V for Varanasi and Varanasi for Modi.

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Narendra Modi to contest from Varanasi

TNN | New Delhi | Mar 15, 2014:: The BJP confirmed on Saturday evening that its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi would contest from Varanasi in the Lok Sabha elections.

The Gujarat CM's candidature from Varansi is significant because of AAP's reported plan to pit Arvind Kejriwal against Modi if he chooses to contest from anywhere outside Gujarat.

The decision to have Modi contest from Varanasi has been driven by BJP's calculation that his presence in the state arena will be a force multiplier for the party's comeback bid in UP. The largest state, with its share of 80 seats in Lok Sabha, is crucial for Modi's plans to become PM.

Saffron tacticians feel Modi's presence in Varanasi will boost the prospects of BJP candidates in 28 Lok Sabha seats in eastern UP, of which 18 go to polls in the last phase. They feel Modi will be able to make a Somnath to Kashi Viswanath connect — a reference to the two revered pilgrim destinations of Somnath in Gujarat and Varanasi.

Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, whose home Lok Sabha constituency is Varanasi will vacate it for Modi and will instead contest from Kanpur.

Like Varanasi, Kanpur is also considered a safe seat for BJP.

Also, while declaring the names of the candidates, BJP leader Ananth Kumar said BJP president Rajnath Singh will contest from the Lucknow seat, while leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha will contest from Armitsar.

Dr Harsh Vardhan, who was BJP's chief ministerial candidate in the 2013 Delhi assembly election, will contest from Chandni Chowk constituency in Delhi.

Courtesy: TOI. 

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After Ram Vilas Paswan of LJP, Karunanidhi of DMK hints at backing Narendra Modi.

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The Paswan Effect? Now DMK chief praises his ‘good friend’ Modi

Gopu Mohan | Chennai | March 1, 2014:: A day after Ram Vilas Paswan joined the NDA, M Karunanidhi described Narendra Modi as a “good friend”, and praised his “hard work”.

In 2002, the leader of the LJP had quit Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s ministry, saying that the riots in Gujarat would have “reverberations across the country”. And the DMK chief has repeatedly professed his commitment to “secularism”.

“(Modi’s) ongoing election campaign shows how hardworking he is. He is also a good friend of mine,” Karunanidhi said in an interview published in a Tamil daily on Friday. The comment raised eyebrows in Tamil Nadu because the DMK has so far stressed that it would align with neither Congress nor BJP, and emphasised especially the need to prevent “communal forces” from coming to power.

The interview had no questions about the Gujarat riots. Asked in the interview about the possibility of a post-poll alliance with the BJP, Karunanidhi said, “I cannot predict what the scenario after the Lok Sabha election will be.” He did mention his camaraderie with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but they were overshadowed in the “good friend” status that he accorded to Modi.

As his comment — and the possibility of it being a signal to the BJP — was analysed all day, Karunanidhi refused to speak to the media throng outside his home and the DMK office. Party spokesperson and MP TKS Elangovan argued there was nothing wrong in expressing personal opinions about individuals. “People can be friends and still not form an alliance due to differences in policies. We stand by our general council decision to give a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative,” he said.

Senior BJP leader Ela Ganesan, the state president of the party when the DMK was part of the NDA over a decade ago, too, downplayed the comment on Modi, saying it was Karunanidhi’s personal opinion, and had no political significance.

“Our decision is to set up a non-AIADMK, non-DMK coalition in Tamil Nadu, and we have come some distance on that path. Now there is no question of a BJP-DMK alliance,” Ganesan said.

The BJP has been in talks with the DMDK, MDMK, PMK and a few caste outfits, but is yet to finalise a poll deal. In December 2013, Karunanidhi had praised Modi as a “good person” and “capable administrator”, setting off the first wave of speculation about a possible re-joining of forces. The DMK had quit the NDA in December 2003, and chosen to contest the 2004 elections with the UPA.

At its state conference in Tiruchirappalli on February 15-16, the party resolved to ally with only those who were secular, believed in social justice, and supported the Sethusamudram shipping channel project. The first and last conditions were believed to have automatically excluded the BJP.

Courtesy: Indian Express.

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Narendra Modi warns China, says no power can snatch Arunachal from us.

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Modi advises China to shed its 'expansionist' attitude

Rahul Karmakar and agencies, Hindustan Times  Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh), February 22, 2014::The nearest point on the India-China border is 35km east of Pasighat. In 2009, China had objected to the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the state. In 2012, it again objected to defence minister AK Antony's visit, saying "it would complicate the border issue".

Pasighat was the first stop of his second poll campaign across northeast within a fortnight. Silchar in Assam and Tripura capital Agartala were the next.

