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From Mr Gujarat, Modi is now Mr India

Modi came to Delhi with the kind of experience that only a few, such as PV Narasimha Rao and VP Singh, before him had — an astute understanding of state politics

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi
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Once an ‘outsider’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has altered the status quo in Lutyens’ Delhi, the imprint of which is visible right from the Capital’s power corridors to its exclusive clubs.

In the 13 years that he was the Gujarat Chief Minister, Modi had already shown that he was a visionary leader, but in only three years as the Prime Minister, he has demonstrated that he also has the confidence to turn his vision into reality.

Modi came to Delhi with the kind of experience that only a few, such as PV Narasimha Rao and VP Singh, before him had — an astute understanding of state politics. BJP leaders who have worked with him closely say that the grass-roots level knowledge of administration in Gujarat made the transition from Bungalow number 26 to 7-Lok Kalyan Marg a smooth affair.

Sensitive to problems of people outside the National Capital Region (NCR), Modi explored ways to make states more autonomous, a party leader said. In fact, he was the only leader to become a CM when he was elected an MLA for the first time. And then, the first-time MP went on to become the Prime Minister of the country.

An official, who worked closely with him in Gujarat, said he gave the state a new direction, whether it was infrastructure, economic development, or empowerment of people. He ensured 24-hour supply of power and drinking water, and better roads and railways, some priorities that he brought to the Centre as well. Even as he ensured a bigger role for the private sector by inviting world leaders to the state and encouraging foreign investment, he never gave up the fight against crony capitalism, the official said.

After making his way from Gandhinagar to Delhi in 2014, he continued working from 5 am to midnight, just as he did in Gujarat. In fact, Modi has not taken a break since May 26, 2014, when he took over as the Prime Minister.

And it was not just the South Block that kept him busy. With the BJP headquarters chalking out his packed political programme, Modi set out to address a rally in almost every corner of the country, connecting directly with the people. The PM addressed as many as 24 rallies during the recent elections in Uttar Pradesh. He took the initiative forward through over 30 episodes of ‘Mann ki Baat’ on radio.

Talking about his strategy, sources recalled how as the CM, Modi would hold rallies in places where the party might be losing by thin margins. The same strategy was adopted across the states after he became the PM.

“Modi is perhaps the only leader who has won so many elections without a break — first in Gujarat, then in Lok Sabha, and later in so many states under his leadership. Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and VP Singh also won by huge mandates, but later got exposed. Indira swept the 1971 elections, but had become unpopular by 1975. Modi was unbeatable as the CM, and is now winning state after state,” BJP leader R Balashankar said.

Refuting the claim that Modi tried to alter his government’s image from pro-corporate to pro-poor, a government functionary said he had introduced pro-poor schemes, such as Jan Dhan Yojana and Ujjwala, right in the beginning. He also amplified his outreach to the poor, Dalits, and backward classes.

Then faced with the challenges of wide disparities across the country, layers of governance, and red-tapism, Modi decided to change the system as well. As he went about altering the culture in Delhi power corridors, his focus on putting a transparent system in place never shifted.

Three years down the line, it became clear once again that the Prime Minister could take people, BJP, and even his own ministers by surprise. There was no stopping him as, on November 8, 2016, he announced demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. This, however, will surely not be the last step in his goal to stem corruption in the country.

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