ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్ లోని అన్ని ప్రాంతాల ప్రజలకు నరేంద్ర మోడీ గారి బహిరంగ లేఖ: తెలంగాణపై కాంగ్రెసుకు ప్రశ్నలు

న్యూఢిల్లీ: తెలంగాణ అంశంపై గుజరాత్ ముఖ్యమంత్రి, బిజెపి ప్రచార రథసారథి నరేంద్ర మోడీ కాంగ్రెసు పార్టీకి, యుపిఎ ప్రభుత్వానికి కొన్ని ప్రశ్నలు వేశారు. తెలంగాణపై ముందడుగును స్వాగతిస్తూనే ఈ సమయంలో కాంగ్రెసు, యుపిఎ ఉద్దేశం ఏ మేరకు వాస్తవమని అడగాల్సిన అవసరం ఉందని ఆయన అన్నారు. ఈ మేరకు ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ ప్రజలను ఉద్దేశించి ఆయన ఓ బహిరంగ లేఖ రాశారు. ఆయన ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ ప్రజలకు రాసిన లేఖ ఇలా ఉంది.. 

ప్రియమైన ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ సోదరసోదరీమణులకు.. 

 నమస్కారం! హైదరాబాదులో ఆగస్టు 11వ తేదీన జరిగే నవ భారత్ యువ భేరీ బహిరంగ సభలో మీ అందరితో మాట్లాడడానికి ఎదురు చూస్తున్నాను. 

ఈ బహిరంగ సభలో తెలంగాణ రాష్ట్ర ఏర్పాటుతో పాటు ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌లోని అన్ని ప్రాంతాలకు సంబంధించిన రోడ్ మ్యాప్‌పై నా ఆలోచనలను మీతో పంచుకుంటాను.

 జరిగిన సంఘటనల నేపథ్యంలో చూస్తే గత తొమ్మిదేళ్ల పాటు కాలయాపన చేసి, గత కొద్ది రోజులుగా కాంగ్రెసు పార్టీ తెలంగాణ నిర్ణయం కోసం సాధారణ స్ధాయికి మించి పనిచేసింది. తెలంగాణ రాష్ట్ర ఏర్పాటుపై కాంగ్రెసు పార్టీ నిలకడగానూ, పారదర్సకంగానూ వ్యవహరించలేదనేది వివాదరహితమైన వాస్తవం. ఆ విధంగా ఆ పార్టీ, ప్రభుత్వం తెలంగాణ అంశంపై ప్రజలను ఎప్పటికప్పుడు మోసగిస్తూ వచ్చింది. అందువల్ల ఈ సయమంలో కూడా దాన్ని నమ్మడం కష్టమే. 

తెలంగాణ రాష్ట్ర ఏర్పాటుకు అనుకూలంగా బిజెపి ముందుకు వచ్చింది, పారదర్శకంగా వ్యవహరించిందనేది వాస్తవం. 

చిన్న రాష్ట్రాల ఏర్పాటులో బిజెపికి మాత్రమే బలమైన రికార్డు ఉంది. అటల్ బిహారీ వాజ్‌పేయి నేతృత్వంలోని ఎన్‌డిఎ ప్రభుత్వం 2000లలో చత్తీస్‌గడ్, ఉత్తరాఖండ్ (ఉత్తరాంచల్‌గా పేరు), జార్ఖండ్ అనే మూడు కొత్త రాష్ట్రాలను ఇచ్చింది. దీంతో ఈ ప్రాంతంలోని ప్రజల ఆకాంక్షలు మొగ్గలు తొడిగాయి. 

మిత్రులారా, తెలంగాణ హామీతో 2004 ఎన్నికల్లో విజయం సాధించిన కాంగ్రెసు పార్టీ తొమ్మిదేళ్ల పాటు ప్రజల ఆకాంక్షలు, మనోభావాలతో ఆటలాడుకుంది. ఎన్నికలకు కేవలం కొన్ని నెలలు మాత్రమే మిగిలి ఉన్న తరుణంలో తెలంగాణ ప్రకటన చేయడానికి హడావిడి చేసింది. ఇది కాంగ్రెసు పట్టింపు, ఉద్దేశ్యాలపై అనుమానాలను రేకెత్తిస్తోంది. 

