Walled city a perfect living heritage: Narendra Modi

AHMEDABAD: The city of Ahmedabad will be completing 600 years of its foundation next year. Ahmedabad is perfect living heritage, said Chief Minister Narendra Modi at CEPT University on Tuesday.

The statement came close on the heels of the week-long TOI campaign to put the walled city of Ahmedabad on Unesco's world heritage city list.

Modi was speaking at the inauguration of the three-day 10th international Asian Planning Schools Association (APSA) Congress at CEPT University organised by its faculty of planning & public policy.

Urging for modernisation without westernization in urban planning, Modi said, "In city's urban plans, focus should be on local culture and tradition. While making strides in development, Japan has maintained its heritage too. Cities, citizens and civilisation should go hand in hand."

"The walled city of Ahmedabad has kept intact its basic philosophy of living with nature. Pol houses in the walled city are self-sufficient and showcase a city within a city," Modi said. At least 143 papers discussing Asian cities and the problems they face in terms of infrastructure, planning, increasing population and sustainability are part of the APSA Congress.

Modi said, "The present urban development is self-centric and exploits natural resources. The need is to create a new world order with innovative designs and concepts for sustainaable development."

Countries like Korea, , Japan, UAE, and part of the paper presentation. Universities from the US, , Brazil, Australia and other European countries are also participating in the event.

Narendra Modi takes the charge of Gujarat cricket board

AHMEDABAD: When Narendra Modi first became chief minister of Gujarat in October 2001, he said he had come to play a one-day match. He implied that he had only one year to go for Gujarat Assembly elections — the previous four years having been consumed by his predecessor Keshubhai Patel. Modi won both the 2002 and 2007 Assembly elections.

All this may have been a political metaphor, his real cricketing innings has just started with a sudden change in batting order at the top. Instead of minister of state for home Amit Shah, who was supposed to take over as Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) president on Tuesday, it was Modi who decided to pad up and go in as opener himself.

Modi was unanimously elected as the president of the association, formally ending a 16-year rule of Congressman and former deputy CM Narhari Amin. The Gujarat CM joins the league of other politicians like Sharad Pawar, Arun Jaitley, Lalu Yadav, late Madhavrao Scindia etc who have taken control of cricket — not always for the love of the game.

Shah, the key man who effected the power shift after a prolonged political struggle and legal battle, becomes vice-president. The writing on the wall became clear in May when the Shah-led faction won the elections to Central Board of Cricket, Ahmedabad (CBCA), the key to controlling the cash-rich GCA.

"In one or two weeks we will chalk out our strategy to spread and develop not only cricket but other sports as well. We will try and create an environment where cricketers and other sportspersons get respect and pride," Modi said after his unanimous election.

Observers say Modi's motivation may be his focus on the youth. Control over cricket would only help him nurse this segment. "What better than cricket to get a hold over youth," said a GCA official.

The chief minister, it is learnt, already has a plan in mind of building sports infrastructure all over Gujarat with cricket money, and use the facilities for other sporting disciplines as well. He would, however, be limited in his role in the state as the GCA is only one of the three cricket associations in Gujarat affiliated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) — the other two being Saurashtra and Baroda.

Narendra Modi to address convention of BJP CMs

NEW DELHI: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has been given the pride of place to guide chief ministers of BJP-ruled states on good governance at a conference next month in Maharashtra.

Modi will deliver the keynote address at the national convention on good governance at Sangh Parivar's training centre Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini near Mumbai on June 5-6.

"Named Suraj-Sankalp (commitment to good governance), the conference will focus on review of some very noteworthy and innovative welfare or development initiatives," Convenor, BJP Governance Cell, Manohar Parrikar said.

Asked why Modi was chosen for delivering the keynote address, Parrikar said the decision was taken keeping his "good" track-record of governance in mind as well as the fact that he is the "senior most" chief minister.

Modi was recently summoned by Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) to be quizzed on his alleged role in the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

The former Goa chief minister has been made in-charge of the conclave to be inaugurated by BJP chief Nitin Gadkari, who had announced at the party's National Council and Executive Meeting in Indore in February that the party cadre would have to undergo training programmes.

