Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Times cover page

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi figures on the cover of the forthcoming issue of Time magazine which praises him in an article for development of the state he has been ruling for over a decade but wonders if he can become the Prime Minister.

The cover of the Time magazine's March 26 issue features Modi, with the caption: "Modi means business but can he lead India".

In an article titled "Boy from the backyard", in the forthcoming edition, the US magazines describes Modi as a "controversial, ambitious and shrewd politician". It also mentions his series of day-long Sadbhavana fasts to reach out to the people of the state.

"It's Modi in makeover mode: an act of self-purification, humility and bridge building in a state that is still traumatised by the Hindu-led anti-Muslim massacres of 10 years ago and the flawed investigations in their wake...," the article says.

The Time magazine article says Modi is a firm, "no-nonsense leader" who can steer India out of a "mire of chronic corruption and inefficiency".

BJP gets angry critique for UP performance from parent body RSS

The BJP described its miserable performance in Uttar Pradesh as a wasted opportunity. Its parent body, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), has a far more severe critique. In editorials in two different mouthpieces, the RSS said that "the lack of inspirational leadership" in Uttar Pradesh punished the BJP.

In the elections, whose results were declared on Tuesday, the BJP managed only 47 seats - four less than it won in the last state elections in 2007. Uttar Pradesh, desperate for a change, rejected the incumbent Mayawati in record numbers. But the BJP was not considered an option. Instead, Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party made a triumphant return to power with a huge mandate.

The RSS said that the BJP was guilty of a disconnect with the people of the state, just like the Congress. "Core ideological issues, principled approach and credibility of leadership are needed to sway the voter. More than the party, the leader and more than the leader, his track record (performance) determines poll outcome these days," one of  its editorials said today.

The RSS also said that in UP, the party seemed to have a "bigger army of leaders than workers."

The RSS  says via its editorials that the BJP needs more leaders like Narendra Modi; the article praises the Chief Minister of Gujarat for his effective governance in his home state.

Mr Modi did not take part in the BJP's campaign in Uttar Pradesh. He was sulking because his bete noire, Sanjay Joshi, was given a major role in handling the party's affairs for the election. On record, the BJP has said that Mr Modi was preoccupied with his sadbhavana tour, a series of fasts across the state dedicated by Mr Modi to "communal harmony." The party has repeatedly been asked if Mr Modi, a charismatic campaigner, via his absence, hurt his party's chances. The BJP has said it will analyse and introspect the effect of Mr Modi's no-show.

The RSS' praise for Mr Modi comes as the party has been reiterating that he is among a group of six contenders for the BJP's prime ministerial candidate for the next general elections, scheduled for 2014. After the recent state elections, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said both her party and she anticipate early elections.

Mr Modi's ambitions for a transfer to the national political league are well known. However, the riots in Gujarat in 2002, the worst in independent India, have cast him as a leader who failed to protect his people. A series of court cases are determining whether Mr Modi can be held complicit for the riots. So far, he has not been indicted or held responsible by a special investigation team appointed by the Supreme Court.

Gulberg case: SIT gives clean chit to Modi?

In what may be a make or break day for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the Ahmedabad metropolitan court will on today pronounce its decision on the Hindutva leader’s alleged role in the Gulberg Society massacre during the 2002 Gujarat riots.

According to reports, the court will also decide if the SIT probe report on the Gulberg Society massacre should be made public or not.

The court will also pass its order on whether or not the SIT, which has reportedly given a clean chit to Modi, should be given more time to submit the pertinent documents before it.

On Monday, the trial court looking into Zakia Jafri’s plea seeking Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) report on post-Godhra riots of 2002 stayed its order till today. The court will today decide whether three main petitioners - Zakia Jafri, Teesta Setalvad and Mukul Sinha - are entitled to a copy of SIT’s report.

Zakia Jafri is the widow of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, who was killed in the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The SIT, which has so far opposed the sharing of its report with the complainant, has sought time till March 8 to submit documents pertaining to the case.

