I saw him closely for the first time on 24 January 1992. He was interacting informally with journalists in Jammu. His persistence, clarity and precise word selection impressed me. He was only general secretary of the Gujarat unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party at that time, but his presence was notable among the most powerful leaders.
It was none other than Narendra Modi, the current Prime Minister of India.
This impression remained in my mind even after I returned from Jammu. After about ten years, his name again came in the public eye. He was chosen by the BJP high command to replace Keshubhai Patel as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Keshubhai’s regime was shaken by the massive earthquake on 26 January 2001. At that time Keshubhai’s stature was very big. Some said that Narendra Modi was given shoes which were bigger than his feet.
The following year, Chief Minister Modi addressed a press conference in Delhi. In it, he explained in detail how Bhuj and its surrounding areas, which were devastated after the earthquake, were brought back into the mainstream. Today, if you pass through the Rann of Kutch, you will find beautiful roads running through the salt-white sand, electric poles in villages, water tanks and hospitals. It was not an easy task, but if Modi had focused on easy tasks, he would not have been the Prime Minister of the country today.
The next year there were fierce communal riots in Gujarat.
You will recall that when the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had called for adopting Rajdharma at a press conference in Ahmedabad, Chief Minister Modi resolutely replied, Wahi toh kar raha hoon sahib. Some said it was “audacity”, but the Gujarat chief minister felt he needed to plan to prevent another such tragedy. After that, Narendra Modi served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for 12 years, during which there was no riot. No one can deny this historical fact. This can happen only if the person in charge of law and order is not blind to belonging to a particular community. In addition, Narendra Modi worked tirelessly to build a welfare state. Government facilities and assistance reached all parts of the population without any discrimination or hindrance. As a result, all sectors gained confidence.
How did this difficult task come about? One day, he asked the Chief Secretary of Gujarat, “Which taluka did you start your career from?” As soon as he got the chief secretary’s reply, he said, “Do you have any knowledge of the situation in that taluka?” You have risen to the rank of chief secretary, but that taluka is still in the same state. Why don’t you take that tehsil and revive it? On the consent of the Chief Secretary, he called all the secretaries and repeated the order. Each secretary was given the charge of the taluka before that.
Modi is the prime minister now, and his jurisdiction now covers the entire country. He has entrusted this great task to young collectors by posting them in 112 districts. More than a dozen criteria were used to select these districts, ensuring that the rays of development reach the most deprived areas first. If this is not Antyodaya then what is?
During my long career as a journalist, I have had the opportunity to meet, hear and understand all the Prime Ministers from Indira Gandhi to Narendra Modi. All the Prime Ministers have contributed to the progress of the country in their own way, but I can say with confidence that I have never seen such a combination of determination and clarity about the goals. He was born in a poor house and understands the pain of poor people. Working as an RSS worker in different regions of the country, he got the opportunity to know why government projects fail despite good intentions behind him. He was able to decide on things that were previously taboo due to his wide awareness of society, authority and order.
He will complete the eighth year of his term as PM this month. The results of the recent assembly elections in five states have shown that there is no political challenge for them. When it comes to social and economic issues, the Prime Minister will undoubtedly face challenges on several fronts. Assembly elections will be held in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh at the end of the year. Obviously all eyes are fixed on him, as they are every time.
Undoubtedly the principal servants are aware of the difficulties ahead. This is the reason why he has included Sabka Saath, Sabka Saath and Sabka Vikas in his objectives. It will be interesting to see how he accomplishes this.
(Shashi Shekhar is the Editor-in-Chief of Hindustan. Views expressed are personal.)