Narendra Modi’s CMship BJP’s strength even now
, ET Bureau|
Updated: Nov 24, 2017, 10.04 AM IST
MEHSANA | AHMEDABAD | RAJKOT: "Modiye badhanu Haalu Vicharyu (Modi worked for everyone's good)," says Mukesh Parmar who hails from Banaskanta but works as waiter in a restaurant in Rajkot, when asked where he thought the upcoming election in Gujarat was headed.
As someone who comes from the Dalit community, Parmar said that he had a “Congress mindset” till 2014, when he finally decided to “admit to himself that Modi had worked” for the state. “For me, Modi is development because I didn't have to leave my state to find work like UP and Bihari migrants. It is a big thing that I live among my people, get to speak my language and earn decently,” said Parmar, 26, whose hails from a family of agricultural labourers.
Modi’s development model has been a matter of debate since it was extensively critiqued by the Congress in 2014. The party has time and again raised the concern that the state lags behind on social indicators. It has also questioned growing unemployment, closure of industries, housing crisis, expensive healthcare, farm distress and ‘unfair’ land acquisition.
For the people of the state, Modi’s tenure as CM development means different things. While some highlighted that he brought in industry, built bridges and flyovers, permitted malls, maintained law and order and gave everyone a single Gujarati identity, others talk of the work he did for improving infrastructure to address water and power crisis.
“Roads were good in 1995 too but electricity and water availability were very bad. Water reached Rajkot through trains and Congress leaders would proudly flag off those trains. I still remember hiring vehicles to fetch two buckets of water daily. There would be at least three-hour power cuts too in most areas,” said 82-year-old Kirit Bhai Chauhan, a retired government officer in Jetpur. “It is the way he worked and implemented things. We could see the change in a few years. That for me is Modi's style.”
Some voters say they will vote for Modi because he is the only person "they feel they should vote for." "Naseeb laine aavyo che (he has the luck on his side). The country will work well under him. He won't take the country on the wrong path. You see him and you know that," said Sanjay Vaaran who runs a paan shop in vartal in Ahmedabad.
A senior BJP leader in the State said that as soon as Narendra Modi took over at the CM of Gujarat he had asked all power department officials to come up with the best solution to overcome the power crisis in the State. He was however not pleased with their ideas, and had put forward a presentation of how he thought the problem should be addressed. "Strategy and speed for him went hand in hand as he was working on a deadline set by himself. That went down well with people," the leader said.
Young voters associate strength and pride with Modi and they feel he gave Gujaratis a unique united identity to be proud of. “He made even the dry sand of Kutch saleable. It has been white for years but he made the world notice and pay for it too. He is a true Gujarati with talent and mind,” said Harshal Patel, a 24-year-old management student at Gujarat University, explaining how Modi the Rann of Kutch Mahotsav popular.
Several voters may not be entirely happy with the policies of the state government, yet will vote for BJP because “BJP may not have got everything right but Congress is still a no.” There is no comparison between Modi and Congress in Gujarat,” said Devibhai Gondalia, a businessman in Surat who disapproves of demonetisation and GST but still supports the BJP. Also, there is no doubt that they see him as a very strong leader."Labesh Rajput, a voter in Kalupur in Ahmedabad who said he will vote for Modi because "neighbouring countries are scared of him and the PM has kept Pakistan in check. Remember we also have the border with them." In Surendranagar, in Limdi, Bachhubhai Koli said though he wanted to see Congress winning in his seat, he wanted BJP to form the government, as "the State would be safer under Modi's watch."
Admiration of Modi is certainly much more in urban areas, compared to rural ones, especially among middle class voters. According to 2011 census, Gujarat is the fourth-most urbanised and third-most industrialised state. The level of urbanisation in Gujarat has been consistently rising from 37.4% in 2001 to 42.6% percent in 2011.