The SIT counsel had argued that Setalvad and Sinha have no locus to demand a copy of the judgement as they are not the aggrieved in the case.

Meanwhile, the counsel for Setalvad and Sinha had countered the SIT’s arguments by claiming that being a public document, the report has to be made public.

The report, it is claimed, deals with all the cases investigated by the SIT, which include charges against chief minister and over 50 individuals responsible for killing innocents in the post-Godhra riots.

Charges against Modi say that he allowed the dead bodies of karsewaks killed in the Sabarmati express in Godhra to be brought to Ahmedabad, that he deliberately delayed action and called the army too late. It is also alleged that he knew about the threat to life of former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri but didn’t take any action, among others.

The SIT argued that the report—widely surmised to be a closure document on the Gublerg Society massacre—need not be made public to rights groups at the moment and that the court could decide on that later.

Meanwhile, it is still not clear whether the report filed by SIT gives a clean chit to Modi. The court is yet to examine the report.

The Gujarat Chief Minister then exuded confidenceand tweeted Swami Vivekanda’s words, “I stand for truth. Truth will never ally itself with falsehood.”

The Supreme Court had asked the SIT to investigate whether the chief minister failed in his responsibilities and whether there was a larger conspiracy behind the 2002 riots.

The Supreme Court had then asked amicus curiae Raju Ramchandran to independently assess the SIT report.

The Supreme Court on 12 September 2011, after going through Ramachandran’s report, had refrained from passing any order in the case and asked the SIT to submit its final report in the magisterial court in Ahmedabad.

The SIT almost took five months after the Supreme Court order to file its final report in the case.

The Supreme Court had asked the magisterial court to hear the petitioners before closure summary in the case, even if the report was in favour of Modi and others

Supreme Court-appointed SIT in 2002 Godhra riots case

As a local court here is due to hear on Monday the closure report filed by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the 2002 post-Godhra riots case, Chief Minister Narendra Modi has warned of a "storm of criticism by anti-Gujarat forces".

The SIT report reportedly cleared Modi’s name among 57 others for their role in 2002 riots, saying it did not have "prosecutable evidence".

Modi yesterday said "there will be a storm in the form of criticism in next 24 hours, but the anti-Gujarat forces will not be successful in doing any harm". The Gujarat CM made the remarks while wrapping up his Sadhbhavana fast in Ambaji.

The remarks hold significance as the court of Metropolitan Magistrate MS Bhatt will also hear today petitions filed by social activists Teesta Setalvad and Mukul Sinha seeking copies of the SIT report filed in a sealed cover before it last Wednesday.

According to Modi, “those who have been criticising Gujarat for the last one decade are going to come back to abuse us once again and this is because they cannot digest the success of Sadhbhavna that is peace, unity and harmony".

Modi also urged the 'anti-Gujarat forces' to accept that peace, harmony and brotherhood prevails in the state, and not to treat Gujaratis as people of an enemy state.

He also warned the 'anti-Gujarat forces' to do their politics outside Gujarat.

"They have done enough of salt rubbing into our wounds, but they cannot misguide the people of Gujarat. They cannot see Muslims, Christians and people of other religions working together. Few people who are against Gujarat are baffled by the success of Sadhbhavna," he said.

The Supreme Court had asked the SIT to investigate whether there was a larger conspiracy behind the 2002 riots in which more than 1,200 people were killed.

A complaint in this regard was filed by Setalvad and Zakia Jaffery, widow of former Congress MP Ehsaan Jaffrey, in the infamous Gulberg Society case where 69 people were killed during the communal frenzy in 2002.

SIT after questioning many people, including Modi, had filed a report in the apex court in which it had reportedly said that there was no prosecutable evidence against the chief minister.

Nitin Gadkari: Modi has good potential to be Prime Minister

BJP President Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has got the potential to become the Prime Minister and that he is among the "five to six" contenders in the party for the country's top post.

