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| ⚫ | '''Narendra Damodardas Modi''' (born ], ], ], ]) |
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| ⚫ | '''Narendra Damodardas Modi''' (born ], ], ], ]) has been the ] of Gujarat since ], ]. | ||
| Modi is one of the most polarizing figures in Indian politics today - a forceful, ] leader of principles to his admirers, and a ] ] to his opponents. | |||
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| He was born in ], a town in the northern ] district of ], to a middle-class Hindu family. As a young man, he joined the ]. He became a fulltime worker and organiser for it, and was later nominated by it to be a representative on the ]. <!--http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2562727.stm and http://www.gujaratindia.com/government/govt2.htm --> | |||
| He participated in the rise to political dominance of ] by the ] as its elections organiser in the early 1990s, a period which led to its election in 1995. He became Gujarat's Chief Minister in 2001, promoted to that office when his predecessor ] resigned, following the defeat of the BJP in by-elections. <!-- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4360259.stm http://www.narendramodi.org/profile.htm --> | |||
| ==Early Life and Political Career== | |||
| Though he became a controversial figure after the ], he continues to be popular electorally, winning landslide victories in elections to the state legislature. Gujarat made significant economic progress under his administration, winning four international awards for its development-oriented policies. | |||
| He was born in ], a town in the northern ] district of ]. As a young man, he | |||
| joined the ] (RSS), a major public organization committed to ] and a conservative and staunchly patriotic social and political outlook. Modi rose as a young prodigy within | |||
| the RSS ranks. | |||
| He was refused an ] diplomatic visa in 2005 because of allegations of his role in the 2002 violence. The US claimed that its decision was influenced by the comments of India's National Human Rights Commission ], which the Indian government, led by Modi's rival Congress Party, termed as "allegations" ]. A judicial Commission expressly constituted to probe allegations of Gujarat state administration's involvement in the riots of 2002 has on two occasions said that there was no evidence "as yet" to implicate either Modi or his administration in the riots ] ]. ] ] <!--http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4360259.stm--> | |||
| Narendra Modi served as ''Pracharak'', or a high-level regional organizer of the RSS. Joining the ] in the mid-1980s, Modi worked to organize election campaigns in many states. | |||
| ===Rise in Gujarat=== | |||
| Together with ], the leader of the ], he masterminded the political takeover of ] by the BJP in the mid-1990s. He built on a core discontent with the ]. He held the important office of BJP General Secretary twice. He became Gujarat's Chief Minister in 2001, when his predecessor ] resigned from office following the loss of 2 Assembly and 1 ] by-elections, which was considered as a warning for the flagging popularity of the BJP administrations in ] and ].Modi's first months in office were focused on party efforts to get him officially elected to the state assembly within the six-month constitutional deadline for a non-elected person holding power. As a politician, his charisma helped him to build a popular base. | |||
| ==Gujarat Riots of 2002== | |||
| {{main|2002 Gujarat violence}} | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| In 2002, when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, violence took place in the state claiming several lives. While some refer to the violence as riots others refer to it as an anti-muslim ]. Official estimates state that 259 Hindus and 790 Muslims were killed, with 200 more missing. Many human rights groups put the figure of total killed at beyond 2,000. | |||
| Subsequent reports from several independent human rights organisations have indicted Mr. Modi, claiming that he and his ministers instructed Gujarat's police officers not to obstruct the mobs. India's own National Human Rights Commission chastised the government pointing to "a comprehensive failure on the part of the State Government of Gujarat to control persistent violations of rights". These claims have been completely denied by Mr. Modi. The BJP and its supporters have attacked these reports as being politically motivated. | |||
| ==Elections in 2002 and 2004== | |||
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| Following the riots, Modi dissolved the state assembly in order to hold fresh elections. Narendra Modi campaigned intensely, conducting a state-wide ''Gaurav Yatra'' (''Journey of Pride'') that sought to invoke Gujarati pride. He won a massive mandate, winning 126 out of the 182 assembly seats. | |||
| ==Political Future== | |||
| Gujarat has made gains under Modi's stweardship, clocking an impressive 15% economic growth rate per annum {{citation needed}}. The state has also won three international awards from its achievements. In late 2005, Modi's party has overwhelmingly won several local elections. Even Muslim-dominated neighborhoods voted for Modi. The biggest surprise was that in riot-hit ], a group of independent Muslim councillors decided to extend support to the BJP in the city's municipal corporation. | |||
