DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2014 (PAGE 9) Rise of Modi marks a paradigm shift in Indian politics NEW DELHI, May 26: resorting to “vague, non-specif- A rank outsider to the ‘Delhi father to emerge as a pan India given clean chit to Gujarat chief ic and subjective things like say- club’, the Gujarat Chief leader. There are many of his minister. The rise of Narendra Modi ing that I am authoritarian, jin- Minister steamrolled all opposi- critics who contest his claim of Modi has also been under to the position of Prime Minister goistic, divisive”. There had tion within and outside to secure having sold tea. repeated attack over alleged marks a paradigm shift in Indian never been any serious allega- for BJP a majority that no party In a state the sangh parivar fake encounters and his close politics, ending as it did the tion of corruption, nepotism or could get after Rajiv Gandhi’s called the “Hindutva laborato- aide Amit Shah is under a cloud domination of the Congress incompetence against him, he ‘400 plus’ victory in 1984. ry”, the chief minister consoli- in a few of these. party as also the era of fractured said. On the victory path, Modi dated his image as a hardliner But Modi mastered the art of mandates. Modi may be one of the virtually blanked out all others and election after election he converting adversities into The scale of the 63-year-old most riled leaders described in the party and became its sole delivered results for the party— opportunities. He did some pio- Modi’s electoral triumph devas- variously as divisive, polarising face in a long campaign that scoring a hat trick last year in neering work in Gujarat to win tated his rivals and even his and and a Hindutva-hardliner started last summer after he was the Assembly polls. subsequent elections in 2007 most ardent supporters. On the given the backdrop of the riots made the campaign chief in In his attempt to reach out to and 2012 on developmental pol- way he has re-written the rules that had claimed over 1000 Goa. minorities, especially the itics decimating Congress. of the electoral game with a bril- lives, mostly Muslims, in Undeterred by the sulk of Muslims, he consciously shed He has been claiming credit liant though expensive cam- March, 2002 under his watch. veterans like L K Advani and the hardliner approach and for bringing the issue of devel- paign. But Modi is seen by his sup- grumblings of some others, focused on development, opment to centre stage in his Armed with a massive man- porters as a “strong leader” who mounted an untiring campaign including those of the poor in efforts to reinvent himself. date, Modi neverthless faces will not play the politics of criss-crossing the country help- the Muslim community. After the Supreme Court- challenging tasks ahead as he appeasement of any section. ing BJP record its finest-ever He battled all odds to appointed SIT gave a clean chit grapples with a weak economy A stocky, bespectacled man performance in more than three emerge as BJP’s prime ministe- to him in the 2002 riots, Modi and other problems left behind with a trimmed white beard, and decades of its existence. rial candidate pipping Advani undertook a ‘Sadbhavna’ fast to by his predecessor Manmohan known for his ascetic lifestyle There was more sulk when among others. But since then he reach out to Muslims of Gujarat Singh. and enthusiasm for yoga, Modi he was anointed the BJP’s prime had run a very clever, spirited as some kind of penance by A consummate politician came under international glare ministerial face in September and never-before-seen high-tech going on a three-day fast in and the man of the moment, due to the 2002 riots. but that did not deter him from campaign addressing more than Ahmedabad. Similar fasts were Prime Minister designate Narendra Modi paying tribute to Father of the Nation Mahatma Modi is known for his bold and 450 rallies across the country. also undertaken by him in Gandhi at Rajghat before his oath as Prime Minister of India in New Delhi on Monday. (UNI ) A brilliant speaker, the his mission in getting the BJP- unconventional initiatives and is Hindutva poster boy turned a led NDA back to power from Having been born in a back- Gujarat’s other cities. poised to evolve as the ultimate fragmented parliamentary elec- where it was dislodged in 2004. ward ‘Modh Ghanchi’ (oil Modi has been tom tomming ‘game-changer’ of Indian poli- tion into a presidential-style ref- In the beginning, there were crusher) community in histori- Gujarat model of development, tics. erendum in an era of coalition doubts whether Modi can equal cal Vadnagar town of Mehasana including his government’s The premiership