Gadkari said he has already made it clear that the BJP has got a lot of potential leadership who is capable of becoming the Prime Minister after the next General elections due in 2014.

"Now, Modi is also one of the leaders, he has also got the potential for that. There are five to six leaders, and at the right time the party will decide who will be the prime ministerial candidate for 2014," he said.

Gadkari emphatically said "100 per cent" when asked whether the five to six leaders included Modi.

"Those five to six leaders also include Narendra bhai," he said.

Gadkari's statement came a day after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) gave its final report on Gulberg Society attack during the 2002 Gujarat riots before a Ahmedabad court amid speculation that Modi may have got relief after he faced allegations of aiding and abetting communal clashes.

He remained non-committal on why Modi was not campaigning for the party in the ongoing Uttar Pradesh elections.

"Modi is the best person to answer why he had not joined the party's election campaign in Uttar Pradesh," he said.

Modi is reportedly sore with the BJP leadership for making one of his rivals Sanjay Joshi as one of the election in-charges in Uttar Pradesh.

"First of all, from the national party we have already made a request to Narendraji that he should give some time to Uttar Pradesh and other states for elections.

"Now, he has to find out the dates for that. The matter is with him, he has to decide about it," Gadkari said.

"But I accept that Narendra bhai is a stalwart, a leader of the party and still we are expecting dates from him and if he will give his dates, we will manage".

SIT gives clean chit to Modi in Gulberg case

A day after the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing 2002 riots, filed its final report in the Gulberg Society case, a local court, Thursday, is expected to go into its details, amid reports that Chief Minister Narendra Modi has been given a clean chit.

The metropolitan magistrate will take cognizance of the SIT report and set up date for the hearing in the case. The court may also issue notices to the investigating team and the petitioner Zakia Jafri for the same.

Media reports suggest that the SIT report has found evidence of Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s alleged role in the case.

The report was submitted, yesterday, in a sealed envelope by SIT officials in a magisterial court here as directed by the Supreme court.

Zakia Jafri - her husband, ex-MLA Eshan Jafri, was killed by a mob at their Gulberg society home - had moved the petition seeking prosecution of Narendra Modi in the case.

On September 12, 2011, in a relief to Narendra Modi, the Supreme Court had ruled that a trial court would hear the petition by Zakia Jafri, who alleged deliberate inaction on the part of the Gujarat Chief Minister in the killing of her husband Ehsan Jafri and dozens of others in Ahmedabad's Gulberg Society during the 2002 riots.

The plea by Jafri, also alleged inaction on the part of Modi's cabinet colleagues and some high-ranking state officials.

The court said the magistrate, before deciding on the complaint, would give her afford an opportunity to be heard.

The court had also asked the special investigation team (SIT) headed by former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director RK Raghvan to file its status report before the concerned magistrate.

The amicus curiae Raju Ramachandran report, which differed with the findings of the SIT, was also referred to the magistrate.

After that, the magistrate was to take a final call on the alleged involvement of people named in the FIR.

Emboldened by the Supreme Court’s ruling, Modi had tweeted, ‘God is great’.

The apex court in 2009 had earlier handed over the task of probing the case to SIT which submitted its report in 2011.

Narendra Modi thanks Amitabh Bachchan

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has been heaping thanks on Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan for being the brand ambassador for Gujarat tourism.

The legendary actor has been extensively promoting the western state not only through commercials but also through his micro-blogging site.

Big B has been going ga-ga over the scenic beauty and the cultural legacy of the state of Gujarat ever since he has become the face of the tourism board. He has been tweeting about various places and its historic importance with corresponding pictures.

Modi took to Twitter to thank the actor and wrote, “Met Amitabh Bachchan ji. Glad to know he is very happy with the love people of Gujarat have given him(sic).”

He added, “Even in future, Amitabh ji has offered to give as much time as needed to promote tourism in Gujarat(sic).”

Modi explained Kutchi lifestyle and several other things specific to Gujarat to Bachchan.

