Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, Chapter:830
Palash Biswas
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Congress adopted extreme hindutva to accomplish the reforms agenda. Congress did succeed to implement its openmarket agenda. But the open market policy enhanced with extreme Hindutva did not help it to stop Narendra Modi to register hat-trick.
Rather Modi played the development card wiping out the history of ethnic cleansing in Gujarat. On the other hand, Congress adopting the genocide culture, never did try to ensure law and justice.The criminals of all communal riots, Sikh genocide and Babari mosque demolition play key role in hegemony politics sustaining Manusmriti Rule, with declaration of war against indigenous aborigin majority people.Sachhar Committee report have exposed Indian Politics how it does treat the minorities. Since Congress banks on communalism and Modi is a better player in this game, Congress played a suicidal trick to project Rahul Gandhi as the future prime minister of India while the corporate media made the national hype a virtual opinion poll on Modi`s home ground. Modi could not be stopped as Indian politics has not an agenda of communal combat whatsoever. Thus, Modi won the duel against the crown prince! Narendra Modi today performed a hat-trick retaining power for the third time in Gujarat and propelled himself as a strong contender in the Prime Ministerial race in 2014 while Congress ousted BJP from office in Himachal Pradesh.The BJP registered its fifth consecutive victory in Gujarat, third under Modi, when it bagged 115 seats, two less than in the 2007 elections while Congress bagged two more to finish at 61. The Nationalist Congress Party won two seats while Janata Dal-U one seat. The Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) led by Keshubhai Patel, which was widely predicted to damage the BJP's fortunes, ended with a whimper winning only three seats.In his victory speech, the Gujarat Chief Minister dedicated his win to the six crore Gujaratis and called them the heroes of the election.After leading the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to yet another win in Gujarat Assembly elections, Narendra Modi, a development-oriented and clean leader for his supporters and a despicable politician for his opponents, is clearly eyeing a bigger role in national politics.
Claiming that BJP's victory in Gujarat is a victory for all Indians, Modi said, "By serving Gujarat, I serve India. The results of the Gujarat elections have proved that the voters in the country know what is right and what is wrong. The voters in Gujarat don't want the situation they faced in the 80s."
Pitchforked into the prime ministerial race after his electoral hat-trick and amidst cheers of "PM, PM, PM " from his supporters, Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday apologised to the people of Gujarat if he had committed any mistake.
"If there has been a mistake somewhere, If I have erred somewhere, I seek apology from you, the six crore Gujaratis," Modi said in a victory speech in Hindi, aimed at reaching out to a wider audience. Modi, who has always been under attack following the 2002 post-Godhara violence and has consistently refused to apologise for the massacre of Muslims, made no mention of it in his 45-minute speech.
"You have given me power. Now you also give me your blessings so that I do not commit any mistake, no one is hurt and there is no mistake by me even unknowingly. When people, who are God to me give their blessings, there is no possibility of a mistake," the Gujarat Chief Minister said.
Analysts said Modi choosing to speak in Hindi may be a an attempt to reach out to a wider audience at a time when there is speculation about his prime ministerial ambitions. Taking potshots at his detractors, Modi said he does not need a certificate from anyone after "people have given me the biggest medal". GUJARAT
| PARTY | LEADS | WINS | L+W |
| BJP | 0 | 115 | 115 |
| CONG | 0 | 61 | 61 |
| GPP | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| OTH | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| MAJ: 92 Election map 182 / 182 | | | |
HIMACHAL PRADESH
| PARTY | LEADS | WINS | L+W |
| BJP | 1 | 25 | 26 |
| CONG | 0 | 36 | 36 |
| OTH | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| | |||
| MAJ: 35 Election map 68 / 68 | | | |
IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt's wife Shweta Bhatt, who lost from Maninagar against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, said she would continue to fight against the people of her constituency. Talking about her defeat, Bhatt said, "It doesn't shock me, it hurts me that people of Gujarat cannot see the hidden truth."
To his detractors, Modi's reign is overshadowed by Hindu-Muslim riots that tore through his state 10 years ago, killing 1,000-2,000 people. Critics accuse him of not doing enough to stop the violence, or even quietly encouraging it, allegations he has strenuously denied and have never been proven.
But that has not stopped him winning successive elections, touting his credentials as an effective economic manager in contrast to the policy drift in New Delhi that has helped drag India's economic growth to its worst pace in a decade.
Modi's supporters shouted "PM, PM" at his victory speech. He addressed the crowd in Hindi rather than Gujarati, which was seen by commentators as an attempt to address a national audience in preparation for a possible run for higher office.