వైయస్ రాజశేఖర రెడ్డి నాయకత్వంలో 2004, 2009ల్లో విజయం సాధించిన తర్వాత కాంగ్రెసు పార్టీ ఆయన మరణించిన తర్వాత రాష్ట్రం విషయంలో వెన్ను చూపింది. 2009లో అప్పటి హోం మంత్రి పి. చిదంబరం తెలంగాణ రాష్ట్ర ఏర్పాటు ప్రక్రియను ప్రారంభిస్తున్నట్లు చేసిన ప్రకటనను అకారణంగా వెనక్కి తీసుకుంది. తెలంగాణపై కాలయాపన చేయడానికి కాంగ్రెసు పార్టీ మరో కమిటీని ఏర్పాటుచేసింది. కానీ పాలనాయత్రాంగం స్తంభించడంపై, రాజకీయ హింసపై, దురదృష్టకరమైన తెలంగాణ యువకుల ఆత్మహత్యలపై ఏ మాత్రం పట్టింపు లేకుండా వ్యవహరించింది. దీంతో ప్రభుత్వం ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌లో పూర్తిగా స్తంభించింది. 

 

బహిరంగ లేఖ: తెలంగాణపై కాంగ్రెసు మోడీ ప్రశ్నలు తెలంగాణ అంశంపై కదలికను స్వాగతిస్తూనే ఈ సమయంలో కాంగ్రెసు, యుపిఎ ఉద్దేశం ఎంత వరకు వాస్తవనేది అడగాల్సిన అవసరం ఉంది.

 కాంగ్రెసు పార్టీకి, యుపిఎ ప్రభుత్వానికి నేను కొన్ని ప్రశ్నలు వేయదలుచుకున్నాను. 

ప్రశ్న 1: భిన్నమైన గొంతులు వినిపిస్తున్న సమయంలో తెలంగాణ అంశంపై మీ సొంత పార్టీలో, ప్రభుత్వంలో, అన్ని రాజకీయ పార్టీల్లో ఏకాభిప్రాయం సాధన కోసం మీరు చేసిన కసరత్తు ఏమిటి? 

ప్రశ్న 2: రెండు రాష్ట్రాల్లో సరిహద్దుల్లో ఉన్నప్పుడు ఉమ్మడి రాజధానిగా పనికి వస్తుంది. అలా కాకుండా, తెలంగాణ మధ్యలో ఉన్న హైదరాబాద్ ఉమ్మడి రాజధాని ఎలా అవుతుంది? స్వల్పకాలానికైనా హైదరాబాద్‌ను ఉమ్మడి రాజధానిగా చేయడం న్యాయసమ్మతం కాదు. దానివల్ల కార్యకలాపాలకు సంబంధించిన సమస్యలు తలెత్తుతాయి. రాష్ట్రం మధ్యలో గానీ, సరిహద్దులో గానీ లేని నగరం ఆ రాష్ట్ర రాజధానిగా ఉండడం ఏ విధంగా ఆచరణ సాధ్యం? 

ప్రశ్న 3: తెలంగాణ నిర్ణయాన్ని స్వాగతించడానికి ఆంధ్ర, రాయలసీమ ప్రజల మనసులను సంసిద్ధం చేయడానికి మీరు తీసుకున్న నిర్మాణాత్మక చర్యలు ఏవి? వారి ఉద్వేగాలను శాంతింపజేసి మీతో పాటు నడిపించడానికి వారికి ఇచ్చిన హామీలేమిటి? "సాంకేతికమైన ప్రక్రియ" తప్ప ప్రజల్లో ఏకాభిప్రాయ సాధనకు మీ "రాజకీయ రోడ్ మ్యాప్" ఏది? 

