Gujarat’s governance and economic achievements

Gujarat’s governance and economic achievements

Other states and the Centre should learn and adopt its approach to economic management and governance

As the state of Gujarat nears completion of the first decade of the 21st Century, its achievements in economic management and in governance merit respect and closer study. Between, 1999-2000 and 2007-2008, Gujarat’s gross state domestic product (GSDP) in nominal terms grew at a compound annual rate of 15.8% (13.8% in per person terms). By 2010, its GSDP is approaching $100 billion, and its per capita income around $1,600, over a fifth higher than the national average.

Gujarat’s economy is well-balanced, with primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors contributing 21%, 33%, and 46%, respectively of GSDP in 2007-08. The manufacturing sector, key to India’s future, accounted for 41% of employment, the largest share. Gujarat, a mid-sized state, accounts for 5% of India’s population but contributes 21% to India’s exports and 13% to the industrial production. Its literacy rate is higher than the national average. While the sex ratio needs to improve (there were only 920 females per 1,000 men in 2001), consistent with international norms, females in Gujarat live nearly four years longer than men. Gujarat’s achievements have been a result of combining the following set of characteristics consistently and skilfully, with the particular mix and sequencing to suit particular context and conditions.

Narendra Modi, Chief Minister, Gujarat

Outcome or result orientation: Such an orientation has helped minimise political or outmoded ideological considerations (such as the public sector being better than the private sector) in economic decision making and in project management. This has been the case in social sectors such as health and education, infrastructure provision, or in actively seeking new growth opportunities to help diversify sources of competitiveness and livelihoods for a growing number of workers.

It has facilitated combining knowledge, resources, energies and management skills of public, private and not-for-profit sectors for addressing specific public policy challenges.

It is only in the last decade that plans to use the state’s 1,600 km long coastline to generate broader regional growth have made progress. Gujarat’s private and joint sector ports will positively contribute to India’s rapidly growing international trade; to industrialisation; and to support future development of inland transport to reduce congestion and reduce transport and logistics costs.

Willingness to explicitly address business environment: The mix of factors which impact business environment include supply of resources and inputs; progressiveproductivity oriented industrial relations environment, regulatory framework; physical and social infrastructure; and where appropriate, fiscal incentives involving taxes, subsidies and budgetary expenditure.

The emphasis on addressing supply side constraints in infrastructure; in real estate amenities, matching human resources and skills with projected demands; and improving urban amenities, including innovations in public transport (such as Ahmedabad’s Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS)), sets Gujarat apart from most other states in the country.

India is rapidly urbanising, and Gujarat is expected to experience majority urban population in the not-too-distant future. Its urban management experiments should therefore be of relevance elsewhere in the country. BRTS in Ahmedabad, for example, is raising resources from the market for expanding its reach. With tight fiscal constraints in urban areas, such a capability will be increasingly needed to provide urban amenities, and sustain competitiveness, while improving the quality of everyday life of the people.

Gujarat is among the handful of states where the state government has framed clear policies in vital areas such as agriculture, ports, power, roads and education. This has helped create greater certainty and consistency, two important aspects of business environment. Gujarat’s share in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) is 62% of the total area and 74% of the population. Its share in the 1,500 km-long Delhi-Mumbai dedicated freight corridor (DFC) is 38%. Its readiness to leverage these to enhance its competitiveness in attracting new economic activities is illustrated by the speedy and smooth allocation of Tata’s Nano car project and the rapid industrial development of the town of Sanand, near which the Nano plant is located. Its ability to address issues surrounding land acquisition and development fairly effectively is a particularly strong advantage as compared to other states.

To give another illustration, the Kutch region, traditionally arid, is being transformed through what a magazine has recently termed as ‘Green Revolution Lite’. This is an improved, compacted, and eco-friendly version of the earlier Green Revolution in Punjab and elsewhere. It is led by ordinary farmers, but under state policies to address their business environment.

The two characteristics noted above have contributed to improving Gujarat’s power supply capabilities in an environmentally sustainable manner while contributing to India’s energy security.

Thus, Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd, its state electricity utility, has signed power purchase agreements with 26 solar power project developers for 365 mw of electricity. Its electricity regulator has fixed tariff for solar power. The state has formulated a solar park scheme, which is expected to contribute to increasing the share of renewable energy in India’s energy consumption.

Governance philosophy and vision: The third key characteristic has been the governance philosophy, which has emphasised the vision of India emerging as a major power by transformation into a knowledge-based economy and society, while approaching the country’s history from a more balanced and empirical-based perspective. A good illustration is the Statue of Unity Project after Sardar Patel, who politically unified India after Independence. Characteristically, the project also includes a research and academic centre for preserving the unity and integrity of India, on agriculture to improve land productivity and yields, and on tribal life to empower them to earn livelihoods from a wide variety of activities over large geographical areas, rather than continuously depending on government initiated and funded programmes. The Unity project aims to balance national, academic, historical and spiritual values.

Gujarat has also demonstrated strong skills in social entrepreneurship, defined in simple terms as meeting everyday needs of ordinary people in an affordable manner by capitalist means. This philosophy, sometimes pursued in partnership with the government organisations, is much more sustainable and useful than large centrally planned ill-designed schemes, which make reversibility difficult even when they are demonstrated to be ineffective.

