Ahmedabad: There was drama on the second day of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi'ssadbhavana fast. As the chief minister fasted, at least 25 people, including activist Mallika Sarabhai and Mukul Sinha, were detained in Naroda Patiya as the 2002 Gujarat riot victims were today barred from protesting against Mr Modi.
Naroda Patiya, about eight kilometres from the fast site at Gujarat University Convention hall, had witnessed the worst ever riots incident in 2002, when more than 90 people were killed.
Earlier today, with the weekend bringing in large crowds, the police had to resort to lathicharge to control the crowds at Mr Modi's fast venue. Few people were injured in the incident.
Due to the sudden rush, couple of glass doors, which were closed, were shattered. Police said nobody was injured in the incident and the situation is under control.
While Modi is sitting on a high-voltage, much-publicised fast, his Congress rival and Modi's one-time RSS colleague Shankarsinh Vaghela is sitting down to a similar fast aimed at highlighting Modi's faults and the wasteful expenditure even in his sitting on the fast. The first day of Mr Modi's fast, which was also his birthday, saw the top BJP brass come forth for full support. His attempt for sadbhavna, many say, is a careful image-altering exercise as he gets set for the national stage in the next Lok Sabha elections.
"People kept attacking us, we never hit back. So many accusations, defamation, we have never hit back, always tolerated everything. Waited for the truth to come out. Kept collecting the stones that were thrown at us and we made stairs out of those stones and got Gujarat kept rising," Mr Modi said during his speech yesterday.
But Modi faces a long haul to Delhi. His opponents are calling his fast and appeals a drama. Victims of Gujarat riots are not enthused - and to highlight it - the Gujarat Congress is staging its own fast.
"We have taken the common man and party workers along with us in this fast. It is unlike the five-star fast of the Gujarat Chief Minister where several crores of public money has been spent on the arrangements draining state exchequer. The way they have spent several crores on the fast using the state machinery to organise it... we are sitting here to expose the black side of BJP government before the people of Gujarat," Mr Vaghela said today.
Mr Vaghela's fast venue is the strategically chosen Gandhi Ashram. Mr Vaghela, surrounded
by Congressmen all in Gandhi caps, began his fast at the Gandhi Ashram an hour before Mr Modi's. He will end two hours after Mr Modi does and has sent across a message - "I wish Mr Modi happy birthday and hope he will getsadbuddhi (better sense)."
Reacting to Mr Modi's fast, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said that the Gujarat Chief Minister should instead rehabilitate families who lost everything in the Gujarat riots of 2002.
"It's good that Modi will have to give up Govalkar's ideas and embrace Mahatma Gandhi's way of life for sadbhavana. But instead of this drama of fasting, he should work towards reinstating the families who lost everything in the riots, these crocodile tears won't help them in any way," Mr Singh said.
Speaking on Modi being a PM candidate, Digvijaya Singh said, "We are very happy, this will only make things easier for Congress."
But Mr Vaghela's less spectacular counter-show is unlikely to dent Mr Modi's enthusiasm. As the UPA faces a crisis, and the BJP looks for a leader, Modi has seized the moment and fast-tracked his future plans.
"Our party has many capable leaders who can deliver, who have the capacity to discharge any responsibility the party gives them. And as far as this (Modi) is concerned there is hardly any doubt," senior BJP leader LK Advani said.
In his blog, Mr Advani perhaps set the tone in Modi's favour for the BJP's leadership race. He quoted a US think tank report that spoke of the possibility of Modi as the party's PM choice.
Mr Modi too showed that a greater responsibility awaits him. Addressing a fair sprinkling of Muslims at his fast, he spoke of inclusive plans. For the 2002 riots, there was remorse on display.
"I felt pain for the riot victims even at that time and I feel it even now," he said at his speech yesterday.
