ashok and Adarsh Ashok. Aditya and Adarsh are First year students at Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal. Aditya is pursuing Information technology, while Ashok is studying to be a Civil Engineer.
(The post was edited by our Editorial Team).

 

13 Comments

  1. The credit for modi’s tryst with TIME should go to his public relation firm APCO instead of him. If you look at the march 26 issue, modi’s story takes up only 2 pages, no way a cover story…..but  he appears on the cover!!!! as far as the poll is concerned, what u conveniently avoid mentioning is that he’s got more negative votes than positive ones…..at least tell the whole truth…..modi’s projecting himself lately as a ‘vikas purush’ any sensible person would realize that a state is only as developed as its poorest. Gujarat today has a lower poverty reduction rate than up, ap, wb and even bihar 44% of children under 5 are malnourished….a figure higher than up’s…….development doesn’t mean building roads and ports while ur poorest suffer……a political victory doesn’t mean a moral exoneration…..just because majority of gujaratis want him to be their cm doesn’t discount the fact that he is a mass murderer……

  2. Even Gaddafi, Sadddam Were Given the Cover of TimeS.. :-p , So its NOT GOOD getting a Cover In TIMES!!!

    • Time had figured Gaddafi, Saddam, Hitler, Laden on the cover page for negative reasons. Modi was on the cover because of his efficient governance and policies. Only few Indians could find a place on the cover of this prestigious magazine which happens to be the world’s largest weekly selling Magazine.   

        • Time has different editions American published in New York City, European edition (published in London) and Asian edition (Hong Kong),The South Pacific edition(Sydney). You cannot publish news of UP in the front page of TOI’s Bangalore edition.

          • exactly what i meant so time asia wouldn’t be d largest selling weekly magazine……..

          • So isn’t that a big thing that the Time figured Modi( a State CM not a nation’s PM and nowhere in national politics) on the cover page for his pro people work. Only 8 Indian politicians could find a place on its cover.  Out them 4 are PMs(Jaharharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shashtri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi) and  2 nation founders (Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Mahatma Gandhi) and chairperson of ruling government Sonia Gandhi.

          • And about Time’s poll that placed him ahead of 
            ahead of the world’s most powerful person Barack Obama, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the First Lady of the US Michelle Obama, Mark Zuckerberg etc. 

          • also he got more negative votes than positive as i pointed out in my comment and u conveniently ommited in ur article…..

  3. I adore this great personality, what he did for Gujarat is splendid and i am definitely sure he have that ability to change this Developing Country to DEVELOPED COUNTRY.

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