of Modi, politics in the country. the charm of Atal Bihari district years, the rise of Modi is ‘open arms’ welcome pro-indus- who represents a fascinating His mandate, crossing caste, Vajpayee, considered a moder- phenomenal. However, his sta- try, which has its own share of turning point in the political his- region, gender and demography, ate even by his rivals, in attract- tus as a person belonging to critics. tory of the world’s largest will make him one of the most ing allies. backward community itself has Business leaders have pitched for him as prime minis- democracy, promises to usher in powerful prime ministers in But the BJP put all its eggs also been contested. ter as they feel he is a decisive dramatic changes and reforms. Indian history. in the Modi basket, a gamble The RSS pracharak, who leader especially against the During the course of his hec- Born to lower middle class that has paid with Modi attract- was loaned to BJP in 1985, backdrop of policy paralysis tic Lok Sabha campaign, Modi, parents in Vadnagar in Gujarat, ing more allies pre-poll, includ- remained a backroom party that marked the UPA II’s tenure. a four-time Gujarat Chief he has transformed himself ing those who had left the NDA office-bearer and key strategist Minister, told his voters he had till he was made Chief Minister In one of the events, he from a Hindu nationalist into a blaming him for the 2002 riots. refused to wear a skull cap been chosen by God to do a decisive corporate-style admin- In the 12 years he had been of Gujarat to replace Keshubhai “difficult task” and promised to Patel in October 2001. offered by a Muslim cleric, an istrator. He is now at the centre chief minister in Gujarat, Modi issue that had cropped up in the replace the business as usual of global thinking, having been consciously crafted an image of Just five months after he culture with purposeful gover- took over as chief minister, current elections. But he fobbed labelled “the man who dines a man with an alternative vision off all criticism saying he would nance. alone”, a “game changer” and a of governance for a country Modi controversially came into One of the trendiest male limelight in the wake of 2002 not follow his rivals’ politics of “poet”. caught in a policy paralysis in symbolism. politicians in India, Modi, who He takes the reins of the the last few years. riots triggered after 59 ‘Kar pulled off what had looked like Sewaks’ were killed in a fire in Inspired by life and teach- country in a culmination of a With his development model ings of Gautam Buddha and an impossible feat of winning a fascinating journey from an as his campaign plank, he made a compartment in Sabarmati majority for BJP on the strength Express train incident on Swami Vivekananda, Modi had ordinary RSS pracharak and an instant connect with young left his Vadnagar home as a of his persona and a muscular voters, middle class and those in February 27, 2002. Gujarat’s longest serving chief youth and joined the RSS as a poll campaign, dismisses rural areas yearning for a His detractors accused Modi minister. Modi also worked in pracharak. At a tender age he charges of being authoritarian. change. But occasionally there of inaction during riots, but all his family’s tea stall, according used to sell tea, first at the rail- Modi said during the cam- to a sympathetic biography. were hints of polarising voters the subsequent investigations, way station of his village where paign that he believed in team Modi has a formidable repu- raking up pet issues of the saf- including one directly under the his father had a tea stall and work and that those who worked tation as a party organiser, along fron forces. supervision of Supreme Court- later at the canteen of with him believed that he was with an ability for secrecy, A master strategist, Modi appointed Special Ahmedabad city bus terminal. strong-willed and decisive. which comes from years of has come a long way from sell- Investigations Team (SIT) and (PTI) He accused his opponents of training as an RSS “pracharak”. ing tea at railway station for his subsequent court ruling have Carnival atmosphere at EPFO panel grants tax exemption to 20 private PF trusts Modi's swearing in NEW DELHI, May 26: NEW DELHI, May 26: applause. Her son Rahul off-white Kurta and sporting a An empowered committee of the retirement fund body EPFO Gandhi, who led the failed tri-coloured badge, Modi took has approved granting regular tax exemption to 20 private provi- The occasion was ceremoni- Congress campaign, came with oath in Hindi in the name of dent fund trusts, which would provide tax benefits for subscribers al but it was a carnival atmos- her.