Mr Modi is reaching out to emerge as the first among equals in the BJP. He needs acceptance across the political spectrum. He's happy that two regional players - the Akali Dal and the AIADMK backed his fast. And AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa sent two of her senior leaders though she emphatically said it was a goodwill gesture not a political move.
"This is also in line with our policy of secularism and maintaining communal harmony and peace," Jayalalithaa said.
Though Modi is the BJP's good governance mascot, his social harmony call may become BJP's mantra. But he faces stiff competition for the top job. Ally JD(U) doesn't back him as Nitish Kumar is a claimant for the same job.
"80% of the nation is always on fast. Whether they fast for half a day or the entire day, nobody mentions about them," JD(U) president Sharad Yadav said.
The last week has been defining for the Gujarat Chief Minister. The Supreme Court transferred a Gujarat-riots-related case to a lower court in the state and Narendra Modi tweeted, "God is Great". Suddenly, from a US think tank to BJP patriarch LK Advani, there was talk about Narendra Modi, possible future Prime Minister.
A canny Modi quickly seized upon the opportunity to market Brand Modi. Gujarat and Modi shining is the message and the tone has changed to a softer, almost apologetic one as the Chief Minister wrote two open letters to the people of his state. The second, written a day before he turned 61, said, "I am grateful to all who pointed out my genuine mistakes during last 10 years... Gujarat has overcome the evil of Communalism... the pain of each citizen is my own pain."
Modi's birthday fast is anything but austere. The state machinery was out in frenetic preparation for the last week - the air-conditioned university hall rents at Rs. 5 lakh a day, there is tight security, 6000 chairs for those who will watch Mr Modi fast on a very large stage over the next three days. There is overt political support that Modi shall wear on his sleeve - from within the party as other top leaders, Advani, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj share his call, settling the issue of the BJP's firm backing. "I will be in Ahmedabad on 19th September for the Sadbhavana Upvas of Narendrabhai Modi," tweeted Ms Swaraj.
The three-day fast is all about Modi. He is the actor, director and script writer of the show. There are no BJP flags, no hoardings with smiling faces of Vajpayee, Advani and Gadkari. It signals is that there is room for just one leader at the top in the party. Modi has taken the head start saying two is a crowd.
Naroda Patiya, about eight kilometres from the fast site at Gujarat University Convention hall, had witnessed the worst ever riots incident in 2002, when more than 90 people were killed.
Earlier today, with the weekend bringing in large crowds, the police had to resort to lathicharge to control the crowds at Mr Modi's fast venue. Few people were injured in the incident.
Due to the sudden rush, couple of glass doors, which were closed, were shattered. Police said nobody was injured in the incident and the situation is under control.
While Modi is sitting on a high-voltage, much-publicised fast, his Congress rival and Modi's one-time RSS colleague Shankarsinh Vaghela is sitting down to a similar fast aimed at highlighting Modi's faults and the wasteful expenditure even in his sitting on the fast. The first day of Mr Modi's fast, which was also his birthday, saw the top BJP brass come forth for full support. His attempt for sadbhavna, many say, is a careful image-altering exercise as he gets set for the national stage in the next Lok Sabha elections.
"People kept attacking us, we never hit back. So many accusations, defamation, we have never hit back, always tolerated everything. Waited for the truth to come out. Kept collecting the stones that were thrown at us and we made stairs out of those stones and got Gujarat kept rising," Mr Modi said during his speech yesterday.
But Modi faces a long haul to Delhi. His opponents are calling his fast and appeals a drama. Victims of Gujarat riots are not enthused - and to highlight it - the Gujarat Congress is staging its own fast.
"We have taken the common man and party workers along with us in this fast. It is unlike the five-star fast of the Gujarat Chief Minister where several crores of public money has been spent on the arrangements draining state exchequer. The way they have spent several crores on the fast using the state machinery to organise it... we are sitting here to expose the black side of BJP government before the people of Gujarat," Mr Vaghela said today.