"I apologise for the mistakes I've made," Modi told the crowd. "You have given me power. Give me your blessings so that I make no mistakes in the future."
Modi first came to power in Gujarat in 2001, and subsequently won elections in 2002 and again in 2007.
Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 115 of the state legislative assembly's 182 seats against 61 for the Congress party, which heads the national government.The result is likely to have repercussions far beyond the borders of the prosperous western state of 60 million people.The BJP won 117 seats in 2007 and analysts say Modi needed another convincing victory to present himself as the party's presumptive candidate for prime minister in national elections due by 2014.Modi's win could fire up the ailing main opposition BJP, giving it a leader who inspires euphoric support for the high growth, uninterrupted power supply and safe streets he is credited with providing in Gujarat.But the 62-year-old Modi, portrayed by his critics as a closet Hindu zealot, could prove too divisive a figure to become a nationally acceptable leader who would also need to win over enough allies to form a coalition government.That could play into the hands of the Congress party as it prepares to launch Rahul Gandhi, heir to India's most powerful political dynasty, as the man to take over the reins from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"Markets will now ponder upon whether the PM candidate from the BJP will be Narendra Modi, and whether we are looking at a showdown between Narendra Modi versus Rahul Gandhi in 2014," said Deven Choksey, managing director of K R Choksey Securities.
Narendra Modi won a fourth successive term as the chief minister of Gujarat on Thursday, a victory that could launch the prime ministerial ambitions of one of the country's most popular but controversial leaders.After securing victory in Gujarat Assembly Elections, the state's Chief Minister Narendra Modi reached Keshubhai Patel`s residence to seek his blessings.In his first appearance on the all-important counting day in Gujarat on Thursday, Narendra Modi met his mother to seek her blessings.Sangh Pariwar lost no time to justify its stance as Arun Jaitley said on Thursday that what role Narendra Modi will take in future at the national level will be discussed in due course of time! While,Social activist Medha Patkar said Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was not acceptable to country as a Prime Ministerial candidate as debate raged on the BJP leader`s possible national ambitions.I have been writing again and again that you have to oppose open market policies with digital biometric citizenship and the exclusion, excommunication and ethnic cleansing as combined agenda of communal combat. But I never did have a hearing at all.Congress has to pay more price for its extreme hindutva as Describing Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi`s decisive win in Gujarat Assembly polls as "historic" Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray said Congress would meet same fate in Maharashtra.Not only in Maharashtra, Congress hs to face the nation and its people sooner or later.Hindi cinema star Amitabh Bachchan on Thursday greeted Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for securing a third consecutive win in the just concluded polls.
What a miserable face saving!Congress has done well in the Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat and it has won in places where party general secretary Rahul Gandhi had campaigned, information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari said on Thursday. "We have done well, therefore, obviously, I think if anyone has the reason to celebrate it is the Congress party," Tewari said in New Delhi.
"Interestingly, I think it must be understood that in all the 12 or 13 constituencies in which Rahul Gandhi campaigned in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, if my information is correct, Congress has won all those and that too by a very convincing margin," he said.
While BJP has swept the Gujarat Assembly polls, Congress has wrested the hill state from the saffron party.
As results poured in from Gujarat, Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said the Congress was a winner there also as it has been able to contain the BJP in the state.
"Congress has won in Himachal Pradesh. In Gujarat too, I think Congress is a winner. Congress has gained several seats and BJP has been contained, the last numbers that I saw, (it was) below 117. If the BJP does not cross 117 and Congress has improved its tally, Congress is a clear winner in Gujarat too," he told reporters here.
On the victory of BJP in the polls, he said, "That was expected. The government and the bureaucracy there has a stranglehold over the system. That is a general perception there."
Buoyed by the tremendous success of his party in Gujarat's fiercely contested Assembly elections, incumbent Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that it was the victory of 6 crore voters of his state.
"The outcome of assembly polls has proved that the voters clearly know what is good and bad for them. The poll results of Gujarat once again proves the maturity of its electorate," Modi said while addressing a vast gathering of his supporters here.
Thanking the voters of his state for giving him the third term in a row, Modi said, "The voters of Gujarat have risen above petty politics and voted for BJP keeping their future in mind."
Delivering his post-win speech in Hindi, Modi said, "Voters here have discarded the caste politics of 1980s. I am glad that the voters here have sent a strong message across the state by voting for good governance and development."