Gujarat’s people, its political leadership, particularly chief minister Narendra Modi, its business sector, labour leaders and social-entrepreneurship oriented not-for-profit sector all have contributed to Gujarat’s achievements and to laying a solid foundation for its future, though it should not become complacent and regard future progress as automatic.

India would clearly be in a better position to emerge as a major power if more states and the Central government learnt and adapted the state’s approach to economic management and governance.

Narendra Modi down with swine flu, isolated for a week

Gandhinagar, Oct 30: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is down with swine flu, doctors said Friday, two days after his return from Russia. He has been quarantined for a week, is on a liquid diet and those who interacted with him recently have been advised medical caution.

The 60-year-old Modi's sample was found positive at the government civil hospital in Ahmedabad, doctor Atul Patel said Friday morning.

The chief minister, who returned from his four-day visit to Russia Wednesday, had worked through Thursday, attending his official engagements despite feeling tired and coughing frequently.

But on Friday, the doctors confirmed that he has contracted the H1N1 virus. Modi has a team of doctors attending on him at his official residence and all his appointments have been cancelled.

Gujarat has so far seen 40 swine flu deaths and over 270 cases.

The entire staff of the chief minister's office, members of the state cabinet and those in the secretariat who may have interacted with him after his Russia visit are being put through the mandatory medical drill for swine flu.
"An advisory has been issued to the ministers of the state cabinet to reduce their interaction with the public for sometime and even when it becomes absolutely essential, to do so keeping a distance," an official source said requesting anonymity.

"The same stands true for all the government officials and members of the delegation that accompanied him. All of them are being administered Tamiflu," the source said.

The chief minister had gone to Russia at the head of a business delegation to attend the fourth International Energy Week at the World Trade Centre in Moscow. He interacted with over 60 leading lights from various oil and gas majors.

Accompanying him in the delegation were top names like Sudhir Mehta, chairman, Torrent Group; Pranav Adani, MD, Adani Wilmar Group; Nitin Shukla, CEO, Shell Hazira; Hari Bhartiya of Jubilant; Nikhil Merchant, chairman, Swan Group; Jayesh Buch, executive director of Essar Group; D. Rajgopalan, chief secretary of Gujarat; S. Jagadeeshan, principal secretary, energy and petrochemicals; and D.J. Pandian, managing director, Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation.

Government doctors are not hazarding a guess on whether the chief minister contracted the virus within the state or during his Russia visit.

After he returned from Russia, those who interacted with him noticed symptoms of cold coupled with incessant coughing. "He looked tired and under the weather to some extent, but then this was to be expected given the hectic nature of his schedule and cross-continent travel that it involved," said a minister.

Modi was slated to attend 11 programmes Saturday, but these have been cancelled.

A medical bulletin issued Friday evening by the five-member panel of doctors attending on him said the fever was under control, indicating substantial improvement in his condition.

"No new complication has been noticed and there is no cause for worry," it said.

The bulletin added that the chief minister had been administered only a liquid diet.

Among those who enquired about his health were Bharatiya Jananta Party (BJP) veteran L.K. Advani and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat.

The party office was flooded with enquiries and local news channels were swamped with 'get well' messages.

Amit Shah has resigned: Narendra Modi

New Delhi, July 24 (IANS) Gujarat Minister of State for Home Amit Shah, who was summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his alleged role in the 2005 killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in a staged shootout, has resigned, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said here Saturday.

Modi, who arrived in the capital in the morning, said: "Amit Shah has sent his resignation to my bungalow. I will complete the formalities after returning from here. I accept his resignation.

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Children Receive Anti-Polio Drug in Western India

Description: For more news visit ☛ english.ntdtv.com or Follow us on Twitter ☛ http Millions of children across India are being given anti-polio drugs. In Gujarat, more than 8 million children were vaccinated as part of the government's campaign to prevent the incurable disease. At least 8.5 million infants were given an anti-polio vaccine in Gujarat state on Sunday. Around 174 million children across the country received anti-polio drops as part of the federal government's initiative to eradicate the disease. [Narendra Modi, Chief of Gujarat State]: "In Gujarat, nearly 8.5 million children will be administered anti-polio drops during the campaign, held in at least 34000 centers throughout the state." The chief of Gujarat claims that no case of polio has been reported in the state since 2007. [Narendra Modi, Chief of Gujarat State]: "Awareness has spread among common people due to anti-polio drops, and we have achieved successful results. After 2007, fortunately no cases of polio have been reported or registered in Gujarat." Polio, which is incurable, leads to irreversible paralysis. India had 535 polio cases in 2008, compared to 471 last year.

Industrialists have script of Narendra Modi

Industrialists have script of Narendra Modi

Industrialists used government platform for the political gain of Gujarat Chief Minister. Union Textile Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela made this remark while referring to unusual show of industrialists at the Global Investors’ Summit 2009 held here this week. Vaghela claimed that Chief Minister Modi had given script of some sentences to some businessmen and industrialists which had all praise for Modi. He did not mention any name but he was obviously referring to the statements of Anil Ambani and Sunil Mittal that Modi had prime minister stuff in him. Vaghela said that these industrialists should have joined BJP and made the statement. These businessmen should have shown restrain and responded judiciously instead of having a show of low level of flattery. To a question about the remarks of the industrialists, he said that this was for BJP to decide as this has added one more person in the race for the post of prime minister in BJP.