Aditi Bhalodia, a 31 year old professional English trainer in Ahmedabad feels “everyday life here is much better compared to other states. Most of my friends and students who go out of the state come back here and find good jobs.” She counts the encouragement government gives to competition among private players to provide the best to its citizens and the atmosphere to do "safe business" as Modi’s strongest point."My husband and I planned to invest in a house in Bopal on the outskirts of Ahmedabad some years ago. Today the area has developed really well. The government had ten years ago identified areas that could prosper when cities expand and they facilitated that."
Political analyst Shirish Kashikar said people emotionally connect with Modi because “he turned around the law and order situation in the state as soon as he came to power and changed water and power scenarios on war footing. It is true that in the eighties and nineties the state used to be under the control of several anti-social elements. Over the years people have also built the image of a larger than life leader who is dependable and works for the overall good. Many still hold on to that image of.”
In rural areas, however, farmers said that the farm sector, which grew at a high rate not so long ago is facing problems now, and Gujarat government officials admit there has been some difficulty putting farmers at ease. An NSSO’s report in 2014 had revealed that there are a total of 39,30,500 agricultural households in Gujarat. “Under Narendra Modi, it was slightly different, at least in the doling out of subsidies. Now there are not only lower prices but high input costs, and delayed payments by procurement agencies. That was not the case when the State was under him. Vachhetiyaon Khai jaay che (Middle men are eating our dues now),” said Bhikaji Chowdhary, a cotton farmer in Mehsana.
PM to begin campaign with 4 rallies on Monday
AHMEDABAD: Pegging the focus of its election campaign on PM Modi, BJP will hold ‘Mann ki Baat with Chai’ at 50,000 poll booths in all 89 assembly seats that go to polls in the first phase. Modi, meanwhile, will begin his public meetings by holding four rallies each on November 27 and 29. BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav said Union ministers and senior party leaders led by Amit Shah would participate in the ‘Mann ki Baat with Chai’ in 89 constituencies on Sunday. BJP may be also trying to tap on the negative publicity that Congress received after its youth wing tweeted a meme mocking Modi. BJP will bank on Modi’s charisma to woo voters, with the PM holding his first round of rallies in Bhuj, Rajkot, Amreli and Surat. On November 29, he will hold public meetings in Morbi, Somnath, Bhavnagar and Navsari. - OPB
As someone who comes from the Dalit community, Parmar said that he had a “Congress mindset” till 2014, when he finally decided to “admit to himself that Modi had worked” for the state. “For me, Modi is development because I didn't have to leave my state to find work like UP and Bihari migrants. It is a big thing that I live among my people, get to speak my language and earn decently,” said Parmar, 26, whose hails from a family of agricultural labourers.
Modi’s development model has been a matter of debate since it was extensively critiqued by the Congress in 2014. The party has time and again raised the concern that the state lags behind on social indicators. It has also questioned growing unemployment, closure of industries, housing crisis, expensive healthcare, farm distress and ‘unfair’ land acquisition.
 |
For the people of the state, Modi’s tenure as CM development means different things. While some highlighted that he brought in industry, built bridges and flyovers, permitted malls, maintained law and order and gave everyone a single Gujarati identity, others talk of the work he did for improving infrastructure to address water and power crisis.
“Roads were good in 1995 too but electricity and water availability were very bad. Water reached Rajkot through trains and Congress leaders would proudly flag off those trains. I still remember hiring vehicles to fetch two buckets of water daily. There would be at least three-hour power cuts too in most areas,” said 82-year-old Kirit Bhai Chauhan, a retired government officer in Jetpur. “It is the way he worked and implemented things. We could see the change in a few years. That for me is Modi's style.”
 |
Some voters say they will vote for Modi because he is the only person "they feel they should vote for." "Naseeb laine aavyo che (he has the luck on his side). The country will work well under him. He won't take the country on the wrong path. You see him and you know that," said Sanjay Vaaran who runs a paan shop in vartal in Ahmedabad.