Mr Vaghela's fast venue is the strategically chosen Gandhi Ashram. Mr Vaghela, surrounded
by Congressmen all in Gandhi caps, began his fast at the Gandhi Ashram an hour before Mr Modi's. He will end two hours after Mr Modi does and has sent across a message - "I wish Mr Modi happy birthday and hope he will getsadbuddhi (better sense)."Reacting to Mr Modi's fast, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said that the Gujarat Chief Minister should instead rehabilitate families who lost everything in the Gujarat riots of 2002.
"It's good that Modi will have to give up Govalkar's ideas and embrace Mahatma Gandhi's way of life for sadbhavana. But instead of this drama of fasting, he should work towards reinstating the families who lost everything in the riots, these crocodile tears won't help them in any way," Mr Singh said.
Speaking on Modi being a PM candidate, Digvijaya Singh said, "We are very happy, this will only make things easier for Congress."
But Mr Vaghela's less spectacular counter-show is unlikely to dent Mr Modi's enthusiasm. As the UPA faces a crisis, and the BJP looks for a leader, Modi has seized the moment and fast-tracked his future plans.
"Our party has many capable leaders who can deliver, who have the capacity to discharge any responsibility the party gives them. And as far as this (Modi) is concerned there is hardly any doubt," senior BJP leader LK Advani said.
In his blog, Mr Advani perhaps set the tone in Modi's favour for the BJP's leadership race. He quoted a US think tank report that spoke of the possibility of Modi as the party's PM choice.
Mr Modi too showed that a greater responsibility awaits him. Addressing a fair sprinkling of Muslims at his fast, he spoke of inclusive plans. For the 2002 riots, there was remorse on display.
"I felt pain for the riot victims even at that time and I feel it even now," he said at his speech yesterday.Mr Modi is reaching out to emerge as the first among equals in the BJP. He needs acceptance across the political spectrum. He's happy that two regional players - the Akali Dal and the AIADMK backed his fast. And AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa sent two of her senior leaders though she emphatically said it was a goodwill gesture not a political move.
"This is also in line with our policy of secularism and maintaining communal harmony and peace," Jayalalithaa said.
Though Modi is the BJP's good governance mascot, his social harmony call may become BJP's mantra. But he faces stiff competition for the top job. Ally JD(U) doesn't back him as Nitish Kumar is a claimant for the same job.
"80% of the nation is always on fast. Whether they fast for half a day or the entire day, nobody mentions about them," JD(U) president Sharad Yadav said.
The last week has been defining for the Gujarat Chief Minister. The Supreme Court transferred a Gujarat-riots-related case to a lower court in the state and Narendra Modi tweeted, "God is Great". Suddenly, from a US think tank to BJP patriarch LK Advani, there was talk about Narendra Modi, possible future Prime Minister.
A canny Modi quickly seized upon the opportunity to market Brand Modi. Gujarat and Modi shining is the message and the tone has changed to a softer, almost apologetic one as the Chief Minister wrote two open letters to the people of his state. The second, written a day before he turned 61, said, "I am grateful to all who pointed out my genuine mistakes during last 10 years... Gujarat has overcome the evil of Communalism... the pain of each citizen is my own pain."
Modi's birthday fast is anything but austere. The state machinery was out in frenetic preparation for the last week - the air-conditioned university hall rents at Rs. 5 lakh a day, there is tight security, 6000 chairs for those who will watch Mr Modi fast on a very large stage over the next three days. There is overt political support that Modi shall wear on his sleeve - from within the party as other top leaders, Advani, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj share his call, settling the issue of the BJP's firm backing. "I will be in Ahmedabad on 19th September for the Sadbhavana Upvas of Narendrabhai Modi," tweeted Ms Swaraj.
The three-day fast is all about Modi. He is the actor, director and script writer of the show. There are no BJP flags, no hoardings with smiling faces of Vajpayee, Advani and Gadkari. It signals is that there is room for just one leader at the top in the party. Modi has taken the head start saying two is a crowd.
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