Narendra Modi pens book on climate change

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New Delhi: As a state head, every Chief Minister ought to take steps to fight climate change. But Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi seems to have taken his responsibility a bit too seriously.

Going the Al-Gore way, Modi has written a book called 'Convenient Action: Gujarat's Response to Challenges of Climate Change'. To be released next week, the book runs into 250 pages. It is Modi's first book in English and has been published by Macmillan Publishers.

"Under the leadership of Narendra Modi, Gujarat has effectively handled a lot of issues and they have provided solutions. So this book is purely about climate change and how Gujarat has responded," says Sanjay Singh of Macmillan Publishers.

The book release function on December 21 will be presided over by former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

Praising Modi's move, Dr RK Pachauri, the chief of Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said, "I am very happy that Narendra Modi has written this book. I haven't seen it but the very fact that he's focussed on this is worth praising." Pachuri will be the chief guest at this function.

With this book, 'green crusader' Modi has become the second politician in the world, after former US Vice-President Al Gore, to pen a book on climate change.

Gujarat CM Narendra Modi in Wikileakes...(84043)

Gujarat CM Narendra Modi in Wikileakes...(84043)

Confidential 2006 cable reveals complex calculations in the event of the Gujarat Chief Minister ‘making it to the national stage'; wants a clear message delivered on U.S. concerns over 'human rights and religious freedom'

Having declined to engage with him at the ambassadorial level because of his role in the 2002 Gujarat communal violence and anti-Muslim pogrom, U.S. diplomats found themselves, in 2006, facing the possibility of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi assuming a leadership role at the national level. Conscious that the United States would have to deal with him at a later stage if he rose in stature on the national stage, the State Department evidently sanctioned meetings at the level of the Mumbai Consul General on the understanding that such interactions would also enable the U.S. to deliver a “clear message on human rights and religious freedom in Gujarat.”

In a cable dated November 2, 2006 (84043: confidential), the Consul General in Mumbai, Michael S. Owen, underscored the importance of interacting with Mr. Modi “whose B1/B2 visa we revoked in 2005, at the level of the Consul General” over the Chief Minister's role in the 2002 communal violence. Such interaction, Mr. Owen said, “will also shield us from accusations of opportunism from the BJP that would invariably arise if we ignored Modi now but sought a dialogue with him in the likely event that he makes it to the national stage.”

On the basis of discussions with leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Mumbai Consulate concluded that Mr. Modi had set his sights on national politics. Interestingly, many in the BJP leadership believed that the Gujarat Chief Minister was the “only person of the BJP's many aspiring leaders who can reinvigorate the party and stop its further slide into oblivion.”

While there was no consensus on Mr. Modi's chances for success at the national level, some in Delhi and Gujarat strongly felt that his rise was inevitable, Mr. Owen added.

The Mumbai Consulate's 2,850-word assessment, which was cleared by the New Delhi Embassy before being cabled to the State Department, was carefully considered, nuanced, and telling. The disquisition could well form the core of an M.A. thesis in politics:

“If Modi does eventually get a national leadership role in the BJP in the foreseeable future, the USG [United States Government] will be obliged to decide how it wants to deal with a figure of national prominence whose B1/B2 we revoked. We believe it would dilute our influence to avoid Modi completely. If we waited to engage Modi after he attains national stature within India's largest and most important opposition party, many in the BJP would likely view this as an opportunistic move and only deepen the suspicions cultivated by some BJP leaders in western India since the visa revocation.

“Since the riots of 2002, we have declined to engage Modi at the Ambassadorial level, but Mumbai Consul Generals have routinely sought meetings with Modi whenever they visited Ahmedabad. We will continue to seek such meetings at the level of the CG to emphasize that the USG does not have a formal no-contact policy… and to demonstrate to the BJP that we are interested in cultivating relationships with the party while it is in the opposition. Direct encounters with Modi will also enable us to deliver a clear message regarding USG concerns for the state of human rights and religious freedom in Gujarat.”

On Mr. Modi's strengths as Chief Minister that could aid his national leadership ambitions, Mr. Owen's analysis was: “Modi has successfully branded himself as a non-corrupt, effective administrator, as a facilitator of business in a state with a deep commercial culture, and as a no-nonsense, law-and-order politician who looks after the interests of the Hindu majority. Modi's backers in the BJP now hope to convince the party leadership that he can use these positive traits to attract voters throughout India. Some BJP leaders believe, or hope, that voters will forget or forgive Modi's role in the 2002 bloodshed, once they learn to appreciate his other qualities.”

Not ‘if' but ‘when’

The Consul General quoted Harin Pathak, a BJP Member of Parliament from Gujarat, as saying that the BJP national leadership, and particularly former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, were convinced that only Mr. Modi could rejuvenate the party. Ram Madhav of the RSS also voiced similar views, “going so far as to say that Modi's ascendancy is not a question of if but when, and the USG must start considering now how it will deal with Modi when he becomes head of the BJP and leads the party's electoral campaign in the national elections scheduled for 2009.”

Mr. Owen also drew attention to what he saw as divergence between Mr. Modi's public image and his private actions. “In public appearances, Modi can be charming and likeable. By all accounts, however, he is an insular, distrustful person who rules with a small group of advisors. This inner circle acts as a buffer between the Chief Minister and his cabinet and party. He reigns more by fear and intimidation than by inclusiveness and consensus, and is rude, condescending and often derogatory to even high level party officials. He hoards power and often leaves his ministers in the cold when making decisions that affect their portfolios.