ప్రశ్న 4: ఇది వరకే ఎన్నో మోసాలకు గురై తీవ్రమైన వేదనకు గురవుతున్న తెలంగాణ ప్రజలకు మీరు ఏం చేయదలుచుకున్నారు? 

 ప్రశ్న 5: చాలా మంది తెలంగాణ యువకులు ఆత్మహత్య చేసుకున్నారు. పెట్టుబడులకు ఆకర్షణీయ కేంద్రమైన హైదరాబాద్ నష్టపోయింది. రాష్ట్ర పరిస్థితి దిగజారింది. అన్నపూర్ణగా పేరు గాంచిన రాష్ట్రంలో వ్యవసాయం దెబ్బ తిని రైతులు ఆత్మహత్యలు చేసుకుంటున్నారు. 

ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ ప్రజలను సాహసంతో ఎదుర్కోవడానికి బదులు కాంగ్రెసు పార్టీ కమీటిలు, నివేదికలు, నిష్ఫలమైన సంప్రదింపుల మాటున దాక్కోవడానికి ప్రయత్నించింది. ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ 2004లోనూ 2009లోనూ పార్టీకి అత్యధిక పార్లమెంటు సభ్యులను గెలిపించినా కాంగ్రెసు అధ్యక్షురాలు గానీ ఉపాధ్యక్షుడు గానీ ఇటీవలి సంవత్సరాల్లో రాష్ట్రంలో అడుగు పెట్టలేదు. కాంగ్రెసు రాజకీయ అవకాశవాదం కోసం కాంగ్రెసు నాయకత్వం ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ ప్రజలను డూర్ మ్యాట్‌గా చూసినందుకు క్షమాపణలు చెప్పదా? 

ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌లోని అన్ని ప్రాంతాలకు అర్థవంతమైన రోడ్ మ్యాప్‌ కోసం బిజెపి సూత్రాలు..

 మేం తెలంగాణ రాష్ట్ర ఏర్పాటుకు కట్డుబడుతాం. అన్ని ప్రాంతాల ప్రజల మనసు దోచుకునే పరిష్కారాలతో రోడ్ మ్యాప్ ఉండాలని మేం విశ్వసిస్తాం. ఒక ప్రాంతానికి రాష్ట్రాన్ని ప్రసాదించడం వల్ల మరో ప్రాంతం ఇబ్బందులకు గురి కాకూడదు.

 ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌లోని అన్ని ప్రాంతాల్లోని విశాఖపట్నం, విజయవాడ, గుంటూరు, వరంగల్, కరీంనగర్, ఒంగోలు, అనంతపురం, కర్నూలు, కడప తదితర నగరాలను అభివృద్ధి చేయడానికి ఇది సరైన అవకాశమని మేం నమ్ముతున్నాం. అన్ని ప్రయోజనం పొందాల్సిందే. 

 పౌరలందరి హక్కులను రక్షించే రాజ్యాంగాన్ని మేం గౌరవిస్తాం. ఎక్కడ పుట్టినా, ప్రాంతాలతో నిమిత్తం లేకుండా అన్ని ప్రాంతాల వ్యక్తులను, కుటుంబాలను, వ్యాపారాలను, అస్తులను రక్షించడానికి బిజెపి చర్యలు తీసుకుంటుంది.

 ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌లోని అన్ని ప్రాంతాల ఆర్థికాభివృద్ధిని సాధించడానికి మేం కట్టుబడి ఉన్నాం. శాంతిభద్రతలు, రాజకీయ స్థిరత్వం, క్రియాశీల విధానాల పాలన మా సొంతం. నదీజలాల ప్రయోజనాలు అన్ని ప్రాంతాలకు దక్కాలి. జలవనరుల పంపకంలో నిజాయితీ, న్యాయబద్ధత, సమానత్వం అవసరం.

 అన్ని ప్రాంతాల్లో నమ్మకాన్ని, విశ్వసనీయతను పెంపొందించడానికి మేం కట్టుబడి ఉన్నాం. దురుద్దేశపూర్వకమైన ఆటలు, మోసాలు ఉండవు. 