Amidst thunderous applause and shouting of slogans like 'Jai Hind' 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai,' Modi gave the credit to 6 crore voters of Gujarat for his party's remarkable victory in the 2012 elections.
"Voters of Gujarat are today's heroes," the Chief Minister said, while adding, "I promise to continue the good work of my government and deliver what we have promised."
The aggressive BJP leader further stated that the Gujarat voters have voted intelligently and rejected the politics of divide.
Rejecting the popular perception that the government employees were dissatisfied under his rule, he said, "76% of postal ballots by government employees went to BJP."
In a direct reference to his political opponents, he said "There are no political opponents in democracy. I wish to work with all of them."
The firebrand Gujarat leader, while seeking the blessings of the people of Gujarat said, "My next five years will be dedicated to the betterment of my people."
Modi concluded by saying, "If I had made any mistake, I apologies for that."
The incumbent Chief Minister earlier scored a massive win on the day votes were counted for the keenly contested two-phased electoral battle with the BJP winning 116 seats out of the total 182.
As per the latest updates, the BJP has so far won 116 seats, while the Congress finished a poor second with only 60 seats.
Modi's challenger Keshubhai Patel of Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) failed miserably in his mission to uproot the man who had taken over from him as Chief Minister in 2002 and has never looked back since.
The GPP has won only two seats - one of the two winners being Keshubhai himself. Others won four seats.
An emphatic victory for Narendra Modi means that the chorus within the BJP for a bigger role in the party's national affairs is set to grow. Modi has also won his Maninagar seat beating Shweta Bhatt of the Congress by a whopping 86,373 votes.
There is more ignominy for the Congress - many of its major leaders have lost their elections, including the Congress Legislature Party leader Shaktisinh Gohil and three MPs that it had fielded - Kunvarji Bavalia, Somabhai G Patel and Vitthal Radadia, who recently gained notoriety for brandishing a gun at a toll booth attendant.
Here is a look at the rise of Narendra Modi and his political career since 1987.
September 17, 1950: Narendra Damodardas Modi is born in the ancient city of Vadnagar in present-day Gujarat state into a middle-class Hindu family. As a child, he runs away from home
related stories and heads to north India, living with sadhus -- or holy men -- for months before returning to Gujarat in the late 1960s to serve steaming cups of tea alongside one of his brothers at a stall in Ahmedabad.
1987: Modi joins the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the 7-year-old party becomes more popular and taps into the growth of Hindu nationalism across India. The party wins a majority in Gujarat in 1995 and Modi rises quickly up the ranks.
2001: Modi gets his big break when Keshubhai Patel, the former chief minister of Gujarat, is forced to step down in the fallout from the January earthquake that killed around 20,000 people. He is selected as Patel's replacement and remained in power ever since, becoming Gujarat's longest-serving chief minister.
February 27, 2002: Riots break out after over 50 Hindu pilgrims die in a train fire in the town of Godhra. Between 1,000 to 2,000 people, mainly Muslims, are killed, and Modi, as chief minister, is accused by his critics of not doing enough to stem the riots and even quietly encouraging them -- allegations he has strongly denied and which have never been proved. To this day, the riots haunt Modi's government. In 2012, one of Modi's former ministers, Maya Kodnani, is sentenced to 28 years in jail alongside 30 others for the violence.
2005: Modi is denied a visa to travel to the United States for alleged violation of religious freedom, causing uproar in India. Modi describes the denial of a diplomatic visa and revoking of a business visa as insulting and asks the government in New Delhi to take up the issue with U.S. officials.
October 2008: Modi persuades Tata Motors to move its factory to build its ultra-low cost Nano car to Gujarat from West Bengal after protests from farmers over land compensation, a sign of his business-friendly approach to politics. Gujarat today is one of India's wealthiest states and Modi's supporters credit him for bringing uninterrupted power supplies, smooth roads and a flood of investment to the state.
August 31, 2012: Modi addresses a number of topics during an online web cam chat which draws questions from around India and across the world. Viewed as a media-savvy politician, the 62-year-old is also an avid Twitter user with more than a million followers.
October 22, 2012: British High Commissioner James Bevan sits down with Modi to discuss business and investment in a landmark meeting that ends the UK's 10-year diplomatic boycott imposed on him for failing to stop the Gujarat riots.
December 13, 2012: Modi seeks to win a fourth term as chief minister of Gujarat. Results from the two-stage vote will be published on December 20. For the first time during campaigning in India, Modi uses 3-D projections of himself to appear "live" on stage at simultaneous events. Opinion polls indicate Modi will cruise to another victory.