Gujarat not ready for implementation of GST, says govt

The Hindu A file picture of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Photo: P.V. Sivakumar.

Though the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill has been tabled in the Lok Sabha, the Gujarat government today said in the Sate Assembly that it was not ready to implement it.

Minister of State for Industries, Saurabh Patel, told the House that Sate government was not prepared to implement GST as it would take away State’s autonomy in taxation and inflict revenue-loss of over Rs. 3,000 Crore.

“It is not just the BJP—ruled states which are opposing the implementation of GST, even the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has refused to implement it,” Mr. Patel said during a debate on budgetary demands of Finance Department.

Citing a report of the National Institute of Public Financial Policy, released in December last year, Mr. Patel said Gujarat would incur a loss of over Rs 3,000 crore upon implementation of GST, while the loss to the country was pegged at over Rs 31,000 crore.

“We had suggested to the Centre that Information Technology (IT) infrastructure should be put in place before the roll-out of GST, otherwise it cannot be implemented,” Mr. Patel said.

He claimed that 25 meetings with the Centre so far had failed to resolve the objections raised by the States.

“GST roll-out will be beneficial for luxury products, while the tax on essential goods like wheat, cotton, cumin, handicrafts is likely to go up, hurting the common man,” Mr. Patel said.

Why Narendra Modi Loves To Hate Prof. Ashish Nandy?

Why Narendra Modi Loves To Hate Prof. Ashish Nandy?

Prof. Ashish Nandy, India's leading intellectual acknowledged as the founding fathers of postcolonial studies has recently got a new 'identity'. According to the Gujarat Police he is now an accused in a criminal case supposedly for 'promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth and language.' Definitely neither Prof Nandy nor many of his admirers would have ever imagined in their wildest dreams that a day would arrive when he will face prosecution for his writings. But as they rightly say it, in Gujarat things happen bit differently.

According to media reports the Ahmedabad police have admitted a petition filed by an advocate belonging to National Council for Civil Liberties over Professor Nandy's leader page article in the Times of India ( 8 th January) 'Blame The Middle Class'. It need be added that this is the same council which had filed a few petitions against social activist and leader of Naramda Bachao Aandolan Medha Patekar on some frivolous charges which were later dismissed by the court.

To put it straight, the particular article had tried to analyse the election results for the Gujarat assembly held in December 2007 which had once again given a mandate to Mr Narendra Modi. The article in question revolved around basically three points : One, it had tried to delineate the plight of the Muslims who were condemned to live a second class existence in the post 2002 phase. It had clearly stated that '..[G]ujarati Muslims too are “adjusting” to their new station. Denied justice and proper compensation, and as second-class citizens in their home state, they have to depend on voluntary efforts and donor agencies. The state’s refusal to provide relief has been partly met by voluntary groups having fundamentalist sympathies. They supply aid but insist that the beneficiaries give up Gujarati and take to Urdu, adopt veil, and send their children to madrassas.'

Secondly, apart from the plight of Muslims it had also explained the situation in which the political formations who espouse the cause of secularism find themselves today. And he was unsparing in his criticism of these formations/individuals.For him :

'The secularist dogma of many fighting the sangh parivar has not helped matters. Even those who have benefited from secular lawyers and activists relate to secular ideologies instrumentally. They neither understand them nor respect them. The victims still derive solace from their religions and, when under attack, they cling more passionately to faith. Indeed, shallow ideologies of secularism have simultaneously broken the back of Gandhism and discouraged the emergence of figures like Ali Shariatis, Desmond Tutus and the Dalai Lama — persons who can give suffering a new voice audible to the poor and the powerless and make a creative intervention possible from within worldviews accessible to the people.'

Of course the focus of its attention was on the 'state's urbane middle class' which has remained 'mired in its inane versions of communalism and parochialism'.
The article had concluded with the observation that :

'Recovering Gujarat from its urban middle class will not be easy. The class has found in militant religious nationalism a new self- respect and a new virtual identity as a martial community, the way Bengali babus, Maharashtrian Brahmins and Kashmiri Muslims at different times have sought salvation in violence. In Gujarat this class has smelt blood, for it does not have to do the killings but can plan, finance and coordinate them with impunity. The actual killers are the lowest of the low, mostly tribals and Dalits. The middle class controls the media and education, which have become hate factories in recent times. And they receive spirited support from most non-resident Indians who, at a safe distance from India, can afford to be more nationalist, bloodthirsty, and irresponsible.'

While one may agree to differ with Professor Nandy's observations on various counts, still any concerned reader can see that it did not engage itself in any rhetoric and tried to delineate the challenges which lie ahead. Question naturally arises why did the state government felt pertrubed over this article and decided to give a green signal to its police department to admit the said petition by the council and file a criminal case against him ?

At a general level one can say that targetting of individuals and stigmatising them in very many ways is part of the modus operandi of the Hindutva brigade. And this particular case does not seem to be different. In fact it is a politics that seeks to silence critique, and battles for a notion of the past that is homogeneously Hindu.