The programme has been designed by BJP ideologue Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and other senior leaders on the lines of training programmes run for RSS leaders.

Party general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan, former Uttarakhand chief minister B C Khanduri, deputy leader of BJP in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde and former Delhi unit president Harshvardhan would conduct a session on relations between party and government.

Parikkar denied that these leaders will not be able to deal with heavyweights like Modi and two-time Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

"This is a conference and not a workshop. The good deeds of everyone will be discussed there...slippages will be discussed too but weaknesses will not be made public," he said.

A report card on good governance of Chief Ministers and accountability in their states will be prepared at the convention.

On accusations against Modi that he allowed communal violence in his state in 2002, Parrikar said, "Law and order issues will also be discussed."

EC to consider Narendra Modi's reply tommorow

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission will meet on Sunday to consider the response sent by Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi even as it sought a report on Congress President Sonia Gandhi's remarks about 'merchants of death'.

The full Commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy will consider the reply of Modi in which he said his speech was entirely against terrorism and he had not justified the encounter killing of Sohrabuddin.

The chief minister said the Commission issued the notice to him on the basis of unverified and false media reports.

EC sources said the Commission has also sought from the state election machinery details of Gandhi's speech at Navsari in Gujarat on December 1, describing BJP government as 'merchants of fear and death'.

In his reply, Modi said though the state unit of BJP had sent separate complaints, no action has been taken by the EC.

The full Commission is also leaving for Gujarat on Sunday as the campaign for the first phase of polling on December 11 comes to an end.

Narendra Modi stands tall amid criticism, dissidence

NEW DELHI: With Assembly elections in Gujarat coming up in December, it's all Narendra Modi in the state with the chief minister being projected as the Hindutva mascot by his saffron supporters and a demon by his detractors.

Though Gujarat is referred to as BJP's Hindutva laboratory, Modi is virtually the saffron party in the state, overshadowing all others including his predecessors like Keshubhai Patel and Suresh Mehta.

Dissidence seems to be growing in the BJP, but the party is busy drawing up plans to corner the detractors in case they make their way to the poll fray on Congress tickets.

BJP has also made attempts to stem dissidence among the MPs and the central leadership has walked the extra mile to placate Keshubhai Patel to corner the detractors.

A close Modi associate and Rajya Sabha member Vijay Kumar Roopani suggests that the battle of the ballot in the state was a virtual referendum on the chief minister's leadership.

A central leader of the saffron party says it's "all Modi" in Gujarat as the chief minister is the towering personality having even dwarfed veterans like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani.

The presence of Modi and his personality has ensured that there is no leadership tussle in the state unit, unlike in other states where there are many claimants for the top post.

I can't be frightened: Narendra Modi

BHAVNAGAR: In the backdrop of CBI's reported move to quiz him in Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter killing case, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he cannot be frightened and would fight against "falsehood" 100 times.

"The war between nationalists and anti-nationalist demons has started in Gujarat. But remember this is Gujarat where anti-nationalists forces will be defeated", Modi said addressing a rally in Palitana town of this district.

"If you think that you can frighten me, you should open your ears and listen, Modi will bow down to truth and will fight 100 times against falsehood," Modi said in stepped-up offensive at a Van Mohatsav function.

"I want to tell Sultanat (central government), Gujarat is inheritor of legacy of and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who provided leadership to win our freedom. Gujarat will win in this war of nationalism and anti-nationalism", he said.

"This country never takes the side of those who stand besides terrorists, those fighting for rights of 'demons', anti-nationals and those related with underworld activities," Modi said.

Shah, former minister of state for Home, has been arrested by CBI for his alleged role in Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case and the agency is reportedly planning to question Modi too.

"For the last eight years, there has been peace and development in the state. They are trying to destabilise the progress of Gujarat," Modi claimed.

"They are jealous of progress of Gujarat and so they are not trying to derail the progress of the state", he said.

Addressing a rally in Ahmedabad, Modi yesterday had said Congress has already accepted defeat in the forthcoming local body polls and will have to field CBI officers as their candidates.