పాలనాయంత్రాంగం సరిహద్దుల ప్రభావం పడకుండా అన్ని ప్రాంతాల తెలుగు సాంస్కృతిక వారసత్వాన్ని పరిరక్షించేందుకు మేం కట్టుబడి ఉన్నాం. తెలుగు సంస్కృతికి, ఆత్మగౌరవానికి సరిహద్దులు ఉండవు.

 భాషా ప్రయుక్త ప్రాతిపదికపై ఏర్పడిన రాష్ట్రం విభజనకు గురి కావడం ఇదే మొదటిది కావచ్చు.ఇది ఉద్వేగ భరితమైన సమయం. 

రాష్ట్రం విభజనకు గురైనప్పటికీ ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ రాష్ట్ర అవతరణకు ప్రాణాలు త్యాగం చేసిన శ్రీ పొట్టి శ్రీరాములు వంటి అమరవీరులను గౌరవించడానికి తలలు వంచి వందనం చేస్తాం. వారి జ్ఞాపకాల స్ఫూర్తితో అన్ని ప్రాంతాల్లోని తెలుగు ప్రజల ప్రగతికి కృషి చేయడానికి అంకితం అవుదాం.

మీ

- నరేంద్ర మోడీ

: http://telugu.oneindia.in/news/2013/07/30/india-modi-questions-the-intention-congre-120166.html

When in trouble, talk secularism

The Congress will be unsuccessful in its strategy to change the subject from its governance failures
 
The Congress never learns from history. Whenever it is cornered because of its misdeeds, corruption and poor record of governance, it tries to take cover under phoney secularism, because it has no answers. 

When we were active in the JP movement in Bihar in the 1970s, the Congress branded him as a communal leader who kept company with forces out to destabilise India. Some leftist parties even called Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan a fascist. Soon, Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency, arrested the opposition, imposed stringent press censorship and stifled, with brute force, any dissent against her rule. The public justification given was the need to uphold the principle of secularism, though the emergency power was invoked to save her own chair. During the general election in 1977, despite the strong anger of the people, the refrain of the Congress was that only it could save India and defeat communal forces. The Congress faced a washout in north India. When the Bofors issue seriously compromised the leadership of Rajiv Gandhi, the Congress again invoked the secular-communal card in the 1989 Lok Sabha election. Yet it suffered a humiliating defeat. It invoked the same card against the BJP through the '90s, yet it could not stop its rise. Without doubt, the governance record of the BJP-led NDA under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee remains a milestone in the democratic history of India. 

Today, the credibility of the Congress-led UPA is at an all-time low. Corruption, serious deficits in governance, inflation, unemployment, gross mismanagement and abuse of institutions, particularly the CBI, have become the defining features of the Union government. Each passing day reinforces the impression that the Congress-led UPA government is the most corrupt Union government since Independence. We have almost lost count of the scams because they appear with alarming regularity. No one knows when the next scam will explode. But for a strong campaign by the opposition, the media, and interventions by the court, not a single scam would have been fairly investigated by the Congress. 

The Indian economy is at a terminal stage. Except inflation and the fiscal deficit, everything is going down. April's industrial growth figure was revised downwards, from 2.3 to 1.9 per cent. Overall growth may be less than 5 per cent. Even Indians are not investing in India. FDI in retail was pushed through despite strong opposition. After more than 10 months, there is no investment in this sector, either. Infrastructure growth is politics neutral since every party supports it. The NDA had a shining record in this area. Yet the UPA has messed up. Telecom, an important area of infrastructure growth, suffered a serious blow because of massive corruption in the award of licences. The power sector is in a mess because of "coalgate". The national highway programme, another outstanding success story of the NDA regime, is suffering because of massive corruption, delays and lack of transparency. Real estate, another engine of infrastructure growth, is mired in corruption, favouritism and lack of clarity on policy issues. 