Read: Modi raises poll pitch in Assam, attacks Congress

"China should shed its expansionist policy and forge bilateral ties with India for peace, progress and prosperity of both the nations," said Modi.

India and China have fought a brief war in 1962 over differences on the border. China lays claim to more than 90,000 sq km disputed by New Delhi in the eastern sector of the Himalayas, while India says China occupies 38,000 square km of its territory on the Aksai Chin plateau in the west.

China has grown increasingly assertive and questioned India's claims over the territory, calling it instead South Tibet.

"Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and will always remain so. No power can snatch it from us. People of Arunachal Pradesh didn't come under pressure or fear of China," he said.

"I swear in the name of this soil that I will never allow the state to disappear...breakdown and to bow down," Modi said to a thunderous applause from people gathered near the mighty Siang River.

Read: China intrudes into Arunachal, stays on for 3 days

He said China needs to change its stand.

"China should adopt the plank of development. Focus is on the development all over the world," the Gujarat chief minister said.

Modi lauded the "brave" people of Arunchal and said that because of them, who were guarding the state as well as the country as sentinels, the northeastern remained an integral part of the country.

"The people here are real patriots as they salute their counterparts with 'Jai Hind' and are zealously protecting the state's territory... They gave a befitting reply to the advancing Chinese army during 1962 and the British and several army personnel from the state also fought with Pakistan during the Kargil war," he said.

Read: PM has failed Assam; Nido's death 'national shame', says Modi

While directly referring to the killing of Arunachal Pradesh youth Nido Taniam in Delhi, Modi cautioned the UPA government against underestimating the people of the state and added that it was the duty of the entire nation to protect the people and the state's territorial integrity.

Elaborating on BJP's mantra for development of the northeast, Modi pitched for the "three H" model of the growth for Arunachal Pradesh.

"Herbal, horticulture and handicrafts - these three Hs can give lot of opportunities to the people here," Modi said.

"Arunachal can be the world environment capital. It is no less than Switzerland," he said.

Read: Modi wave may not be enough to sweep Congress out in northeast

Making a scathing attack on Congress governments, both at the Centre as well as in the state, for their failure in meeting the aspirations of the people, he said, "Neither dynasty nor casteism will benefit the country. Country will be benefited from development and 2014 elections will be fought on the development plank."

He also said that Congress government at the Centre does not listen to its own government in Arunacahal Pradesh.

"You need a government which is sensitive to the problems of every part of the country. The state does not have any opportunity in education or employment to offer the youth."

"There were special provisions in the budget for the development of northeast and Sikkim during A B Vajpayeeji's time," he said, adding "lotus will again bloom in the region."

Making an attempt to bond with the state, he said, "I come from Gujarat, a land that has very old and close relations with Arunachal Pradesh. The relation between Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh brings the eastern and western part of our country together."

He also said that the "first rays of the sun bless this land. Arunachal Pradesh wakes up first and then the rest of India rises. The final rays of the sun set in Gujarat and tell us, we will rise again tomorrow in Arunachal Pradesh."

At Silchar, Modi flayed the Congress for catering to Bangladeshi infiltrators for political gain. "Two sets of people come from Bangladesh – one under a conspiracy to outnumber locals and the other that are forced to flee. The latter are Bengali Hindus, who the Congress targets by marking them as D-voters," he said.

Bengalis form almost 25% of Assam's voters. They form the bulk of 1.43lakh voters marked 'D', meaning 'doubtful'.

Vowing to scrap the list if the BJP comes to power, Modi also outlined the BJP's plans for tea plantation workers "exploited by Congress" for decades. Tea plantation workers – Adivasis from central India – have traditionally been a major Congress vote bank after Muslims.

Former Arunachal chief minister and Congress veteran Gegong Apang, who recently joined the BJP, also belongs to the Adi (hill man) tribe.

Going back to another favourite topic — mythology — Modi suggested the Modis inhabited the eastern and western ends of India because of Krishna and his wife Rukmini. “If we (Gujarat) have Dwarka, Krishna’s kingdom, you have the birthplace of Rukmini,” he said in Pasighat. Rukmini is fabled to have been born in Rukmininagar near Roing, headquarters of Lower Dibang Valley district.

At his last stop, Agartala in Left-ruled Tripura, he took on the “third front” driven by the Left parties. “The third front is like migratory birds that will vanish after the elections. We need a strong government at the Centre that can bring real development.”

Modi is looking for a foothold in the region whose party does not boast of any influence in the eight states.

The Christian-majority population in some hill states, the status of the Congress as the only "national party brand", more trust in regional parties and perception of the BJP as being "too Hindi belt" are the major factors behind its dismal presence in the region.

Modi's elevation as his party's prime ministerial nominee has coincided with a slide in the BJP's fortunes in the northeast, which offers 25 MPs.