Narendra Modi begins one day ‘Sadbhavna’ fast in Godhra

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi began a day-long fast on Friday in Godhra as part of his ‘Sadbhavna Mission’ aimed at building bridges between all communities and strengthening peace and harmony.

Modi arrived here today morning from Ahmedabad and directly proceeded to the fast venue. As per reports, around 8000 people are sitting on fast with him.

The Sadbhavna Mission has travelled through many cities in the state after it was launched in Ahmedabad on September 17. But its Godhra stop is the most significant as the town was at epicentre of the communal riots that had engulfed the state in 2002.

Timing is also important as the fast comes nearly a month before the 10th anniversary of Godhra carnage where 59 people, mostly karsevaks, were killed when the Sabarmati Express train was burnt on February 27, 2002. The fire from Godhra had spread to other parts of the state leading to the death of hundreds of people.

Considering the sensitive equations in the town, the state government has not taking any chances and deployed over 15000 policemen in and around the fast venue.

Local BJP leaders said that a crowd of over 50,000 was expected.

Meanwhile, state Congress leader and some NGOs have also begun a parallel fast near Modi’s fast venue to protest against his fast.

Gujarat Governor wins Lokayukta battle against Modi

In a big setback to the Narendra Modi-led state government, the Gujarat High Court on Wednesday upheld the appointment of the Lokayukta in the state by the Governor.

The state government had earlier challenged Governor Kamla Beniwal's appointment of Justice (retired) RA Mehta as state’s Lokayukta, deeming the move unconstitutional and unilateral.

The verdict was pronounced by Judge VM Sahai today. The case was assigned to him after split verdict by a division bench, which heard a petition moved by the Gujarat government challenging the appointment of the Lokayukta by the Governor bypassing the state government.

Mehta was appointed as Lokayukta in August last year by Governor Beniwal. The post was lying vacant since November 2003.

On October 11, the division bench delivered a split verdict. While Justice Kureshi, who headed the bench, upheld the Governor's action, Justice Gokani held the appointment as unconstitutional.

Panchayat polls in Gujarat today

Election to 8,250 village panchayats of Gujarat will be held on Today amid tight security.

The panchayat election, on such a large scale, is being seen in the state as the semi-final of the next year's assembly election. Chief Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP and the Congress are the two main contenders in tomorrow's election.

Though the village panchayat elections are not fought with party symbols, in most places, BJP-backed panels are named Sadbhavna panels, while the Congress has named its panels as 'shanti' panel or 'vikas' panel.

"We have made elaborate security arrangements...more than 1.16 lakh policemen will be deputed," secretary of state election commission, PS Shah, said.

"A total of 1.70 lakh voters will exercise franchise, while 97,000 candidates are in the fray."

Polling will be through the ballot papers.

The state election commission published the notification on November 19, 2011 regarding elections for 10,405 village panchayats. Of which, 2,147 panchayats have been declared as Samras, where panchayat members have been declared elected unopposed, following consensus in the village.

The re-polling, if required, will be held on December 30. The counting of votes will be take place on December 31.

A Pakistani business delegation invites Modi to Karachi

A business delegation from Pakistan met Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Friday and discussed issues pertaining to trade and industry between Gujarat and Pakistan.

The delegation of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), which is in Ahmedabad to participate in 'Asia Colour Chemicals Mega Exhibition', invited the Chief Minister to Karachi.

The meeting with the KCCI delegation was held at Modi's residence in an extremely cordial atmosphere, official sources said.

They invited Modi to visit Pakistan and also to address the corporate heads of Pakistan's industries and business on the 'Gujarat model' of development through video-conferencing to be arranged by the KCCI, sources said.

The delegates also held a detailed discussion about how to improve relations between the two regions, they said.

According to sources, considering the long association between Gujarat and Sindh regions, the delegates urged Modi to use his good offices to start a direct flight between Ahmedabad and Karachi.

The five-member delegation that held talks with Modi included Zafar Ahmed and Asif Iqbal Hada.