Modi says successful Sadbhavna fast will end vote bank politics

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi hailed Gujarat as a shining example of development, and said that his Sadbhavna fast (literally to have good feelings) could spell the beginning of the end of vote bank politics in India.

Addressing crowds gathered at the Gujarat University convention centre before beginning his 72-hour fast, Modi said Gujarat had overcome massive obstacles to touch new highs of development in every aspect and sphere of life.

“Across the world, people are talking about the progress of Gujarat. In 2001 after the earthquakes, the nation believed Gujarat would never be able to stand up again and was destroyed forever. Nobody wanted to invest in Gujarat at the time. But within three years Gujarat not only got back on its feet, it is now an example for the whole world."

Aside from development, Modi also sought to portray Gujarat as a state that had overcome its troubled communal past. “Those that know Gujarat well know that during the 1990s there would be curfews and communal violence – none of which exists now”. He cited the example of the serial blasts in Ahmedabad in 2008 to demonstrate the ‘brotherhood and resilience’ of the state.

He then talked of his own role as a ‘protector’ of the state, saying that although people had ’thrown stones’, he had never let those impact the people of Gujarat. He said that he had managed to insulate the state from the ‘divide and rule’ policies plaguing India for the last 60 years. And now, he said, the world is talking about the Gujarat model of good governance.

“The stones that were thrown on us have been used by us to build staircase,” he said.

Shunning the idea of an ulterior motive behind his three-day long fast, Modi said that he wanted to set an example of unity and motivate people to work together for the development of the state. “We will take the Sadbhavna mission to each and every village of the country. My three day fast is not against anyone and I don’t want anyone to speak against anyone,” he said.

BJP leaders like L K Advani, Arun Jaitely, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Sahanawaz Hussain, Smriti Irani and Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Prem Kumar Dhumal were present.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, whose party Shiromani Akali Dal is a key member of the BJP-led NDA, was also present.

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