2012 Gujarat seems to have voted clearly - this way or that - rejecting a third force and accepting the development plank. The verdict showed that Gujaratis were ready to take the inclusive growth story forward, and they did not mind taking along brave leaders like Keshubhai Patel. Chief minister Narendra Modi's development model and Gujarati asmita seemed to have sold hugely well, clearing the way for the 2014 battle, with Modi as the BJP's PM candidate.Indian Express reports.
Over all, Gujarat had voted hugely for the personality cult, be it Narendra Modi, Keshubhai Patel, Shankersinh Vaghela, NCP's Kandhal Jadeja, (son of late Godmother Santokben Jadeja) or Purshottam Solanki who has been accused of a Rs 400 crore fisheries scam.
However, an interesting aspect emerging in the forthcoming Gujarat assembly is the decimation of the Congress' state leadership but overall acceptance of the party. State Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia, legislature party leader Shaktisinh Gohil and even Siddharth Patel were losing badly to the BJP. Though Shankersinh Vaghela leads with a low margin, the state assembly's opposition is beginning to look 'RSS powered'.
Widely speculated as a strong contender in the BJP riven by squabbles as PM candidate in the next Lok Sabha elections, 62-year-old Modi dedicated his victory to the six crore Gujaratis and those all over the country pining for good governance and development.
The Chief Minister, who had consciously refused to apologise or express regret over the post-Godhra violence in the state in 2002 that claimed over 1,000 Muslim lives, today saidhe apologised to the six crore Gujaratis for "any mistake that may have occurred".
Even by mistake, there should be no mistake in the future, he told his supporters in his victory speech but gave no indications of his future political plans.
When they shouted, "PM, PM", he said he would be making a visit to Delhi for a day on Dec 27 and whatever he was doing in Gujarat was the service to Mother India.
"Neither will I stop, nor will I get tired as I have to fulfill your dreams", he said.
However, Congress extracted a sweet revenge defeating BJP in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh. The party secured a wafer-thin majority of 36 in a House of 68, one more than the half-way mark of 35.
The BJP managed to get only 26 while independents got 5 and Himachal Loktantrik Party one. In the last elections, the BJP got 41 and Congress 23.
The BJP campaign of corruption against Congress veteran Virbhadra Singh failed to have any impact while anti-incumbency appeared to have cost the ruling party dear in Himachal Pradesh.
78-year-old Virbhadra Singh, a five-time chief minister who was given the reins of the party on the eve of elections and who ran a spirited campaign, won from Shimla (Rural).
Singh is again a strong contender for the Chief Minister's post, political observers say.
He also appears to have emerged unscathed from the CD case filed by the Dhumal government in which charges were framed against him leading to his resignation from the Union Government.
While Chief Minister P K Dhumal won from Hamirpur constituency, his four cabinet colleagues Narinder Bragata, Khimi Ram, Krishan Kumar and Romesh Dhawala lost the elections.
However, cabinet ministers Gulab Singh, Mohinder Singh, Jai Ram Thakur, Ravinder Singh Ravi, Sarveen Chowdhary and Ishwar Dass Dhiman retained their seats.
Leader of the opposition Vidya Stokes won from Theog while Vijay Singh Mankotia, a bete noir of V B Singh, who buried the hatchet and rejoined Congress on the eve of assembly polls,was defeated from Shahpur.
In Gujarat, Congress suffered a major blow when its state unit chief Arjun Modhwadia lost the Porbandar seat to Babu Bokhiria of BJP by 17,146 votes, while Leader of Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil was defeated by Minister of State for fisheries Purushottam Solanki of the saffron party by 18,554 votes in Bhavnagar rural constituency.
Both were strong contenders for chief ministership in the event of Congress coming to power.
However, Shankar Singh Vaghela, Congress spearhead in the poll campaign and former state Chief Minister, managed to win Kapadvanj seat defeating Kanubhai Dabhi of BJP by a margin of 6597 votes.
Gujarat Parivartan Party president Keshubhai Patel scored a facile victory in Visavadar in Saurashtra defeating BJP's Kanubhai Bhalala by over 42,000 votes.
Though BJP registered an emphatic victory, five of its ministers fell by the wayside.
Those who lost included Agriculture Minister Dileep Sanghani (Amreli), Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas (Siddhpur), Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Fakirbhai Vaghela (Vadgam), Minister of State for Forest and Environment Kiritsinh Rana (Limbdi) and Minister of State for Agriculture Kanubhai Bhalala (Visavadar).
