The Asian Age – ‘Modi not to be blamed for riots’

Asian Age Correspondent

New Delhi, 18 April 2013. Calling the BJP the “most secular political outfit” where “no communal person can survive”, party chief Rajnath Singh on Wednesday came out in defence of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi insisting that Mr Modi could not have been responsible for the 2002 post-Godhra rots riots.

At a time when BJP-JDU alliance in facing major trouble over growing clamour within the BJP to project Mr Modi as the PM candidate for general polls and JD(U) demanding a “secular” PM candidate, Mr Singh also asserted that Mr Modi has never said that he was in the PM race or wants to be projected as the PM candidate.

BJP chief said that though the ongoing “crisis” between the two allies was “unfortunate”, he expressed confidence that the alliance will remain intact. On another ally Shiv Sena’s caution that BJP should take allies into confidence on the PM candidate issue or else there could be a “Mahabharat”, Mr Singh insisted that his party will consult with all its allies.

The BJP also sought to put behind the tit-for-tat with JD(U) over the Godhra incident that had taken place when Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar was the railway minister.

“I have been a chief minister myself, so on the basis of my experience I can say no chief minister wants any anarchy or law and order problem in his state. I cannot believe he (Modi) would have provoked any law and order problem. I cannot even imagine a chief minister would provoke riots,” BJP chief said in his interaction with women journalists.

He added that “BJP is the most secular party, no communal person can survive in BJP” when questioned why was then Modi labelled “communal” by many.

When asked about Mr Modi’s comment after the Godhra riot that every action has a reaction, the BJPchief said the comment was not verified.

“It was not verified that Narendra Modi said that. The comment has been refuted by him,” he said.

Mr Singh also recalled former PM Rajiv Gandhi’s comment on the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 that followed Indira Gandhi’s assassination but did not name him.

“After the Hindu-Sikh riots, a senior leader who is no more and I will not name him, said when big trees fall, the earth shakes,” he said.

Justifying Mr Modi’s inclusion in BJP’s parliamentary board, Mr Singh Mr said Modi is the “senior most CM” and there was only one vacancy. He also reiterated that any decision on the PM candidate issue would be taken only by the parliamentary board at the “right time”.

http://www.asianage.com/india/modi-not-be-blamed-riots-253

The Tribune – Modi trains guns on Congress, Gandhi family

Ashok Tuteja, Tribune News Sservice

New Delhi, March 3. As he targeted the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family for all the ills afflicting the country, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi clearly emerged as the tallest leader of the BJP that concluded its three-day meet here today. There was the a growing clamour within the party’s rank and file to nominate Modi as the party’s nominee for the prime ministership.

On his part, Modi chose his words quite carefully, avoiding making any direct reference to his prime ministerial ambition, though it was quite clear from his nearly 50-minute extempore speech that he considered himself the most suitable candidate for the country’s top political job.

Modi’s popularity among the party’s top office-bearers from across the country was quite evident as the crowd at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium broke into applause and raised slogans in his favour as soon as he got up to deliver the address.

With senior party leaders, including party patriarch LK Advani, hearing him with rapt attention, the Gujarat “strongman” was at pains to emphasise that the candidate for the Prime Minister’s post was not an issue in the party.

He accused the Congress of sacrificing interests of the nation to serve the interests of one family. Advani’s own speech towards the fag end of the meet was relegated to the background with the spotlight remaining firmly on the Gujarat CM.

Modi was unsparing in his attack on the Nehru-Gandhi family while heaping praise on late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and the current President Pranab Mukherjee, both of whom belonged to the Congress. Shastri united farmers and changed the face of the country, while Mukherjee would definitely have been a better choice for the prime ministership than the present incumbent Manmohan Singh. “But Mukherjee was not allowed to become the PM since Congressmen were worried what would happen to the family if he were to occupy the post.”

Comparing the Congress with termite, he said, “The country is sinking. The poor are under the burden of price rise. We cannot even feel if there is a government at the Centre or not.”

