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"A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve,
not by the desire to beat others." (Narendra Modi)
"A good Governance has to be pro- people and Pro- active"
(Narendra Modi)
Narendra Damodardas Modi, dynamic developmental
figure who has transformed the landscape of his home state Gujarat,
is the 15th and the current Prime Minister of India. As his aides
testify, it is Modi's ability to convert adversity into opportunity
that has helped him to surge from one milestone to another.
He has been praised for the economic policies he adapted as
Chief Minister of Gujarat
which resulted in a high rate economic growth in that state. A Hindu nationalist,
strict vegetarian and a workaholic, Modi is also
a passionate writer and poet. In spite of his busy schedule he often finds time for reading, writing and doing yoga.
Narendra Damodardas Modi was born in a middle class
family
in Vadnagar, Gujarat, on 17 September 1950 to Damodardas Mulchand Modi and
Heeraben. His early life was a struggle, he helped his father run a tea stall in
Vadnagar railway station. In school, he was known for his skills
in public speech, debate
and theater performance. At the age of eight he came in contact
with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the youth wing of
the RSS where
he met Lakshmanrao Inamdar, who is known as his
political guru.
At the age of 13, much against his wishes, he was engaged to Jashodaben
Chimanlal and after 5 years married her. According to
biographers, the marriage was never consummated as he wanted to be
a monk and left home in search of truth. The years from 1967 to 1971 he
wandered around many places and visited Ram Krishna Mission in
Rajkot,
Belur Math near Kolkata, Swami Vivekananda Ashram in Almora and
then Himalayan foothills in search of spirituality. He returned
to Vadnagar only later in 1975.
Political career of Modi began after he officially
joined the RSS and moved into the Hedgewar Bhawan in Nagpur. He participated in movements
against the state of emergency declared by Indira Gandhi in 1975
and
coordinated activities of Sangh Parivar from underground. He
formally joined
the BJP in 1987 and became, within a year, General Secretary of
its Gujarat unit. His first trial after joining BJP was the Muncipal
Election in Ahmedabad. Modi's tireless efforts took BJP to
become
the ruling Party of Ahmedabad Muncipal Council. He came into main
stream of politics in 1988 and under his coordination BJP came
into power in Gujarat in 1995. Meanwhile he pursued his education too, and became a post graduate in political science from Gujarat University.
Being a key figure of the party and known for
his organizational skill, Modi planned several Yatras all over India. It was Modi who
helped organise the very successful Somnath to Ayodhya Yatra in
1990 led by Shri LK Advani and the Ekta Yatra
led by Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi. Nyay Yatra in 1987 and the Lok
Shakti Yatra in 1989, Vivekananda Yuva Vikas Yatra, in 2012 to
name a few, also had his backing.
In 1995, he became the BJP's National
Secretary
and was given charge of the states in North India. Three years
later Narendra Modi was made the National General Secretary.
He was elected as the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001 and continued
his tenure till he become the Prime Minister. The horrific communal riots in Gujarat in February
2002, gifted a bad image to Modi across India and beyond. But
over time, Modi vanquished all ill fame by achieving astonishing
economic development in Gujarat. Under his governance, Gujarat
underwent a sea change in the industrial, agricultural and
economic front.
In 2013, Modi was appointed as the Chairman of BJP's Central Election Campaign Committee for the 2014 general
election and was declared as the Prime Minister Candidate. The
rest is history. Narendra
Modi contested the election from two constituencies, Varanasi
and Vadodara and won both seats with a very high margin. With his charisma, the party
unanimously won Indian General elections in 2014. In 26th May of 2014,
Modi was sworn in as the 15th Prime Minister of India.
(Updated on 30/5/2014)
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