Last six year history of Gujarat is replete with many such examples where they tried to silence all those voices who did not fall in line with their agenda based on hate and exclusion. We have before us the examples of the dansescue Sarabhai or for that matter social activist Nafisa Ali or scholar-activist G.N. Devy who were targeted on different occasions.

In Prof Nandy's case perhaps the powers that be did not like the manner in which he tried to delineate the future prognosis of a movement like RSS. He concludes :

'Events like the desecration of Wali Gujarati’s grave have pushed one of India’s culturally richest, most diverse, vernacular Islamic traditions to the wall. Future generations will as gratefully acknowledge the sangh parivar’s contribution to the growth of radical Islam in India as this generation remembers with gratitude the handsome contribution of Rajiv Gandhi and his cohorts to Sikh militancy.'

The criminal case filed against Prof Ashish Nandy reminds one of the villification campaigns which were organised during BJP led regime at centre.In fact with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) assumption of power at the centre in 1998 and its ongoing attempts to remake the educational curriculum in its own chauvinistic image gaining momentum, intellectuals and academic positions at odds with the Sangh Parivar’s view of history came under attack under various pretexts. The BJP has pursued a concerted effort to malign and delegitimise scholars and intellectuals at odds with its view of India’s past. After the stalling of the Indian Council of Historical Research-sponsored ‘Towards Freedom’ project edited by professors Sumit Sarkar of University of Delhi (DU) and KN Panikkar of JNU, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) went all-out to weed out the influence of, in the words of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief KS Sudarshan, “anti-Hindu Euro-Indians” from the curriculum. In 2001, when the moves by NCERT were underway to delete passages from school textbooks that allegedly ‘hurt’ the sentiments of this religious sect or the other, a delegation of Arya Samajis met Murli Manohar Joshi, the human resource development minister, and demanded that Romila Thapar, the legendary historian along with historians RS Sharma of DU and Arjun Dev of NCERT, be arrested. Not to be outdone, Joshi had also reiterated time and again his pet thesis that ‘academic terrorists’ are more dangerous than armed ones.

Narendra Modi down with swine flu

Narendra Modi down with swine flu

AHMEDABAD: Narendra Modi, chief minister of the Indian state of Gujarat, has contracted swine flu, his office said in a statement on Friday. Modi tested positive for the H1N1 virus days after his return from a business trip to Russia. “[Quarantine] facilities and medical treatment (have) been arranged at the official residence of the chief minister,” the statement said, adding that Modi was responding to the treatment. Swine flu has claimed more than 450 lives in India since the first death was reported on August 3. Modi, a key member of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, has been tipped as the party’s potential prime ministerial candidate, although his record is tainted by his involvement in the deadly anti-Muslim riots that swept Gujarat in 2002. The disclosure of Modi’s disease has sent a wave of panic among industrialists who accompanied him to the trip to Russia, APP reported. A minister complained that Modi should not have attended the meeting if a swine flu infection was suspected. afp/app

Narendra Modi: Should This Merchant of Death Be Allowed into Civilized Countries?

Narendra Modi: Should This Merchant of Death Be Allowed into Civilized Countries?

Mahatma Gandhi, India's apostle of non-violence and Hindu-Muslim unity, hailed from the western state of Gujarat.

It's the same province whose current chief minister (premier) presided over a 2002 pogrom against the minority Muslims that left 1,100 dead and 100,000 homeless.

Narendra Modi, dubbed "a merchant of death," is still under investigation for his role. Since 2005, the state department has barred his entry into the United States. The EU has denied him diplomatic status.

Yet some of his supporters in Toronto want him to visit Canada.

Modi is reviled as a Hindu ideologue and an authoritarian demagogue who bans books and films. But he's admired for spurring economic growth.

He made his career in the militant Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ("RSS"), which believes that India is a Hindu nation. Non-Hindus - especially Christians, Sikhs and Muslims, followers of "foreign" or other religions - must "adopt Hindu culture, hold in reverence the Hindu religion, entertain no idea but of those of glorification of the Hindu race and culture."

A follower of the creed assassinated Gandhi in 1948, believing the mahatma was soft on Muslims. The RSS is the parent organization of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party in Gujarat and, in 2002, at the federal level.

The BJP has long been trying to turn a 16th century mosque into a temple, claiming it as the birthplace of the Hindu deity Ram. In 1992, its militants demolished the mosque. Still, no temple could be built on the disputed site. So the BJP sent agitators from across India to the site. One such riled-up group returning from there triggered the 2002 tragedy.

When their train pulled into a station, they ordered a Muslim vendor to say "Hail Ram." He refused. They yanked his beard and beat him.

As the train pulled out, Muslims pelted stones. Soon, one carriage was on fire, killing 59 Hindus. Muslims were blamed but a later railway inquiry concluded that the fire had, in fact, started inside the carriage - an accident.

The BJP and associates called for a strike the next day. Modi, who had just become chief minister, ordered that police "should not come down harshly on the Hindus tomorrow," a police officer confessed later.

A mob of 10,000 went on a rampage. Mothers were skewered on swords in front of their kids. Women were raped in broad daylight, doused with kerosene and set on fire. Fetuses were ripped from the bellies of pregnant women and tossed into the flames. About 20,000 Muslim homes and businesses were torched.

"The vandals had voter lists, identifying which homes were Muslim," Ramachandra Guha wrote in India After Gandhi, an authoritative history. "Ministers of the state government were camped in police control rooms, directing operations."