While drawing attention to the governance formula he has adopted in Gujarat, Modi was also appreciative of the work being done by the BJP governments in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Goa.

“Freeing the nation from the Congress rule would be an act of patriotism. It would be a task as great as that our freedom fighters did,” he said.

In his speech, Advani claimed the popular mood in the country was of anger and revulsion against the Congress-led government. “Many factors are feeding this mood, but the chief amongst them is the firm belief among all sections of society that this is the most corrupt government in the history of Independent India.”

He said the BJP leaders and workers could take pride in the fact that they belonged to a party that valued and promoted internal democracy and not to a dynastic party.

He said the BJP must work closely with like-minded parties-both those within the NDA and those outside-to reassure the people that a strong, viable non-Congress alternative, with an agreed agenda of good governance was available to them.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130304/main1.htm#1

The Hindu – BJP leaders from UP evasive on Modi as PM candidate

Party veteran Joshi says he will support the decision of Parliamentary Board

Atiq Khan

Lucknow, 3 February 2013.  Unlike their counterparts in the other States, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders from Uttar Pradesh are shying away from endorsing the idea of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi being projected as the Prime Ministerial candidate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Senior BJP leader and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of the Lok Sabha Murli Manohar Joshi sidestepped a query on Mr. Modi and said whenever a decision was taken by the party on naming the Prime Ministerial candidate, it would be made known.

Dr. Joshi, who is a Member of Parliament from Varanasi, told reporters here on Saturday that he would speak at the appropriate forum, and added that he would support the decision of the Parliamentary Board.

When pointedly asked whether his response was in tune with the recent “gag orders” issued by party president Rajnath Singh, that leaders should exercise caution while issuing statements [related to Mr. Modi], he denied that there were any such orders. Dr. Joshi even rejected a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader’s reported charge that Nitin Gadkari’s recent ouster was the result of a conspiracy by some leaders. “There was no conspiracy,” Dr. Joshi added.

In Allahabad, vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi described Mr. Modi as a “nationalist” [rashtravadi] with a “countrywide appeal,” but was quick to add that that there were “other nationalist leaders” in the party. Mr. Naqvi said a decision on this count would be taken by the party. Another senior leader and MLA from Lucknow East, Kalraj Mishra, when asked for his views told journalists that Mr. Modi was “in” the “race.”

With 80 Lok Sabha seats and the Ram temple issue still on the BJP’s dossier, Uttar Pradesh figures prominently in the party’s 2014 poll agenda. In the 2009 poll, it fared poorly and could manage only 10 seats. But, with a “homegrown” leader like Rajnath Singh back at the helm [ he was the party chief in 2009 too], State leaders, including U.P. BJP president Laxmikant Bajpai, have claimed that in 2014 the tally would increase to between 40 and 50 seats.

Mr. Singh, who is the MP from Ghaziabad, is arriving on February 5 on a two-day visit to Lucknow.

http://maninblue1947.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php?post_type=post

The Asian Age – Rahul Gandhi terms Modi as ‘marketeer’ who makes false propaganda

Jamnagar (Gujarat), 11 December 2012. Making his first appearance in the Gujarat Assembly election campaign, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today unleashed an attack on chief minister Narendra Modi calling him a “marketeer” who does false propaganda claiming progress in the state.

“People’s voice is not heard in Gujarat. The government of Gujarat and the chief minister do not want to listen to you. He wants to hear only his own voice. He has his dream and he thinks only about his own dream. A true leader makes people’s dream his own dream,” he said addressing a rally in this town of Saurashtra.

The Congress general secretary claimed that a false propaganda that Gujarat was making all round progress has been launched but contrary to it there is rampant corruption in the state, unemployment is very high and there is all round failure.

“The marketeer says Gujarat is shining. But tell me how many hours people get water ? People get water for 25 minutes in every three days. But marketeer says Gujarat is shining. There are 10 lakh unemployed youth in Gujarat. But marketeer says Gujarat is shining,” he said.

Rahul said voice of poor and down-trodden is suppressed in Gujarat as the leader does not want to hear common people’s grievances.