@ Hindu migrants from Bangladesh must be accommodated in Bharat: Narendra Modi (Silchar Meeting). http://wp.me/pCXJT-3wx

@ No power in this world can snatch away our territory: Narendra Modi (Pasighat Meeting). http://wp.me/pCXJT-3wx

@ China should also reject mentality of aggression: (Pasighat Meeting). http://wp.me/pCXJT-3wx

@ People of Assam troubled by infiltration from Bangladesh: Narendra Modi (Both in Silchar and Pasighat).  http://wp.me/pCXJT-3wx

Courtesy: Hindustan Times: Hindu Existence.

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Narendra Modi attacks Manmohan & Congress for underdeveloped North Eastern states.

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PM, Congress failed to ensure NE's development: Narendra Modi 

"You have tolerated Congress for 60 years.
They only made promises.
Give me just 60 months, I will fulfill your aspirations,"
Modi said. 

PTI | Guwahati/Imphal | 8 Feb 2014:: Narendra Modi today attacked Congress and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for "failing" to ensure development of Northeast though he represented Assam for the last 23 years in the Rajya Sabha.

"For 23 years you have been sending the Prime Minister from here. You tell me, you made such a big investment but what did you get in return. Did you get anything? ... If he being yours could not do anything for you, then what will he do for the nation?" Modi told public rallies in Guwahati and Imphal. 

He said even if an ordinary worker from Assam had represented the state for so many years, he could have changed the face of the state, but Singh failed to do so and owed an explanation to the people for it. 

"The Congress chief ministers invite the Prime Minister for laying foundation stone or cutting ribbons for projects, but it ends there and nothing happens afterwards," the Gujarat chief minister said. 

Modi said NDA Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had taken the initiative of creating a separate ministry for the northeastern region and taken steps to develop it, but the Congress governments in the state and the Centre "have been indulging in corruption only". 

"Among all Northeast states, Assam's condition is worst," he said, alleging "Congress leaders are narrow minded. Their thinking is narrow, dreams are small and vision is shortsighted. 

"You have tolerated Congress for 60 years. They only made promises and misguided the country. Give me just 60 months, I will fulfil your aspirations," Modi said. 

"It's only a matter of 100 days, Congress' exit is confirmed. They won't survive," the Gujarat Chief Minister said. 

Speaking about the death of Arunachal Pradesh student Nido Tania in Delhi, he said "It is a shameful incident for the nation. I offer my prayers for the boy and his family ... There is lack of governance there. There are cases of atrocities on women." [Courtesy: ET].

Related: Narendra Modi rips into Cong at Guwahati rally, blames them for Assam’s acute poverty::Indian Express.
Modi: PM has failed Assam; Nido's death 'national shame:: HT.

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Awaiting Modi Magic in North-East.

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Can Narendra Modi revive Vajpayee magic in northeast states?

Rahul Karmakar | Hindustan Times | Guwahati, February 07, 2014:: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi is ‘reconnecting’ with the region that once provided him the beverage — tea — to earn a living. But more importantly for the BJP, his maiden visit to Assam after becoming the party’s prime ministerial candidate will test his ability to emulate former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in appealing to a region removed from the saffron ideology.

Modi is scheduled to address public rallies in Guwahati and Manipur capital Imphal on Saturday.

The eight-state North-East is not the BJP’s happy hunting ground. The party had its moments, but the region has remained its final frontier. The Christian-majority population in some hill states, the status of the Congress as the only “national party brand”, more trust in regional parties and perception of the BJP as “too Hindi belt” are the major factors.

The BJP did defy the odds a decade ago. And it was primarily because of the image of Vajpayee, who did what was thought to be impossible — give his ‘Hindu party’ a foothold in the assembly of militancy-mauled Christian-majority Nagaland.

During a visit in 2003 Vajpayee convinced Nagaland, seeking an alternative to the Congress, that the BJP did not view fringe cultures through the mainstream or Hindutva lens. In the election to the state’s 60-member assembly that year, the BJP bagged seven seats and formed a coalition government with the Naga People’s Front (NPF).

The former PM’s acceptability also played a role in the BJP forming a government in Arunachal Pradesh later that year, after 41 Congress legislators defected. The government lasted a year until the 2004 assembly elections, but it helped the BJP occupy some political space by riding piggyback on regional parties.

In almost a decade since, the BJP has ceded a substantial chunk of its space. Reasons: the distance maintained by the regional parties and its inability to fill the vacuum — from the north-eastern perspective — left behind by Vajpayee.

The BJP’s hope of expanding its base or even repeating its 2003 showing hinges on the kind of impact Modi will have on the region’s electorate. The visit prior to the Lok Sabha polls is also expected to test his acceptability as a leader beyond the Hindi heartland.

