Why India Needs Narendra Modi – Suhel Seth : भारत के लिए क्यों नरेन्द्र मोदी आवश्यक है

By Suhel             Seth  Let me begin with             a set of   disclosures: I have perhaps written more articles             against Modi and his handling   of the post-Godhra scenario             than most people have; I have called him a modern-day Hitler and             have always said that Godhra shall remain an enduring blemish not             just on him  but on India’s political class. I still believe             that what happened in Gujarat  during the Godhra riots is             something we as a nation will pay a heavy price for.  But the             fact is that time has moved on.

As has             Narendra Modi. He is not the only  politician in India who has             been accused of communalism. It is strange that the whole country             venerates the Congress Party as the secular  messiah but it was             that party that presided over the riots in 1984 in which over              3,500 Sikhs died: thrice the number killed in             Gujarat.  The fact of the  matter is that there is no             better performer than Narendra Modi in India’s  political             structure. Three weeks ago, I had gone to Ahmedabad to address the             YPO  and I thought it would be a good opportunity to catch up             with Modi. I called him  the evening before and I was given an             appointment for the very day I was getting  into Ahmedabad. And             it was not some official meeting but instead one at his  house.             As frugal as the man Modi is. And this is something that the Gandhis             and Mayawatis need to learn  from Modi.

There were             no fawning staff members; no secretaries running around;  no             hangers on…just the two of us with one servant who was there serving             tea. And  what was most impressive was the passion which Modi             exuded. The passion for development; the passion for an invigorated              Gujarat; the passion for the uplifting the living standards of             the people in his  state and the joy with which he recounted             simple yet memorable  data-points.

For             instance, almost all of the milk  consumed in Singapore is             supplied by Gujarat; or for that matter all the  tomatoes that             are eaten in Afghanistan are produced in Gujarat or the potatoes              that Canadians gorge on are all farmed in Gujarat. But it was             industry  that was equally close to his heart.  It was             almost like a child, that   he rushed and got a coffee table             book on GIFT: the proposed Gujarat Industrial City that will              come up on the banks of the Sabarmarti: something that will             put the Dubais and  the Hong Kongs of this world to shame. And             while on the Sabarmati, it is Modi  who has created the             inter-linking of rivers so that now the Sabarmati is no  longer             dry.

He then             spoke about how he was  very keen that Ratan Tata sets up the             Nano plant in Gujarat: he told me how he had related the story of             the Parsi  Navsari priests to Ratan and how touched Ratan was:             the story is, when the  Navsari priests, (the first Parsis)             landed in Gujarat, the ruler of Gujarat sent  them a glass of             milk, full to the brim and said, there was no place for them:              the priests added some sugar to the milk and sent it back             saying that they would  integrate beautifully with the locals             and would only add value to the state. Narendra Modi is clearly a             man in  a hurry and he has every reason to be. There is no             question in any one’s mind  that he is the trump card for the             BJP after Advani and Modi realises that.  People like Rajnath             Singh are simply weak irritants I would imagine. He also              believes that the country has no apolitical strategy to             counter terrorism and in  fact he told me how he had alerted             the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the  NSA about the             impending bomb blasts in Delhi and they did not take him              seriously.

And then             the September 13 blasts happened! It was this resolve of              Modi’s that I found very admirable. There is a clear             intolerance of terrorism  and terrorists which is evident in             the way the man functions; now there are many  cynics who call             it minority-bashing but the truth of the matter is that Modi              genuinely means business as far as law and order is             concerned.  I left Modi’s house deeply  impressed with             the man as Chief Minister: he was clearly passionate and what’s              more deeply committed. When I sat in the car, I asked my             driver what he  thought of Modi and his simple reply was Modi             is God. Before him, there was nothing. No  roads, no power, no             infrastructure. Today, Gujarat is a power surplus state. Today,             Gujarat attracts more industry than all the states put             together.

Today,              Gujarat is the preferred investment destination for almost             every multi-national  and what’s more, there is an integrity             that is missing in other states.  After I finished talking             to the  YPO (Young President’s Organisation) members, I asked             some of them very  casually, what they thought of Modi.             Strangely, this was one area there was no  class differential             on. They too said he was  God. But what they  also added             very quickly was if India has just five Narendra Modis, we would be             a  great country.

I don’t             know if this was typical Gujarati  exaggeration or a reflection             of the kind of leadership India now needs! There is  however,             no question in my mind, that his flaws apart, Narendra Modi today,             is  truly a transformational leader! And we need  many             more like him!