The only link between good economics and good politics is good governance, which has become the biggest casualty under the Congress-led regime. Why is it that when the national growth rate has come down to almost 5 per cent, nearly all BJP state governments — Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa — are repeatedly registering 10 per cent plus growth? The obvious answer is good governance. Today, there is a serious lack of trust and a crisis of credibility in the combined leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. If Indians are reluctant to invest their rupees in India, why will foreigners invest their dollars and pounds? This crucial question is not being answered by the Congress, because they know they have no answer. 

The next election will be fought only on these issues, namely corruption, inflation, rising unemployment, the critical state of the Indian economy, national security and the people's profound sense of disappointment. The Congress knows it has no tangible explanation for its failures, therefore the secular-communal card is being played again. The party has a dubious record on this account. Apart from riots in different parts of the country, the brazen way in which it has sought to shield and bail out the leaders of the Sikh massacre of the '80s is well known. The Congress lacks the moral authority to talk about secularism. 

India is secular because its civilisational and cultural heritage is secular. The India of 2013 is a different India, confident, sure of its strength and a profound human resource, mostly young, aspirational and with a stake in the growth of the country. 

The India of today is looking for an alternative at the BJP and Narendra Modi. Today, he enjoys immense popularity, reflected in various popular opinion polls where his ratings are almost triple Rahul Gandhi's. Congress leaders entertain a pathological hatred of him, though the people of Gujarat have elected him repeatedly. Riots are unfortunate anywhere, and the guilty must be punished. But today there is peace, progress, prosperity and all-round development in Gujarat, where no riots have taken place for the last 10 years. The Congress needs to ask itself what explains his outstanding popularity despite their consistent campaign of calumny. It is his impeccable integrity, exemplary record of good governance and strength of leadership. 


The people of India are yearning for a change. The Congress is raising the same old bogey of the secular-communal divide. It has failed in the past and is bound to fail again. 

The writer is a BJP MP and deputy leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha 

  http://www.indianexpress.com/news/when-in-trouble-talk-secularism/1144740/0

Why is the Congress Party Trying to communalise The 2014 Elections

   ARUN JAITLEY

               A Congress Party spokesperson went to the extraordinary extent of rationalizing  the formation and existence of the “Indian Mujahideen”   The Indian Mujahideen is admittedly  a terrorist organization.  It is designated as a terrorist organization under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in India.  Its’ ban has been continued by the UPA Government.  It has been included in the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations  by the US State Department.  It is proscribed in the United Kingdom.  Serious political observers are at a loss to understand why the Official spokesperson of the Congress Party  could have rationalized  the formation of Indian Mujahideen in India i.e. as an organization formed as a reaction against the riots in Gujarat in 2002. 


               The UPA  is in the tenth year of its existence. As the General Elections approach the UPA is confronted with a huge anti-incumbancy.  There is a visible leadership failure.  Its’ leadership is seen to be ineffective.  Its’ governance  is highly inadequate.  The government has run out of  ideas on how to bring the economy back on rail.  The UPA has added corruption as a new Directive principle of state policy. The  ten year misrule of the UPA reflects on how ‘The Indian story’ was effectively destroyed. After UPA’s miserable track record of governance the need for an effective and clean government are the key agendas for the forthcoming General Elections. 


               The conventional Congress  strategy has been that  whenever they fail at governance then they go back to the last resort i.e. the alleged charisma of the Congress Party’s first family.  Unfortunately that charisma appears to be  inadequate.  The outgoing leadership of the UPA is perceived to be ineffective ; the incoming are perceived to be non-leaders. 


               Faced with both the crisis of governance and a lack of leadership, the UPA ‘s desperate strategy appears to be to deflect the agenda.  Under no circumstances must the destruction of ‘The India’s story’  by the UPA be allowed to occupy the centre stage of the  electoral agenda.  The UPA has therefore only one option left.  Communalize the polity in the country and change the electoral agenda.  All those who want to  throw  the UPA out of office must understand that their focus must remain on the issues  of governance which the UPA will try to duck. 