“Gandhiji and Nehruji always wanted to hear people’s voice. They were true leaders,” he said.

The Congress leader claimed that even Opposition’s voice is curbed in Gujarat as the Assembly sits for just 25 days in a year and very often Opposition leaders are thrown out of the House.

Rahul said there is no Lokayukta in Gujarat and 14,000 RTI applications were pending as government does not want to let any information come out as it would expose its true affairs. (PTI)

http://www.asianage.com/india/rahul-terms-modi-marketeer-who-makes-false-propaganda-155

The Hindu – The David of Saurashtra takes on Gujarat’s Goliath

Darshan Desai

Talaja (Saurashtra), December 11, 2012.  Frail, simple and grounded — there is nothing about Dr. Kanu Kalsaria’s persona that would suggest that this man could challenge Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. But he did just that and won, leading an agitation. Now, Dr. Kalsaria, a surgeon, is seeking to extend his winning streak against Mr. Modi to the Assembly elections – and pose a serious challenge to the Gujarat strongman in Saurashtra.

Despite being a BJP MLA, Dr. Kalsaria mobilised a popular agitation in the coastal regions of Saurashtra to successfully stop a multi-crore cement plant of detergent giant Nirma and dragged the Narendra Modi Government to the Supreme Court for it.

This had two firsts – it was unprecedented that any movement in Gujarat could ever prevent an industrial house from setting up shop; second, few could dare do so against Narendra Modi. The BJP did not have the courage to seek Kalsaria’s explanation for defying the party and Modi, leave alone expelling him. For his part, Dr. Kalsaria has not bothered to resign from his parent party, neither has he renewed his membership of the BJP.

Dr. Kalsaria, a BJP MLA from Mahuva in Saurashtra region for three terms in a row since 1998, is not only contesting the elections under his outfit Sadbhavna Manch but has also fielded five other candidates on the strength of his popularity in the region’s coastal belt.

Few believe that Dr. Kalsaria will lose the polls, fighting from Gariadhar constituency carved out after delimitation.

His candidates are giving the BJP, the Congress and former chief minister Keshubhai Patel’s Gujarat Parivartan Party a run for their money. While Patel’s party is making the BJP sweat for every vote in Saurashtra, Kalsaria’s “Pandavas”, as he terms his five candidates, are another irritant in a region that may decide the course of the state elections due on December 13 and December 17.

Coincidentally enough, Dr Kanu Kalsaria, with over 50,000 surgeries behind him, began his career as chief medical officer in Modi’s native village Vadnagar in North Gujarat. “When I contested the first election, I was asked how many votes I will get. I said, at least 40,000 votes, which is equivalent to the number of surgeries I have done. I got 36,000,” he grins, without the slightest hint of triumphalism.

That his election symbol, a pot, is queering the pitch for the Lotus, the Hand and the cricket bat (Patel’s party) is not the main story. Dr. Kalsaria, today, has emerged as the lone political voice for the dispossessed farmer in Gujarat, a state where dissent is often described as anti-people — and a challenge to the state’s industry-first development model.

By stopping Nirma’s plant on the grounds of environmental degradation and issues of land acquisition, Dr. Kalsaria’s voice has become a trigger for similar stirrings in other parts of the state though they are yet to take the form of a movement. “I am not against Modi or anyone, I do what I think is right. For me, my people and their woes are more important,” says Dr. Kalsaria, whose Sadbhavna Trust hospital serves the poor of the Mahuva region.

“He is genuine, sincere and committed. There is nothing fake about him. This election contest is to strengthen the voice of the deprived sections, not for political power,” says Manhar Baldania, Sadbhavna’s candidate from Talaja constituency in Amreli district. Just as he spoke of Dr. Kalsaria in his public address, the 5,000-plus crowd, a motley crowd of farmers and residents of Talaja, broke into applause.

“I don’t know where this will lead to but at this point it is important that I do what is right and that’s what I am doing,” the doctor shrugs.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/the-david-of-saurashtra-takes-on-gujarats-goliath/article4185450.ece