Hype, hoopla, drama and thrill- Narendra Modi's 'Sadbhavna' begins

Hype, hoopla, drama and thrill - Narendra Modi’s biggest image makeover exercise which is set to unveil early on Saturday morning has all the makings of a potboiler. This September 17 is also his 61st birthday. The fast is being projected as Modi’s most significant ‘positioning’ exercise - much bigger than the bi-annual Vibrant Gujarat Summits - to emerge as a national leader, and an effort to shed the taint of 2002 riots.

On the eve of the 72-hour fast, Modi released yet another letter addressed to all Indians. Sparing no room for subtleties in his makeover exercise, the letter states that casteism and communalism do not serve anybody. “Indian history is witness that casteism and communalism have never done any good to society. This is also my own firm conviction,” Modi says in his letter.

In fact, for the first time, he has made a direct reference in this letter to the “communal violence” of 2002 and admitted that “innocent lives were lost.”

“Gujarat became the victim of communal violence. We lost innocent lives, suffered devastation of property and endured a lot of pain. One can visualise what all we have gone through,” he says in the letter.

In his earlier speeches, Modi had made several references to Sardar Patel and, lately, even Gandhiji but the most significant statement of all is their portraits in the background of his fast venue.  The air-conditioned hall where Modi will be fasting has a huge stage with an area on his left demarcated for religious leaders while BJP leaders and his cabinet ministers will be on his right.

The hall is estimated to have the capacity to house about 5,000 people. Several national NDA leaders will be descending on the city for the event, the most significant being Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa whose 'friendship' with Modi has been a subject of intense interest in political circles.

With the national and international media already in the city, developments over the next three days will be watched with immense interest by Modi's friends and foes alike.