               The last few weeks have witnessed a crude attempt by the UPA leaders at this strategy.  There are three visible indicators  of this.  Firstly, the UPA has  concentrated its’ attack on Narender Modi.  In Gujarat the initial strategy of the Congress was to excessively attack Modi. Modi always excelled in this political battle with Congress.  He got the better of them.  Finding this strategy counter-productive  the Congress  would then go back to the alternate strategy of pretending that Modi did not exist as far as their campaign was concerned.  At the Centre the Congress strategy in the first phase  comprised excessively attacking Modi.  In the process  they are conceding the centrestage to them.  Soon they will realize the counter productivity of their strategy and move back to the alternative practice of pretending to ignore Modi. 


               Secondly, the Union Government’s strategy through the CBI in the Ishrat Jehan’s case has puzzled many.   The CBI strategy  has been to play down and eventually ignore the LeT connection and uncover the entire security apparatus  of this country.  Why did the first charge sheet  remained silent on the LeT connection of the alleged victims?  Did the Intelligence Bureau pick up  details about this module from its sources in Kashmir ?  Was the security apparatus of India and our Intelligence agencies not entitled to intercept communications of LeT, keep surveillance on them  and eventually interrogate them?  Were all these steps intended to check terrorism or were they steps in conspiracy to commit a crime?  The answer to this question would lie on whether the alleged victims had a LeT connection or not.  The CBI as the investigative arm of the government chooses to maintain silence on the LeT connection.  Who deleted para 168 in the NIA interrogation of David Hadley where this module was mentioned on the LeT module?  Did the CBI go the extent of even discrediting the voice of recordings of the LeT operatives and their Indian connection?  Has the CBI struck a deal  with some policemen who allegedly  indulged in  the encounter and changed their character from an accused to a witness  so that they could discredit the Intelligence and Security set up of the country?  Without going into the veracity of the encounter or otherwise I raise the above questions since they indicate that a conscious effort is being made to project the LeT module as a martyr and India’s security and Intelligence set up as the villain.  Is this a conscious pact of a strategy to perpetuate vote bank at the cost of national security?


               Thirdly, it is in this context that Shakeel Ahmed’s statement on the Indian Mujahideen must be analysed.  After 9/11 there was a huge global focus on various terrorist groups .  Pakistan was being accused of perpetuating cross-border terrorism in India.  9/11 had brought a major pressure on Pakistan to distance itself and its’ soil from terrorist activities.  The SIMI was banned by the NDA government.  It was in this context that the Indian Mujahideen was formed. Pakistan wanted to create an organization which  appeared to be Indian and have a lot of Indian operatives.  The bomb-making techniques and the financing came from across the border.  Its’ Indian credentials gave to Pakistan a scope for deniability every time a terrorist attack took place. Since its formation the Indian Mujahideen  has been responsible for a large number of attacks in India.  The Congress Party’s spokesman has sought to re-write history.  His effort is to somehow paint the Indian Mujahideen as an organization of the aggrieved who are victims of riots in Gujarat.  He ignores the international context and Pakistan’s strategy behind the creation of Indian Mujahideen.  This is yet another desperate attempt to communalise an issue of National Security.

 http://www.arunjaitley.com/en/my-opinion-inside.php?id=210&mode=Read&icatId=13

Modi conclave @ Rs 5- The real story

There has been a debate over the event to be attended by Narendra Modi in which the organisers (Andhra Pradesh BJP) have decided to impose a Rs 5 entry fee. The Congress has been quick to criticise this move and even mocked the organisers for imposing an entry fee.
 
However the Andhra Pradesh BJP Chief, Kishen Reddy who is the organiser of the event says that it is not a rally but a conclave of the youth. Moreover the Rs 5 entry fee is not compulsory and is voluntary. In this interview with rediff.com, Reddy speaks about the conclave and also the kind of impact they are expecting Narendra Modi to make in Andhra Pradesh.


Why has Narendra Modi chosen to commence his southern campaign from Andhra Pradesh which is a weak state for the BJP?