A senior BJP leader in the State said that as soon as Narendra Modi took over at the CM of Gujarat he had asked all power department officials to come up with the best solution to overcome the power crisis in the State. He was however not pleased with their ideas, and had put forward a presentation of how he thought the problem should be addressed. "Strategy and speed for him went hand in hand as he was working on a deadline set by himself. That went down well with people," the leader said.
 |
Young voters associate strength and pride with Modi and they feel he gave Gujaratis a unique united identity to be proud of. “He made even the dry sand of Kutch saleable. It has been white for years but he made the world notice and pay for it too. He is a true Gujarati with talent and mind,” said Harshal Patel, a 24-year-old management student at Gujarat University, explaining how Modi the Rann of Kutch Mahotsav popular.
Several voters may not be entirely happy with the policies of the state government, yet will vote for BJP because “BJP may not have got everything right but Congress is still a no.” There is no comparison between Modi and Congress in Gujarat,” said Devibhai Gondalia, a businessman in Surat who disapproves of demonetisation and GST but still supports the BJP. Also, there is no doubt that they see him as a very strong leader."Labesh Rajput, a voter in Kalupur in Ahmedabad who said he will vote for Modi because "neighbouring countries are scared of him and the PM has kept Pakistan in check. Remember we also have the border with them." In Surendranagar, in Limdi, Bachhubhai Koli said though he wanted to see Congress winning in his seat, he wanted BJP to form the government, as "the State would be safer under Modi's watch."
Admiration of Modi is certainly much more in urban areas, compared to rural ones, especially among middle class voters. According to 2011 census, Gujarat is the fourth-most urbanised and third-most industrialised state. The level of urbanisation in Gujarat has been consistently rising from 37.4% in 2001 to 42.6% percent in 2011.
 |
Aditi Bhalodia, a 31 year old professional English trainer in Ahmedabad feels “everyday life here is much better compared to other states. Most of my friends and students who go out of the state come back here and find good jobs.” She counts the encouragement government gives to competition among private players to provide the best to its citizens and the atmosphere to do "safe business" as Modi’s strongest point."My husband and I planned to invest in a house in Bopal on the outskirts of Ahmedabad some years ago. Today the area has developed really well. The government had ten years ago identified areas that could prosper when cities expand and they facilitated that."
Political analyst Shirish Kashikar said people emotionally connect with Modi because “he turned around the law and order situation in the state as soon as he came to power and changed water and power scenarios on war footing. It is true that in the eighties and nineties the state used to be under the control of several anti-social elements. Over the years people have also built the image of a larger than life leader who is dependable and works for the overall good. Many still hold on to that image of.”
In rural areas, however, farmers said that the farm sector, which grew at a high rate not so long ago is facing problems now, and Gujarat government officials admit there has been some difficulty putting farmers at ease. An NSSO’s report in 2014 had revealed that there are a total of 39,30,500 agricultural households in Gujarat. “Under Narendra Modi, it was slightly different, at least in the doling out of subsidies. Now there are not only lower prices but high input costs, and delayed payments by procurement agencies. That was not the case when the State was under him. Vachhetiyaon Khai jaay che (Middle men are eating our dues now),” said Bhikaji Chowdhary, a cotton farmer in Mehsana.
PM to begin campaign with 4 rallies on Monday
AHMEDABAD: Pegging the focus of its election campaign on PM Modi, BJP will hold ‘Mann ki Baat with Chai’ at 50,000 poll booths in all 89 assembly seats that go to polls in the first phase. Modi, meanwhile, will begin his public meetings by holding four rallies each on November 27 and 29. BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav said Union ministers and senior party leaders led by Amit Shah would participate in the ‘Mann ki Baat with Chai’ in 89 constituencies on Sunday. BJP may be also trying to tap on the negative publicity that Congress received after its youth wing tweeted a meme mocking Modi. BJP will bank on Modi’s charisma to woo voters, with the PM holding his first round of rallies in Bhuj, Rajkot, Amreli and Surat. On November 29, he will hold public meetings in Morbi, Somnath, Bhavnagar and Navsari. - OPB
