Crucial next eight months period ahead for Mr. Modi

Editor’s note, Ahmedabad, 13 September 2013

BJP national president Shri Rajnath Singh today declared Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi as BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate for next Lok Sabha general elections. Shri Rajnath Singh said that other NDA allies have approved Mr. Modi’s name.

Thus Mr. Modi is now National Democratic Alliance(NDA)’s prime ministerial candidate. He has been already made BJP’s campaign committee chief earlier.

Shri Modi has become third PM candidate of BJP in last one decade. Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee was declared BJP’s PM candidate in late 1990s and early 2000s, Shri Lal Krishna Advani was projected as party’s PM candidate in year 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

If everything goes as per the schedule, the Lok Sabha general elections are likely to be held in the month of April next year. For Mr. Modi, the next eight months period will be action-packed. It has to be seen how he manages to play the roles of Gujarat Chief Minister, and BJP’s prime ministerial candidate both at same time.

Mr. Modi will have to take care of his security too during this long period. Soon after the announcement of Mr. Advani as prime ministerial candidate of BJP, the then government in centre had taken decision to add third ring of security for Mr. Advani. CRPF jawans trained for VVIP security were assigned the job of second ring security of Mr. Advani replacing the local police.

The campaign schedule will be busier and busier day-by-day, and Shri Modi will need to take care of health during this period.

Some people say it is Mr. Modi’s ambition to become the PM of India. They are utterly ignorant. A pracharak(full-timer bachelor) when leaves his home and decided to give his life to saffron flag of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS) to serve the nation, his life is not his own anymore. As Modi is pracharak, RSS can depute him to Assam to serve ‘Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad’ tomorrow. Mr. Modi was asked to become BJP president for two years(2010-2012), and later party’s PM candidate for year 2014 by RSS chief in year 2010 only. Mr. Modi however refused to become party president and requested RSS chief to continue to play a role as Gujarat CM for two years. This because Gujarat was to witness assembly general elections in December 2012. RSS then picked up Nitin Gadkari as party president. As soon as the Gujarat elections completed last year, Mr. Modi’s pre-fixed Delhi role was certain. His elevation as campaign committee chief, and his selection as party’s PM candidate is not surprising for those who know pariwar.

There’s no reason to believe that Mr. Modi will not succeed. There are excellent chances of his success, and therefore his opponents have been, and will be more fierce ahead of the elections. If Modi fails to succeed, it would be failure of the nation, and not a failure of an individual or a party.