I reached Guha in India. He said Modi has ensured that "no perpetrators of the violence are brought to justice. Intimidation of the judiciary and manipulation of the police continues. Muslims in Gujarat are resigned to being treated as second-class citizens, somewhat akin to that of Hindus and Christians in Pakistan."

Modi was indicted by the National Human Rights Commission and the Supreme Court, whose special police panel grilled him last year.

Recent WikiLeaks documents quote a powerful Indian politician that Hindu militants posed a greater danger than Muslim terrorists. The speaker was Rahul Gandhi (no relation of the mahatma). A potential future prime minister, he belongs to the federal ruling Congress Party, whose president is his mother, Sonia Gandhi. She's the one who called Modi "a merchant of death."

But Modi has been unrepentant, justifying the riots as an understandable response to the train tragedy.

For that he has reaped ample electoral rewards at home, sweeping elections. Seen as a prime ministerial candidate, he has rebranded himself by drawing investment and industries, including Nano, the world's cheapest car. Gujarat is the fastest growing part of India.

That's what the Canada India Foundation cites in lobbying Stephen Harper to welcome Modi here. Others warn that doing so would offend New Delhi.

But more than tactics, the issue is whether Canada should embrace this symbol of Hindu jihadism that secular Indians themselves, including Hindu followers of Mahatma Gandhi, have been battling.

When Narendra Modi Halted a Cricket Match...

When Narendra Modi Halted a Cricket Match...

What happened when the chief minister of the state decided to put himself directly behind the bowlers’ arm? Why, it stops the match of course!
The first of seven one day internationals between India and England was not without its dignitaries. The chief amongst these was Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, who in company of Niranjan Shah, the former secretary of the BCCI.
Shah should have known better. The politician may have wanted to the best viewing angle of the match; but the cricket administrator should have been smart enough to advise him that the seats adjacent to the sight screen was not the most ideal, for the batsmen that is.
As it happened, while Modi cut a smiling, content picture, the England batsmen were not amused. Not only were they up against an uphill, virtually impossible battle, now they had to deal with Modi’s exhaustive entourage that kept spilling over bang in front of the sight screen.
This follows just after Matthew Hayden has gone back home complaining of similar incidents in “third world countries” that impeded batsmen from foreign countries.

Remember the article from a day ago that asked to report any such incident happening in a foreign country, sadly the first such incident has again happened in India.
Tut! Tut! We should have known better.

Modi calls for scientific methods to strengthen internal security

Modi calls for scientific methods to strengthen internal security

CM Narendra Modi, Raksha Shakti University, internal security Posted: Mon Apr 04 2011, 03:16 hrs Ahmedabad:

Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said it is high time that the police and various other security agencies develop modern and scientific methods to strengthen internal security with the help of skilled manpower.

“Losing our policemen and defence personnel in battlefields is no solution to the security challenges. The situation inviting war, communalism, terrorism and other emergencies can be tackled by taking the issue of internal security seriously and preparing the personnel in advance,” Modi said at a seminar on ‘Human Resource Development and Security Challenges’ at Raksha Shakti University (RSU) here.

“The conventional security and safety management system demands a paradigm shift in work style through scientific research and analysis,” he added.

On the importance of local information gathering, Modi said: “Former Rajasthan CM Bhairon Singh Shekhwat had joined police as a constable. When he was the CM, he faced a challenging situation when a top Congressman’s son was abducted. He used his police training and asked his officers to find out only one thing: if there was any house in the neighbouring villages that was ordering extra milk. The officers traced the house and the child was found.”

