Thread by @VandanaJayrajan

THE ASCENT OF NARENDRA MODI

If we look back at the 12-yr period between 2002 - 2014, we'll clearly understand why Mr. Modi rcvd so much public adulation and support. Since independence, Congress had continued to govern Gujarat as part of the Bombay State....

until 1960, when the state was bifurcated as Maharashtra & Gujarat. It continued to rule Gujarat until 1990,when the Janata Dal-BJP coalition replaced it under Chimanbhai Patel of JD. Congress,as we know,didn't take such defeats lightly then. The coalition broke after only 2yrs.

Chimanbhai did a 'ghar wapsi' to ally with Congress. BJP came to power on its own in 1995 with Keshubhai Patel as the CM. Soon, Shankar Singh Vaghela staged one of the biggest coups the party had seen, by creating a split in BJP and became CM in 1996 with support from Congress.

No prize for guessing who engineered the split! But political instability in the state caused a re-election in 1998 and BJP formed the Govt once again under Keshubhai. However, his popular support dwindled and his health failed him. Mr. Modi was then appointed as CM in Oct 2001.

He was elected to the Gujarat Assembly from Rajkot on 24th Feb 2002 in a by-poll. Then came the devastating event of the burning of the Sabarmati Express at Godhra and the riots that followed it. The political opposition found in it an opportunity for a comeback to power.

They launched a vicious campaign, not only country-wide but world-wide. The centre of attack was, of course, Mr. Modi himself. It was a cyclonic storm of calumny they unleashed against him thru an army of media, NGO's, Govt officials, some rusty celebrities basking in past glory.

Modi-bashing became a lucrative business. The incessant propaganda influenced Western countries like the US and UK to pass strictures against him. No one cared to mourn the death of the 59 Hindu pilgrims who were burnt alive and scores of Hindus who also died in the riots.

Opposition fought an all-out legal battle to implicate him in the riots but SIT appointed by the SC found no evidence of direct involvement against him. To the chagrin of Modi haters, BJP was voted back to power in Dec 2002. Mr. Modi himself won from his constituency, Maninagar.

It was a huge setback for the opposition and its propaganda machinery. The message from the people of Gujarat was clear. Ever since, the BJP has ruled the state. He crossed another milestone in 2014 when he became the Prime Minister of India.

What's remarkable abt this elevation is the fact that he once again became a saviour of BJP at the Centre. Earlier it was the same scenario in Gujarat when he was installed as CM in place of Keshubhai.

The Vajpayee Govt had declared general elections before it ran its full term.

The move misfired, resulting in the UPA coming to power. Vajpayee's Govt had done a lot of good work. Was it a thankless electorate that voted it out!! One could say that, but it was the same electorate that had voted it to power! The BJP had judged the situation badly.

These are the false steps anyone could take and regret later. Perhaps the electorate too regretted as the next 10 years proved to be very costly. It was this scenario that greeted Mr. Modi as the PM in 2014. The UPA had done enough to damn itself through scams and misgovernance.

We might think that he took charge in a difficult situation! He did. But we must not overlook the fact that the circumstances were propitious for his entry. Besides, the people saw him as a leader who withstood a vicious campaign against him by a mighty machinery for 12 years.

He had also proved his mettle as a sagacious administrator. He lifted Gujarat out of the morass of political instability that hampered its progress.
He was re-elected as PM in 2019 with greater strength because of the work he did. People saw him as a doer.

Now all this is enough to make anyone feel complacent, take things for granted. That's where the pitfall is. That's what happened at Vajpayee's time. Getting at the top takes a lot of effort, but the space at the top is narrow.

One false move can cause a fall. And Mr. Modi understands that. More than us.
@vinod_sharma had perfectly summed up what he and his leadership mean for the country.
"India has not seen a leader like #NarendraModi and it needs his services till he decides to hand over the baton."