It appears to be a near repeat performance by both BJP and Congress who had won 117 and 59 seats respectively in the last polls.
Gujarat Parivartan Party president Keshubhai Patel scored a facile victory in Visavadar in Saurashtra defeating BJP's Kanubhai Bhalala by over 42,000 votes.
Though BJP registered an emphatic victory, five of its ministers fell by the wayside.
Those who lost included Agriculture Minister Dileep Sanghani (Amreli), Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas (Siddhpur), Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Fakirbhai Vaghela (Vadgam), Minister of State for Forest and Environment Kiritsinh Rana (Limbdi) and Minister of State for Agriculture Kanubhai Bhalala (Visavadar).
Ajith Vijay Kumar reports for zeenews that As expected Narendra Modi secured yet another decisive victory in Gujarat assembly elections 2012 on Thursday. The BJP winning 120 seats approximately surely will propel him to the national stage, but here's a look at the factors that played a role in his victory.
Development agenda: Narendra Modi has been highlighting development in the state under his rule. While it is true that the Gujarat does not rank high on several social indicators, industrial development has indeed gathered pace across the state in the last decade.
Darling of Urban middle class: One clear trend that has emerged is the overwhelming support Modi has secured in urban Gujarat. It is a near clean sweep across major cities for the BJP. However, it also highlights that the rural voter does not share the enthusiasm of urban Gujarat towards Modi's 'Vibrant Gujarat'.
Weak Congress: The Congress is in shambles. The tragedy is amplified as top state leaders like Arjun Modhwadia have bitten dust. National leaders of the party Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi did campaign in the state but have not managed to break Modi's citadel. The lack of a strong state leadership in the state, coupled with the Congress' aversion to directly take on Modi – after the Maut Ka Saudagar fiasco – did the grand party in.
Modi as PM: The calculative Gujarati seems to have to have also bought into the growing 'Modi as PM' chorus. They may have taken him as a symbol of Gujarati pride and the community's first real chance to have one of their own as the Prime Minister of India.
One shouldn't read too much into Gujarat and Himachal results, writes Bibek Debroy, eminent economist in Economic Times. Just see:
Reacting to Gujarat elections, Congress spokespersons have said NaMo (to use the social media term), has been contained. That's an odd expression to use, makes NaMo sound like a genie in a bottle. Of course, all Congress reactions needn't be taken seriously, such as Kapil Sibal's 2D/3D remark or Manish Tewari's about Congress winning wherever Rahul Gandhi campaigned.
If the latter is a serious proposition, why didn't Rahul Gandhi campaign more? Historically, Congress has had a stronger organization than in Bihar/UP. For both Congress/BJP, there are questions about handling and encouraging strong State-level leaders, more for Congress than for BJP. Within Congress, there has been a tendency to contain State-level leaders, a reflection of lack of inner party democracy and perceived threat to the family.
The broader BJP parivar is also probably somewhat uncomfortable with the issue, not just in Gujarat, but MP and Chhattisgarh too, though BJP has handled it better. Anti-incumbency is a maligned term. In both Himachal and Gujarat, BJP faced anti-incumbency.
It couldn't handle it in Himachal, but was able to contain it in Gujarat. Anti-incumbency doesn't work only against a present CM or a present ruling party, but also against a sitting MLA.
What's the broad Gujarat picture? Of 182 seats, 50 were almost "safe" seats for Congress and Congress got a vote share of 41%. In Gujarat, both BJP and Congress have increased their vote shares by 1%, at the expense of "others". That sets a cap of 132 for BJP and containment should be viewed in that context, not against unrealistic expectations of 150 seats.
Voting often occurs along lines of caste, ethnicity and religion. Barring seats dominated by Patels and impact of GPP, with exception of North Gujarat, there is no evidence (from numbers already available) of caste/ethnicity/religion over-riding development/governance considerations, not even in Saurashtra. But for either, BJP would have done better.
A 2/3rds majority, a vote share of 50% and a third term is no mean achievement. Though Muslims represent a far lower population share in Gujarat than nationally, this is also true of seats where Muslim votes matter. Nor is it the case that rural/urban differentiation makes sense. BJP's vote share in rural Gujarat has been 49%. When development is interpreted as roads, electricity and water, driving education, health and efficient public expenditure (read governance) in these, rural/urban differences break down.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/comments-analysis/one-shouldnt-read-too-much-into-gujarat-and-himachal-results/articleshow/17692369.cms
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