Terrorist Viqaruddin confesses to plotting Narendra Modi's murder

Terrorist Viqaruddin confesses to plotting Narendra Modi's murder

Dreaded terrorist Viqaruddin gives vent to his strong vengeance against Gujarat Chief Minister during interrogation by city cops. Hyderabad Journal brings you the exclusive story. Viqaruddin Ahmed, the most wanted terrorist nabbed by the police this week confessed to his interrogators that he has plans to kill Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Viqaruddin, who used to move with different names in different places, had taken a small house for rent in Ahmedabad as part of his plan to attack Modi, sources told Hyderabad Journal. He had prepared identity cards of two national media houses - Star News and Zee News, to get closer to his targets. After differing with Darsgah Jihad-O-Shahadat (DJS), Viqar had formed his own group Tehreek Galba-e- Islam (TGI) to avenge the killings of Mecca Masjid blasts and the subsequent police firing. Evidence available with Hyderabad Journal shows that he also had plans to attack Narendra Modi and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Praveen Togadia as part of his plan to avenge the killings in Gujarat riots, sources said. Viqar and his associates committed theft at various eSeva centers in Hyderabad for money to buy weapons and carry out their operations. He attacked the eSeva center at Banjara Hills and left for Ahmedabad with an intention to attack Narendra Modi. But he fell short of money and tried to rob Allahabad Bank in Ahmedabad for funds and ended up killing a police constable in the process. He then came back to Hyderabad and killed a police personnel who was on duty. Viqaruddin wanted to expand his outfit just like any other terrorist organization operating from Pakistan. But his aversion to join hands with other groups confined his group to a very small numbers, sources said. The investigators believe his group has only five members including Viqar and all of them have been arrested. His goal is to implement Shariat (Islamic law) in Hyderabad, kill Narendra Modi, Praveen Togadia and other top leaders of Sangh Pariwar and also the police personnel who took part in the firing soon after Mecca Masjid blasts, sources said. Viqar wanted to expand his outfit in Gujarat with the help of Dr Haneef, a native of Gujarat, who migrated to Hyderabad few years ago. The duo came into contact at DJS meetings. It was due to this reason he included Haneef in his group. This unqualified doctor provided shelter for Viqar and his associates both in Ahmedabad and also at Hyderabad, an investigator told Hyderabad Journal. When he could not reach Modi and Togadia, Viqaruddin tried to rob and kill the jeweler who had invited Togadia to his house in Hyderabad recently. The gang had conducted a 'recce' on the jeweler but was caught before executing the plan, sources said. Viqar used to rob eSeva centers whenever he needed money. He used the money for purchasing arms and ammunition made in the underground manufacturing units in Munger district of Bihar, sources said. Police have recovered three pistols, four magazines and 35 live rounds of ammunition from the gang. With vendetta Viqar's accomplies include Syed Amzad alias Suleman, Zakir, Riaz and Dr Haneef. All the accused except Haneef are natives of Hyderabad, while Haneef is a native of Gujarat but migrated to Hyderabad few years ago. While Syed Amzad physically participated in all the criminal acts of Viqaruddin, others provided them shelter and other logistics support. Viqar has so far confessed to his involvement in the firing on police personnel at Santoshnagar in 2008, killing of home guard at Falaknuma in 2009 and killing of a police constable at Shalibanda in May this year. He had also confessed to killing of a police constable in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat when the latter tried to stop him from committing robbery at a bank, the city police chief said. Apart from the killings, Viqar told his interrogators that all the robberies at eSeva centers in Hyderabad were committed by him as he needed money for purchase of arms and ammunition and carry out his operations. Pledged to kill This is the second module of Islamic extremists originated from Hyderabad to target politicians of Gujarat. The first module had killed former Home Minister of Gujarat, Haren Pandya in 2003. The kingpin of the module Asgar Ali and his associates have been convicted for the murder and sentenced to life. Seven years later, Viqaruddin had made attempts to reach Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi with an intention to kill him as retaliation to the Gujarat riots. At least a dozen Muslim youths from Hyderabad have been arrested by the Gujarat police after Asgar Ali module has been busted. All of them are either convicted on the charges of conspiracy to spread terror in the state or still facing trial. It is pertinent to mention here that Narendra Modi had announced in his address at a public meeting at Nizam College grounds in Hyderabad before the general elections in 2009 that every terror module would be busted in his home state has some connection to Hyderabad. "Gujarat mein jo bhi aatank ka kaam chal raha hai, uska taar kahi na kahi Hyderabad se juda hua rahta hai," Modi had said in his address. Committed to what he feels to be 'ideals', Viqaruddin has certain principles, said the investigators. To rob only government money To enforce Shariat law in Hyderabad To kill those police personnel who have participated in the firing soon after Mecca Masjid blasts To kill Narendra Modi, Praveen Togadia and other Sangh pariwar leaders Intelligence Vs IPS It was not the city police, but intelligence sleuths who have arrested Viqar and his gamg with a great effort. Since Viqar had opened fire on one of the intelligence constables' couple of years ago, it was widely believed that he would be killed in an encounter. But one senior IPS officer in the city police, who has been able to secure key postings with the help of a political party, has negotiated for the life of the dreaded criminal Viqar. Now that Viqar had told his interrogators that he would unleash terror soon after his release from jail, a state of bitterness is prevailing between the intelligence and the IPS officer, sources told Hyderabad Journal.

Modi's Patel statue announcement leads to controversy

Gandhinagar, Oct 7 : Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the iron man of India, found himself at the centre of a raging controversy Thursday after Chief Minister Narendra Modi announced his dream project of erecting the world's tallest statue, of Patel, and the Congress took strong objection to it terming it to be a violation of the poll code.

Six key municipal corporations of the state are slated to go to polls Oct 10.

Gujarat Congress president, Siddhartha Patel, Thursday took strong objection to the chief minister announcing the project of erecting the "world's tallest statue" of Sardar Patel overlooking the Narmada dam on the downstream of the dam site in Kevadia Colony.

Chief Minister Modi had Wednesday announced his dream project of erecting the world's tallest statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in the downstream of the Narmada dam.

In a letter to the state election commission, Patel charged him with breach of election code of conduct pointing out that the literature published in connection with the statue project showed Sardar Patel holding in his hands a "lotus flower", the election symbol of the BJP.

He questioned the chief minister's propriety in announcing the project when the model code of conduct was in force and stated that the Sardar's picture with a lotus flower was a deliberate ploy to "misuse" his name for electoral gains. The literature also carried the BJP's symbol seeking to identify it as a party project.

The Congress president contested the announcement and its propriety when elections were in progress. "Why was it made three days before the poll schedule and that too on behalf of the BJP?" he questioned.

The BJP state spokesperson, I.K. Jadeja, however, claimed that Sardar's picture was taken in the folder from the collection of old photographs. "What can the BJP do if Sardar had a liking for a lotus?" he asked.

The BJP spokesman accused the Congress of "suffering from Sardar phobia".