| As an administrator, Modi is regarded as a pro-reform, pro-business leader because of his policies which include lowering taxes. He has promoted business and industry, tax reform and cultivated a strong base of support from business sectors. | |||
| ==Gujarat textbook controversy== | |||
| In September 2004, Modi came under fire, when the textbooks in Gujarat, the state that he was is the Chief Minister of, presented, what is considered by critics to be a "frighteningly uncritical picture of Fascism and Nazism".The Class X Social Studies textbook of Gujarat had chapters on 'Hitler, the Supremo' and 'Internal Achievements of Nazism'. The strong national pride that both these phenomena generated, the efficiency in the bureaucracy and the administration and other 'achievements' were detailed, but pogroms against Jews and atrocities against trade unionists, migrant labourers, and any section of people who did not fit into Mussolini or Hitler's definition of rightful citizen did not find any mention. "They committed the gruesome and inhuman act of suffocating 60 lakh Jews in gas chambers" was all the book, authored by a panel, mentioned of the holocaust. | |||
| The section on 'Ideology of Nazism' read : "Hitler lent dignity and prestige to the German government within a short time by establishing a strong administrative set up. He created the vast state of Greater Germany. He adopted the policy of opposition towards the Jewish people and advocated the supremacy of the German race. He adopted a new economic policy and brought prosperity to Germany. | |||
| He began efforts for the eradication of unemployment. He started constructing public buildings, providing irrigation facilities, building railways, roads and production of war materials. He made untiring efforts to make Germany self-reliant within one decade. Hitler discarded the Treaty of Versailles by calling it just 'a piece of paper' and stopped paying the war penalty. He instilled the spirit of adventure in the common people" () | |||
| In March 2005, John Conyers Jr, a Democrat Congressman from Michigan, moved a resolution against Modi stating, "The US State Department has discussed the role of Modi and his government in promoting attitudes of racial supremacy, racial hatred, and the legacy of Nazism through his government's support of school textbooks in which Nazism is glorified." () | |||
| However,despite the controversy he has still maintained his popularity in Gujarat, which was proved in the elections Oct/Nov 2005 held for 209 Taluka Panchayats in Gujarat, BJP(his party) has won 136 while Congress won 70 Panchayats. Also his party(BJP) won Ahmedabad Muncipal Corporation election with majority and now rules Ahmedaba | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| *], ] | |||
| *], ], ] | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| ⚫ | * |
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| ⚫ | * |
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| * - article dated October 30 2005 | |||
| ==References== | |||
| ⚫ | * Narendramodi.org, promotes Modi as a person | ||
| ⚫ | * His profile at a Gujarat government website. | ||
| * Account of the visa controversy at the BBC. | |||
| * Gujarat's progress under Modi's leadership | |||
| * US Congressman Joe Pitt's letter seeking the banning of Modi from the United States. | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 18:31, 6 February 2006
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Narendra Damodardas Modi (born September 17, 1950, Gujarat, India) has been the Chief Minister of Gujarat since October 7, 2001.
He was born in Vadnagar, a town in the northern Mehsana district of Gujarat, to a middle-class Hindu family. As a young man, he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He became a fulltime worker and organiser for it, and was later nominated by it to be a representative on the Bharatiya Janata Party.
He participated in the rise to political dominance of Gujarat by the Bharatiya Janata Party as its elections organiser in the early 1990s, a period which led to its election in 1995. He became Gujarat's Chief Minister in 2001, promoted to that office when his predecessor Keshubhai Patel resigned, following the defeat of the BJP in by-elections.
Though he became a controversial figure after the 2002 Gujarat violence, he continues to be popular electorally, winning landslide victories in elections to the state legislature. Gujarat made significant economic progress under his administration, winning four international awards for its development-oriented policies.
He was refused an United States diplomatic visa in 2005 because of allegations of his role in the 2002 violence. The US claimed that its decision was influenced by the comments of India's National Human Rights Commission ], which the Indian government, led by Modi's rival Congress Party, termed as "allegations" ]. A judicial Commission expressly constituted to probe allegations of Gujarat state administration's involvement in the riots of 2002 has on two occasions said that there was no evidence "as yet" to implicate either Modi or his administration in the riots ] ]. ] ]
References
- Narendramodi.org, promotes Modi as a person
- His profile at a Gujarat government website.
- Account of the visa controversy at the BBC.
- Gujarat's progress under Modi's leadership
- US Congressman Joe Pitt's letter seeking the banning of Modi from the United States.