NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat and one of the country’s most divisive politicians, was anointed by BJP as its candidate for Prime Minister in 2014 generral elections.
Conspicuously absent, was the BJP’s senior-most leader LK Advani, a hardline Hindutva adherent and another prime ministerial aspirant, who refused to support the decision, holding out till the end against all attempts to bring him on board. Other dissenters like Sushma Swaraj and Murli Manohar Joshi, grudgingly fell in line. Ms Swaraj sat next to Mr Modi and listened intently as he promised a BJP victory next year. Advani has reportedly told party president Rajnath Singh that today’s Modi announcement will plunge the BJP into “political disaster.”
The BJP’s allies Shiv Sena and Akali Dal have already thrown their weight behind Modi, a strong proponent of Hindutva. However, a third important ally, Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal-United, opted out of the alliance months ago, in opposition to Modi’s alleged involvment in the 2002 Gujarat riots and his Hindutva ideology.
There were joyous scenes at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters here as Modi, 62, one of the youngest in the country’s political establishment, drove in to attend a meeting of the parliamentary board which decided to name him as its general for the parliamentary battle.
Rajnath Singh made the formal announcement at a media conference, and Modi pledged to do everything to ensure that the BJP again got to rule the world’s largest democracy.
“I promise that in the 2014 election, the BJP will emerge victorious,” a confident sounding Modi said flanked by a galaxy of senior colleagues, the notable absentee being his former mentor Advani.
“For this, the party will work hard and we will leave no stone unturned,” said Modi in a brief speech after accepting sweets, bouquets and garlands from senior and junior colleagues.
He said the country was passing through a crisis and the party.
“I am sure that people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari will vote for the lotus symbol,” Modi said of the BJP’s election symbol.
But like in June, when Advani had revolted against the BJP’s decision to name Modi its election campaign chief, the former party leader stayed away from the parliamentary board meeting to express his displeasure over the decision to make Modi the prime ministerial candidate.
Even before the Gujarat chief minister flew into New Delhi, there were hectic parleys within the BJP establishment, with Rajnath Singh holding a string of meetings to convince everyone to fall in line. And everyone did — except Advani, formerly Modi’s mentor.
A political pundit aligned with the BJP hailed Friday’s decision.
“This will make a huge difference to the BJP,” G.V.L. Narasimha Rao told IANS. “Across the country, there is a very, very strong wave in support of Modi, even among non-traditional BJP supporters.”
Like in the case of the now ailing Atal Bihari Vajpayee and later Advani, Modi’s personal popularity far exceeded that of the party, Rao said.
“While the BJP got just about 18 percent of the votes in the last Lok Sabha election, Modi currently enjoys the support of more than 40 percent of voters. That will make all the difference,” he said.
“This means that there is a huge mass which will vote for the BJP only if Modi leads the party. This is particularly true in critical states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.”
Modi, who once sold tea in a railway station in Gujarat, said it was a matter of pride that the BJP had catapulted him — despite his origin from “a humble family” — as the prime ministerial candidate.
In his four-minute speech in Hindi, Modi made it a point to pay tributes to Vajpayee and Advani.
Narendra Modi’s role in the infamous Gujarat Pogrom, in which at least 2000 muslims lost their lives is still under legal scanner. The anti-minority carnage started following the gruesome killing of 59 Hindus on 27th February, 2002 in a train fire at Godhra. Modi’s alleged to have given free reign to rioters without taking sufficient steps to prevent the massacre. The Gujarat administration was accused by the opposition of taking insufficient action against the violence, and even condoning it in some cases.
In April 2009, the Supreme Court of India appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to inquire into the Gujarat government and Narendra Modi’s role in the incidents of communal violence. The SIT reported to the court in December 2010 submitting that they did not find any incriminating evidence against Modi of willfully allowing communal violence in the state.
On 7 May 2012, the Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae, Raju Ramachandran, observed that Modi could be prosecuted for promoting enmity among different groups during the 2002 Gujarat violence. His main contention was that the evidence should be examined by a court of law because the SIT was required to investigate but not to judge.
However, on August 31, 2012 two Modi lolyalists Dr. Maya Kodnani, a former minister in the Modi cabinet and a BJP MLA at the time of conviction, and former State president of the Bajrang Dal, Babu Bajrangi were found guilty and sentenced to 28 years and 31 years in jail respectively, in the gruesome Naroda Patya massacre. The Naroda Patiya massacre took place on 28 February 2002 at Naroda,in Ahmedabad, capital city of Gujarat. 97 Muslims were killed by a mob of approximately 5,000 people in the incident. The massacre which lasted over 10 hours, the mob looted, stabbed, sexually assaulted, gang-raped and burnt people individually and in groups.Agencies
Narendra Modi is also alleged to have organized with his loyal officers a series of encounter killings to boost his political image, including the infamous Israt Jahan case. The Supreme Court on March 2, 2012 entrusted enquiry to a retired Supreme Court judge, Justice H S Bedi , of all 22 extra judicial killings by Gujarat Police from October 2002 to December 2006. In the Ishrat Jahan encounter case, on 21 February 2013 CBI arrested Gujarat IPS officer G L Singhal who was then Assistant Commissioner of Police Crime Branch at the time of the incident, in connection with the alleged fake encounter. The CBI in its FIR alleged that Singhal, now Superintendent of Police at State Crime Records Bureau played an active role in the encounter which was later found to be fake by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Gujarat High Court. With inputs from countercurrents.com
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