Indian Political Landscape 2014
He doesn't think anyone else has his brilliance or integrity. And he cannot bear to stand a rival,' says journalist Aakar Patel, a longtime Modi observer who has translated Modi's poetry and his biographies of RSS leaders.
What would India under a Modi Sarkar look like -- if the BJP were to come to power?
Who would be the men and women running the show if Modi were to become prime minister?
Is there a Modi wave? Is he the messiah of the middle class and how has he boosted Gujarati pride?
"Gujaratis feel they were tarnished in 2002 nationally and the only man who spoke for them is today a globally recognised figure. Whether or not they are correct in feeling this pride is another thing," says writer-columnist Aakar Patel who grew up in Gujarat and started his career in the Gujarati newspaper Divya Bhaskar. Patel's columns are published in Mint Lounge, Mumbai Mirror and First Post.
"Gujarat has the best mercantile culture of any Indian state. It would be wrong to assume that high rates of growth in Gujarat's economy are purely the work of the government, leave alone one man," says Patel.
In an e-mailed interview to Rediff.com's Archana Masih, he discusses Narendra Modi's past in Gujarat and what his future in India's politics could be.
What would India under a Modi government look like if Mr Modi were to come to power?
That would depend on his majority. A BJP government with 200 seats will be as helpless as Manmohan Singh's.
A Modi government with a full majority will be more dangerous, particularly on the foreign affairs front. And then there are the old RSS agendas like dislike of English.
In Gujarat, Modi has denied English education to the poor till age 10. Gujarat's government schools teach ABCD only in class 5. This is why Gujarat has no stake in the services industries.
Gujaratis like Ratan Tata (TCS) and Azim Premji (Wipro) who want to develop their software business have to look outside Ahmedabad, Baroda and Surat.
A seven-year-old Gujarati in
What would India under a Modi Sarkar look like -- if the BJP were to come to power?
Who would be the men and women running the show if Modi were to become prime minister?
Is there a Modi wave? Is he the messiah of the middle class and how has he boosted Gujarati pride?
"Gujaratis feel they were tarnished in 2002 nationally and the only man who spoke for them is today a globally recognised figure. Whether or not they are correct in feeling this pride is another thing," says writer-columnist Aakar Patel who grew up in Gujarat and started his career in the Gujarati newspaper Divya Bhaskar. Patel's columns are published in Mint Lounge, Mumbai Mirror and First Post.
"Gujarat has the best mercantile culture of any Indian state. It would be wrong to assume that high rates of growth in Gujarat's economy are purely the work of the government, leave alone one man," says Patel.
In an e-mailed interview to Rediff.com's Archana Masih, he discusses Narendra Modi's past in Gujarat and what his future in India's politics could be.
What would India under a Modi government look like if Mr Modi were to come to power?
That would depend on his majority. A BJP government with 200 seats will be as helpless as Manmohan Singh's.
A Modi government with a full majority will be more dangerous, particularly on the foreign affairs front. And then there are the old RSS agendas like dislike of English.
In Gujarat, Modi has denied English education to the poor till age 10. Gujarat's government schools teach ABCD only in class 5. This is why Gujarat has no stake in the services industries.
Gujaratis like Ratan Tata (TCS) and Azim Premji (Wipro) who want to develop their software business have to look outside Ahmedabad, Baroda and Surat.
A seven-year-old Gujarati in