Narendra Modi completes nine years as Gujarat chief minister

Narendra Modi completes nine years as Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi Narendra Modi today completed nine years in office, becoming the longest serving chief minister of Gujarat. Modi had taken over as chief minister on October 7, 2001, replacing Keshubhai Patel. "I would like to thank the people of Gujarat as well as the country on today's occasion. Amid many challenges and roadblocks, natural calamities, political intolerance and untouchability, the BJP government has completed nine years of rule here and has entered the tenth year," Modi said in a statement. "This decade has been a decade of progress of the state. I am working for laying the foundation of golden Gujarat, stronger Gujarat and a glorious Gujarat," he said. The statement, which also highlighted Modi's achievements, said that as chief minister he converted adversities into opportunities and weaknesses into strengths. "Modi has succeeded in promoting meritocracy in the state, growth with discipline and has turned Gujarat into global business hub," it said. Yesterday, senior party leader Arun Jaitley had said that in the past nine years of Modi's rule, those outside the state are divided into two distinct groups -- one who are against him and others who are praising the all-round development of the state. "The state faced some severest criticism in the last nine years under the rule of Modi and hefty praises from the likes of Ratan Tata who said it would be foolish if you are not in Gujarat," Jaitley told a public meeting here.

Senior American Congress member calls on Narendra Modi

Senior American Congress member calls on Narendra Modi

Senior member of American Congress Mr. ENI F H Faleomaveaga today paid courtesy call to Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

He handed over to Shri Modi a letter signed by eight senior representatives of Congress and an authorized document of the speech he gave during one of the Congress session. As a part of preparation for the forthcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit-2011, a high-level delegation from Gujarat took a tour to Washington and met Mr.Faleomaveaga.

During his one hour meet, Mr.Faleomaveaga praised Shri Modi’s commitment for progress and his efforts for developing economic relationship between India and USA.

Chief Minister gave a memento of ‘Shashwat Gandhi’ to Mr. Faleomaveaga, who is also a strong believer of Gandhian values.

The senior Congress member wished all success to the fifth Global Summit and said he would work for developing further co-operation between America and India during the Summit. As a strong supporter of Gujarat’s progress, he reiterated his resolve to explore areas of co-operation between Gujarat and America during the hour-long meeting with the Chief Minister.

Prominent among those present during the discussion with the American delegation included Principal Energy Secretary Jagdish Pandian, Principal Finance Secretary M. Shrivastava and Chief Minister’s Secretary A. K. Sharma. Mr. Faleomaveaga was also impressed by the video presentation of Gujarat’s accomplishments in the modern times.

Gujarat CM Narendra Modi Tests Positive for Swine Flu

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has tested positive for swine flu on Friday.

According to doctors at the government hospital here, Modi tested positive after undergoing an H1N1 virus test.

Modi will be kept in isolation for seven days, said a Gujarat Government spokesperson.

The Chief Minister recently returned from Russia.

Tackle US meddling in India: Narendra Modi

Tackle US meddling in India: Narendra Modi

the central government should address the issue of US interference in the internal affairs of India.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here, he said the "government of India should address the issue of American interference" in Indian affairs.

He also reacted to latest WikiLeaks disclosures, which quote Michael S. Owen, the US consul general in 2006, as saying that the chief minister was an efficient administrator.

Modi said he met Owens in Mumbai, where they discussed Gujarat.

"I looked into his eyes and said do not preach... I am a son of India, I know what human rights violations you have done. Good that the dialogue has been faithfully reproduced," Modi said.

He added that now even the US knows that he is incorruptible.

"WikiLeaks shows two faces - one that of the government of India and the other of progressive Gujarat," he said.

Narendra Modi files nomination papers from Maninagar

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi filed his nomination papers from Maninagar constituency here today.

Ahmedabad, Nov 28 : Gujarat Chief Minister his nomination papers from Maninagar constituency here today.

Modi, who is contesting for the second time from Maninagar, was accompanied by state unit BJP President Purshottam Rupala and party MP Harin Pathak.

"This election in Gujarat is different from those held earlier. Normally, it is the political parties or the media which sets the agenda. However, in Gujarat the agenda for the elections would be set by its 5.5 crore people and not by any political party or the media," Modi said after he had filed his papers.

Speaking about the 2002 Gujarat Assembly polls when the party managed to win 127 seats while the Congress party was able to win only 51 seats, he said, "In 2002 when I fought the elections, not many people were acquainted with me or my work. But now the people have seen my work and have no doubts about me."

The Janata Dal (United) and independents won two seats each.

Speaking on the development in Gujarat, Modi said, "I will ensure that Gujarat achieves the level of development that is seen in developed countries."

"In democracy elections are a festival. We all are now celebrating the festival of democracy. The BJP while asking the people to vote for it will try to reach out to them. The BJP will familiarise the people with its style of functioning and ask them to support it in the elections," he added.

From Congress, Union Minister Dinsha Patel also filed its nomination papers. He is being nominated from this constituency for the first time.

Earlier, Patel won five Assembly elections and four Lok Sabha elections from Gujarat.

The first phase of elections in Gujarat will be held on December 11 and second phase on December 16. The counting of votes will take place on December 23.

Over 36 million voters will elect the 182-member Assembly in Gujarat as the term of the State's Legislative Assembly is due to expire on December 26.