Modi won. Gujarat won. Gujaratis won. People won.
Congress lost. Media lost.
I live in Gujarat. I have seen it from the urban areas and from the most interior and undeveloped villages. I have seen the developed countries as well and hence I believe my views about Gujarat are not myopic. I write all this to make my readers understand that what I say here, are my views, but they are a reflection of lakhs of people of Gujarat too.
Okk now coming down to Modi’s victory. He deserved to win. His work and determination spoke for him. People love him truly, madly, deeply. But why they love him
a. Because they trust his words. They know, if he says it, he will DO it.
b. Because development is tangible and they have experienced it.
c. Because he has reached the heart of every citizen in Gujarat not with publicity but in spite of unending media vilification.
d. And last but most of all because they need a leader with an iron-like will. They have had enough with moderate, indecisive, non-conclusive, sloppy, faint-hearted slogs. Gujarat is not blind to his errors but they would rather choose an erroneous man with power and vision than the one with no agenda or identity.
This I believe is the real cause of his victory. India is changing and so are Indians’ expectations. They want quick decisions. They want emphatic stands. ‘Chalta hai’ attitude bogs them down.
And if you doubt anything that I have said here about development, his charisma or people’s love for him, I have a few honest instances to enumerate. The instances mentioned here are my personal experiences and no suni-sunayi kahani.
24 hour power supply
I went to my village in North gujarat before a couple of years. And in the hot summer afternoon the electricity went off. In dismay, I couldn’t help but scream ‘NOOOOO!’ But my cousin who lives there consoled me, “Don’t worry, it will be back in 2 minutes. Our village has participated in Jyotigram, so no problem”, he said. I didn’t believe him but he was right. Within two minutes the fan started tweaking and blew hot air all around. Then I learnt that the Gujarat govt, ruled by Modi, had started with Jyotigram Yojana under which any village could get 24 hr electricity by paying some upfront amount. And 24 hrs meant 24 hrs.
Earlier the connections for village homes and bore-wells or pump-sets in farms were same. The fields needed 3 phase electricity and providing that much power 24 hours was not possible. But under Jyotigram, villages could get a different connection which would provide them 24 hr power for the village and for limited hours in fields. Hence nobody slept in dark. This was the first way in which Modi reached the common man.
Government servants were made accountable
My uncle was the Sarpanch (Mukhiya) of our village till last year. At that time Modi started with Krishi Rath whereby he and the entire revenue department of respective district from the District Collector to the gram sevak everyone got together and heard the problems faced by the villages, as represented by the Sarpanch. My uncle too went to meet the Krishi Rath at the district headquarter and made his appeal of a pending amount that the govt was supposed to disimburse to our village since a decade. The note was taken and the meeting was called off after several such appeals. My uncle came home from there by the afternoon hoping for an answer within a week. But to his utter surprise and shock withing two hours the District Collector himself came to our house (Sarpanch’s house in this case) asked for the exact details with absolute politeness and kindness- something that Sarpanchs are not used to by the Collectors. The officer promised to deliver the amount within a stipulated time and again uncle was not sure of whether this would happen. But it DID. Within a week the amount pending since a decade was delivered to the gram panchayat’s doorstep. This is why the entire village and my uncle a life-time Congress supporter salute Modi.
Prevention rather than damage control
In another similar instance, on one such sultry morning our door bell rang at 7:00 am and the servant came rushing to inform my parents that some pili-batti wala saahib i.e. some govt officer has come over. Dad went down and it was the Deputy Commissioner of the Ahmedabad Municipality who also happened to be dad’s friend. Dad was surprised to have him home in these wee hours and on inquiring about his purpose, dad found out that there was a danger of Plague in the city, due to excessive rains and stuff and they (the municipality) had been asked to check every part of the city personally and report directly to the CM. And hence in order to complete his work within the time frame they had started working since 6 in the morning and the commissioner did not have his tea yet. Now that he was cleaning up the area around us, he thought of taking a short break and coming over for tea. That was a Class I officer of the Indian bureaucracy at our door step. Ahmedabad never got caught up in plague and we were probably saved without direct efforts.
Helping the marginalised
A two year old child of my grand-mother-in-law’s best friend, who is economically backward, was detected with a severe heart problem. The child required to be operated upon and regular medicines. Under a scheme of Gujarat govt any child within five years who develops such deadly diseases is treated for free. And our relatives child WAS treated and that too without any cost and the child is well off now. Other states might be having such schemes but it is the implementation that has won the Gujaratis.
These are a few instances of his work. Of people’s love for him, I have many more to enumerate like the one of the old man who has finished all his social and economic obligations but wants to live just a few more years because he wants to see Modi work; or from that dholi who had put down his dhol since the day Modi filed his form for elections and vowed that he would play the dhol ONLY if Modi won. And he let go of his earnings of the entire marriage season for his vow. Modi won and he played the dhol!!
I can still hear that dhol playing. And anyone who can’t or who finds it difficult to separate it from media and congress rantings needs to clear his mind and ears. The message is loud and clear. Work wins.
Adding this video for those people who feel Modi works for a particular section. PLEASE check this out!
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minal | 
03 20th, 2008| 
