Early activism and politics

Early activism and politics

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 ‘ ,declared by the then Prime Minister , 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. Modi was a Pracharak in the RSS during his university years.

He entered mainstream politics in 1987 by joining the BJP. 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. He took up the challenging task of energizing the party cadres in right earnest. In partnership with set about creating a strong cadre base in Gujarat. In the initial period, was seen as a mass leader, while Modi was recognised as a master strategist.

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.

Narendra Modi with people during Rakhabandhan

During this period, Modi was entrusted with the responsibility of organizing two crucial national events, the to Rath Yatra (a political rally through India on a converted Toyota van) of a similar march from (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. After the exit of the BJP, was made Chief Minister while Narendra Modi was sent to delhi as a General Secretary of the Party. This was allegedly done at the behest of Keshubhai to keep Modi from stirring trouble.

In 1995, Modi 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. In 1998, he was promoted as the General Secretary (Organization), a post he held until October 2001. In 2001, Narendra Modi was chosen by the party to be the Chief Minister of Gujarat after the removal of chief minister in a backroom coup.

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. While working at the national level, Modi emerged as an important spokesman for the party and played a key role on several important occasions.

Personal life

Personal life

Modi was born in a middle class family in Vadnagar in of what was then 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 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 He started with (RSS),a socio-cultural organization with a focus on social and cultural development of India.

Modi completed his schooling in He holds the distinction of being a well-educated politician, having earned a masters graduate degree in from He is known for being a poet and has published few poetry books

Narendra Modi

Narendra Damodardas Modi (Devnagri: नरेन्द्र दामोदरदास मोदी, Gujarati: નરેન્દ્ર દામોદરદાસ મોદી [nəɾɛn̪d̪ɾə d̪ämod̪əɾd̪äs mod̪i]; born 17 September 1950) is the current Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat. 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. In 1998, he was chosen by L K Advani to direct the election campaign in Gujarat as well as Himachal Pradesh. His aggressive style was successful 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. Since the beginning of tenure as chief minister of Gujarat from 7 October 2001, he has been the longest serving Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat. In July 2007 he became the longest serving Chief Minister in Gujarat's history when he had been in power for 2063 days continuously. He was elected again for a third term on 23 December 2007 with an emphatic win in the state elections, which he had cast as a "referendum on his rule". 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 and Hindu religious leaders for outstanding administration for turning Gujarat into an economic powerhouse and controlling terrorism.

Narendra Modi blasts Centre over Sohrabuddin fake encounter case

Narendra Modi blasts Centre over Sohrabuddin fake encounter case

Hitting out at the Centre and the CBI, chief minister Narendra Modi today said the agency’s plea to the Supreme Court to shift the Sohrabuddin case outside Gujarat was an insult to the judicial system of the state.

He also asked the Centre whether it considered Gujarat as a part of “enemy country”.

“Do you not consider the state as a part of India,” Modi asked.

Accusing Congress of playing vote bank politics on the fake encounter case, Modi lambasted the ruling party at the Centre and also the CBI, which is probing the 2005 killing.

“There is an attempt to pollute the environment of Gujarat. This is an insult of the judicial system of Gujarat.. its judges..its lawyers,” Modi said at a function here.

“They are trying to malign my name for the last eight years. But now they have started maligning the judicial system of the state. I will not tolerate this. They can attack me but why the judicial system?” the chief minister asked.

“Am I doing anything wrong by fighting terrorism.. Have I done anything wrong by arresting the accused of Ahmedabad blasts. Why I am being stopped from fighting terrorism?” he asked.

The Central probe agency, which submitted a status report in the Supreme Court yesterday and placed records before it, has sought shifting of the case outside Gujarat for a “fair trial”.

Amit Shah, former minister and a key Modi aide, has been arrested in the case.

Who is this video about?

Who is this video about?

Narendra Modi was born in 1950 in the West Indian state of Gujarat, which would be later ruled by him. He volunteered his services during disastrous times of war and floods across India. This experience at disaster management would help him handle a major disaster during his second tenure as Gujarat’s Chief Minister (CM). His student life was nonetheless spent in active movements and he formally entered politics in 1987, by joining the national Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Within a year, and later, he took up responsible positions with the BJP at the state and national levels. After carving a niche as a master strategist, Modi was made Gujarat’s CM in 2001. His people-centred politics won him widespread support and he could retain his CM post in the general elections next year. Even a third tenure didn’t elude him in 2007. Modi inherited a resource-rich state and helped make it richer in many ways. Gujarat could sweep many awards too like UN Sasakawa Award for disaster reduction, CAPAM award for innovation in governance, UNESCO award, etc. His state topped in industrial investment (MOUs) and major health care services. Modi has even been voted India’s top CM. Few know that he has authored three books and many essays too.

What is this video about?

Winning is not all that is to a game. But without strategy, any game can be lost. Gujarat's chief minister, Narendra Modi knows this very well. Strategy - or policy as it is called in political circles - has been by Modi's side in good as well as bad times. Whether it is taming a huge bureaucracy or timing his functions, Modi is well-adapted and so has his state. He rests his state's functioning on five pillars that are equally important. Lesser emphasis on one pillar, he believes, can bring his state down. Know those grand pillars and how he helped erect them in this candid interview. Get answers to critical questions like is Gujarat's development model exportable and if so, how?