The BJP may be making a start in Andhra Pradesh, but every survey in the state says that they would vote for Modi as Prime Minister. We have spoken to many party leaders in the state including the Congress who say that Modi is best suited to be Prime Minister. In fact a Congress leader told me recently that his wife and children say they would vote for Modi. We may not believe in the BJP’s ideology, but will vote for Modi is what the general mood in the state of Andhra Pradesh.


Do you expect Modi to be a success in Andhra Pradesh?

Yes he will be a big hit here. It is a historic milestone. We have conducted surveys in all parts of the states and there is a pro Modi wave. The youth in particular are his biggest followers. Andhra Pradesh has a lot of educational institutions and hence the number of youth is very high.


Why do you think Modi is more popular in North compared to South?

There is more entrepreneurship in the Northern States and hence they connect with him very well. However today down South people have realised that they want him as leader. The 2014 elections will be all about development and issues of corruption. Modi is not corrupt and he has proven to be pro-development. The following in South has gone up and will continue to increase. In Andhra Pradesh the only issue that the BJP is raising is good governance, development and able leadership and Modi fits the bracket in all these three departments.


Do you see the fortunes of the BJP changing in AP after Modi’s arrival? The party is number 4 now in the state.

As I said earlier in AP there will be a good result for the BJP. Regional parties will be marginalised and 70 out of 100 people will vote for Narendra Modi as Prime Minister.


It is often said that Modi has more appeal in the urban areas only. What is the scenario in rural AP?

That is not correct. His appeal is all over. Go to any village in Andhra Pradesh and you will find out how much the people want Modi as PM. People in the rural areas are ready to work for Modi irrespective of the party he belongs to.


Now the issue of the Rs 5 entry fee which is all over the news. What was the idea behind this?

First and foremost the programme is not a rally but a conclave of the youth. We have decided that all those who attend the programme can contribute Rs 5. This money will be given for the relief work in Uttarakhand.


Is it compulsory to pay?

No it is not. Those who say they do not want to or cannot afford it do not have to. It is voluntary.


Does this have Modi’s approval?

This is a state BJP policy. No we have not informed him about this. But once again this is voluntary and hence no one would have any problem with this. The idea of this conclave is to motivate the youth.


Telangana is a major issue as you know. What is the party’s stand today on the issue?

Let me tell that the Congress will never give Telangana. But, if the BJP comes to power Telangana will happen in 100 days. L K Advani had made this assurance.


Will Narendra Modi share the same view?

Yes he will and I have no doubt about that.

Modi and Muslims: A discourse destroyed by Modi phobia

 By Zafar Sareshwala

In a recent interview given by film script writer Salim Khan to a leading journalist he has an interesting comment: “Does anyone remember who the Chief Minister of Maharashtra was during the Mumbai riots which were no less deadly than the Gujarat riots of 2002? Does anyone recall the name of the chief minister of UP during Maliana and Meerut riots or Bihar CM when the Bhagalpur or Jamshedpur riots under Congress regimes took place? Do we hear the names of earlier chief ministers of Gujarat under whose charge hundreds of riots took place in post-Independence India? Some of these riots were far more deadly than the 2002 outburst. The state used to explode into violence every second month. Does anyone remember who was in charge of Delhi’s security when the 1984 massacre of Sikhs took place in the capital of India?”

Why just distant riots, does anyone remember the fate of hundreds of thousands of Bodos and Muslims who were uprooted from their villages in July 2012 because their homes were torched and destroyed? As of August 2012, over 400,000 people had taken shelter in 270 relief camps, after being displaced from almost 400 villages.

The Assam chief minister delayed deployment of the Army by four days even though a large number of army units were stationed right there in Assam. Thousands are still living under sub-human conditions in refugee camps. Why are those riots already forgotten?

Associated Press

The political discourse in India is so vitiated by Modi phobia that even if you express happiness at the quality of roads in rural Gujarat or 24×7 power supply in the villages and towns of Gujarat, you are branded a  “supporter of fascism.” To say a word in appreciation of governance reforms in Gujarat is to commit political hara-kiri – you are forever tainted and tarred with the colour of fascism.