Modi’s elevation, incidentally, coincided with a slide in the BJP’s fortunes in the North-East, which offers 25 MPs. The dismal show continued with the elections to the 40-member Mizoram assembly in December.

The 17 candidates the BJP fielded in Mizoram got 2,139 votes, and together they finished 413 votes ahead of NOTA (none of the above). The party’s performance in Christian-majority Mizoram was understandable. But then, it hardly has anything to indicate its popularity elsewhere in the North-East.

However, Assam BJP president Sarbananda Sonowal said: “The popularity of our party is growing.” He justified this by pointing to the Guwahati civic polls earlier this year. Of the 31 wards, the BJP bagged 11 against the Congress’s 19 while the Asom Gana Parishad managed only one.

“No national party cares about the North-East more than the BJP, and this was evident when a department for the region was created during NDA rule. We will focus on the region after the people give us a chance to be in power at the Centre,” BJP president Rajnath Singh said during a recent visit to Guwahati.

Singh has not been convincing about the BJP’s outreach. The party hopes Modi will.  

Courtesy: Hindustan Times.

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Vote For India: Narendra Modi.

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Not for Party, Not for any Personality, Vote for Country.
VOTE FOR INDIA: NARENDRA MODI. 

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Modi - Ram combination for 2014 Lok Sabha Poll.

Ramdev to go on door-to-door campaign for Narendra Modi

TNN | Bangalore | Dec 29, 2013:: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Saturday said he will organize a door-to-door campaign—Vote for Modi—in the run up to the 2014 polls.

Ramdev, who was speaking at the Press Club, came down heavily on the Nehru family and the Congress. "Corruption exists in all parties. But politicians like Modi, Mamata Banerjee and Naveen Patnaik are not corrupt. The difference between the Congress and the BJP is that even the top leaders of the former are corrupt," he said.

Referring to Rahul Gandhi as a 'baccha', he said Modi is like the Himalayas and Rahul is too small. "Rahul has become a zero from hero. He hasn't done anything in the past 10 years, what will he do now," he said. He said he hopes to get answers from Modi on January 5 regarding problems faced by the common man in the fields of agriculture, education and health.

The yoga guru didn't even spare the new Delhi chief minister. "Arvind Kejriwal made three mistakes. He didn't stick to his promise of neither lending nor taking support from any party. He went on to take support from the Congress. He also passed comments against Anna Hazare," said Ramdev. "The day they file an FIR against Sheila Dikshit, the support will end," he said.

Baba said he doesn't believe that the Aam Aadmi Party can replicate its success in other states. "AAP can cause side effects but can't have a big impact," he said, assuring people that he will never enter active politics but only support politics that ensures a good democracy.

Courtesy: TOI.

"Ensure 1st place where you were in second position". Modi Formula to get 272+ in 2014 parliamentary election.

Narendra Modi's formula for BJP to win back Lok Sabha seats from Congress 

PTI | NEW DELHI |DEC 24, 2013:: Narendra Modi today asked BJP to specially focus on those Lok Sabha constituencies where its candidates stood second behind Congress in the last elections and encash on the strong anti-incumbency against the ruling party to meet is ambitious target of securing majority. 

Addressing BJP Chief Ministers, central office-bearers and state unit presidents here, Modi shared some interesting statistics to drive home his point. 

"Modi said that in the last Lok Sabha elections, Congress had won 206 seats while BJP won 116. In most of the constituencies where Congress was the winner, BJP had come second. The total vote difference in these seats between Congress and BJP is only 89 lakh. But in the last five years, 12 lakh new voters have been added," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told reporters. 

BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate claimed these young new voters are attracted to the main opposition and they should be further courted by the party. 

While BJP will peg its election campaign around its PM candidate and have "Modi for PM" as its slogan, it is also using the methods adopted by other parties to win votes. 

"One vote, one note" is the mantra through which BJP aims to collect funds for the party. However, the range has been fixed between Rs 10 to Rs 1,000 and BJP will reach out to 10 crore families for this purpose. 

Asked if this idea is inspired by AAP which had engaged in a similar exercise, Javadekar said "the cue has been taken from 1977 onwards. We have always asked for funds and votes both. Our party runs with the funds from the people." 

BJP was in denial mode about AAP being a threat in the Lok Sabha polls and said this issue was not even discussed. 

"People clearly said in the Delhi elections that in the minor election they are voting for AAP while in the major one they will vote for Modi," Javadekar said. 

Rousing nationalist sentiments by invoking and appropriating Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and other such figures will also be high on BJP's agenda. The statue of unity will be a rallying point in the campaign as farmers and workers will be asked to chip in with iron and soil for the project. [Courtesy: PTI | ET].