I also found it puzzling that almost all of those who have led the Hate Modi campaign are neither Muslims nor residents of Gujarat. Three of the most prominent figures of the anti-Modi Brigade from within Gujarat are not Muslims. Then there are those Muslims who have hardly visited Gujarat and do nothing more than sit in TV studios either abusing Modi or abusing Muslims who work to build bridges.

Some Hate Modi campaigners are those Muslims who don’t even visit India. Sitting in the US and UK, they run a five-star armchair criticism industry and don’t want to do anything tangible for the Muslims of Gujarat or anywhere.

Wherever a Gujarati Muslim has tried to speak in a different voice, he has been attacked viciously and made to pay such a heavy price that people just shut up in terror. The highly respected and eminent Muslim scholar, Maulana Vastanvi, was forced to resign as Vice-Chancellor of Deoband simply because he said Gujarati Muslims had benefited from the inclusive development policies of Modi’s government.

Shahid Siddique, the editor of an Urdu daily, was attacked and abused endlessly for simply doing an interview with Modi in which Modi defends himself ably.

And now, very recently, noted scholar Zafar Mehmood from Delhi is being hounded for having a dialogue with Modi. Zafar Mehmood had come to Gandhinagar to make a presentation as a Speaker at a Youth Conclave where Modi too was one of the speakers along with the ex-President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam, renowned banker Deepak Parekh and several others.

Although his presentation was very scathing against the BJP and he put several questions regarding the Muslim development and state of the riot victims, he was still vilified just because he shared the stage with Modi.

Young Maulanas who had come to the Youth Conclave from Hyderabad were made targets too, to the extent that they had to give interviews to the media saying “Have I committed a sin by meeting Modi?”.

The large number of Muslims included in the Youth Conclave was for the first time and it was not possible earlier. These are signs of changing times and new political evolution. And yet it would be very unfair to target this Youth Conclave as an exercise to present Modi. It was an apolitical conclave where Modi was rather a silent listener for the whole day and spoke only for a few minutes towards the end.

Over a period of time since 2003 interactions have been going on between Modi and various Muslim groups. Apart from his non-partisan schemes for all Gujaratis, Modi has extended his hand to interact with Muslims. So far more than 178 different groups of Muslims have met Modi on different occasions, taking their issues of schools, colleges, madarsas, jobs, jails, housing, etc, to him.

Modi has every time heard the delegation patiently and has taken prompt action wherever required. To one group he had said about 2002 that “yeh mere kaal kaa kalank hai, mujhe ise dhona hai.” His actions have spoken more than words. Modi has expressed his remorse several times in the past during his television interviews and also at his victory speech on the 20th of December 2012, where he said: “Mere haathon se kisi ko bhi takleef pahunchi ho to mein kshama chahta hun“.

As recently as his latest interview given in late June to Reuters, Modi was compassionate and was expressing his pain. But, as usual, his remarks were unnecessarily distorted and maliciously presented by one and all.

Muslims judge Modi by his actions and they will judge any other politician by what they do and not by what they say. The best parameter to judge a leader will be by his deeds. So the whole debate of saying sorry ends here. The consistent and growing electoral support to Modi from Gujarati Muslims shows that Muslims have already moved on.

I would sum up this point in the words of Mahesh Bhatt, who said in 2012 why the Hate Modi closure in not happening.

“Unfortunately, there are some conflict entrepreneurs who live off conflicts. Like, the war industries would cease to exist if human hatred evaporated. They have a tremendous investment in this hatred, so to keep the demon alive is to keep their God alive. They draw sustenance from this hatred. Those who talk of secular values need to go back and study the Mahatma because in the pages of the Mahatma there is no concept of the kshatru (enmity).”

(Zafar Sareshwala is a Gujarat businessman who has confronted Modi on 2002, but later decided to build bridges with the Gujarat government in order to be of practical help to the community.)

 http://www.firstpost.com/politics/modi-and-muslims-a-discourse-destroyed-by-modi-phobia-958269.html