Narendra Modi begins 3-day fast; top BJP leaders, CMs attend

Fighting hard to remove the taint of 2002 violence, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today began a three-day fast for peace and communal harmony vowing to end vote-bank politics but said nothing directly by way of regret for the post-Godhra carnage.

Buoyed by the Supreme Court's refusal to pass any order against him in the Ehsan Jafri murder case and words of praise from a US Congressional report, Modi sat on fast on his birthday in the air-conditioned Gujarat University Convention Centre flanked by top BJP and allied party leaders.

"I had said at that time (2002) these riots should not have happened in a civilised society. At that time I had felt the pain and now also I am feeling the pain," he said in his speech to an audience that had a sprinkling of Muslims, Christians and Sikhs among others.

Often attacked for his alleged complicity in the violence that shook Gujarat after the Sabarmati Express carnage, Modi did not directly offer any regret or apology but said that he wanted to ensure that Gujarat never slips below parameters of humanity.

Modi marked his 62nd birthday by taking blessings from his mother before beginning the fast, which was countered by Shankarsinh Vaghela who staged a hunger strike on a footpath near Sabarmati Ashram near Gandhinagar in the company of Congress leaders and workers.

Top BJP leaders L K Advani, Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Muktar Abbas Naqvi and Rajiv Pratap Rudy were on the stage along with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, AIADMK leaders M Thambidurai and V Maitreyan. But BJP's longtime ally JD(U) was conspicuous by its absence.

AIADMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said in Chennai her support to Modi's fast was an expression of goodwill and dismissed suggestions that it indicated a change in political dynamics.

Badal said the whole of India looked to Modi when it comes to governance and development.

Praising Modi for Gujarat's development, Advani said if the whole country adopted a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism and corruption like him, India would rise to new heights at the global level.

Crediting Modi for taking the state to new heights of development, he said, "Whatever he (Modi) has said about the rise of six crore Gujaratis, he is telling you the right thing. No other province could manage a growth rate of 11 per cent like Gujarat."

Commenting on Modi's speech at his fast venue, Jaitley said, "In the next few months, each and every word of what Modi has said would be analysed."

He said on the one hand, Gujarat has a government which is taking the state to new heights and on the other hand, you have a worrisome situation over the atmosphere of corruption and despair at the central level.

In between speeches, there was symbolism on the dais with groups of Muslim men, women and girls mounting the stage to greet Modi.

In his speech, Modi said in the name of secularism and votebank politics, India was being divided by pitting castes and communities against each other.

Maintaining that the fast was not against anybody, Modi said, "We want to take this spirit to each and every village... each and every house. This fast is not against anybody and I don't want to speak about anybody. Gujarat wants to move forward. We want to be in service of India."

"We want to move together and Sadhbhavna (harmony) will be our strength. Development is our only motto. We will be a model for the world on how development can be achieved with peace, harmony and brotherhood," Modi said.

Speaking about the fast, he said "It was the need of the hour."

"Unity, peace and harmony have a major role to play in our success, our development. Because we have treaded this path and I wanted this message to reach out to people, this fast was the best mean to do so," he maintained.

"Six crore Gujaratis have gone through a lot of penance to ensure such a situation. If I fast my words would carry more weight and I will be able to reach out to more people."

This was the only objective behind the fast and there was no grudge against anybody, he said.

"Over the last 10 years we have been vilified. I have faced every attack so that you (people) do not feel the pain. I want to ensure that Gujarat never slips below the parameters of humanity," Modi said.

He sought strength from God so he is able to dedicate his entire life to the people of Gujarat.

"May God give me strength to not to have any bitterness or vengeance ever for anyone," Modi said.

The Chief Minister said today the entire country and the world was discussing the development in Gujarat be it in industrial, agricultural, rural, education or in health sector.

"Gujarat has been successful in its experiments in all sectors and has scaled new heights. After 2001 earthquake, Gujarat was devastated and many thought it would never rise again, but Gujarat has proved them wrong," Modi said.

Even the World Bank says that if a nation faces a disaster like the 2001 earthquake it would take them at least seven years to rebuild, but the state did this in three years which is a big achievement.

"In the very next year, 2002, Gujarat saw gruesome communal riots. This incident once again renewed the discussion that Gujarat has gone back on the path of destruction, but we handled this situation strictly and with strength," the BJP leader said.

"The stones that were thrown on us have been used by us to build staircase," Modi said.

"Then I had said that such incidents are not good for a society, but nobody understood us or our agony. Every citizen of Gujarat was left to his own fate. That is when we decided to show the world that people of Gujarat are of a different genre," Modi said.

Gujarat has set a shining example of peace and unity to the country. But critics kept on throwing stones at us. We were criticised and abused, but we tolerated all that and kept treading on the path of peace, unity and harmony.

"We have gathered all the stones that were thrown at us and have built a ladder of development out of them. Our path is of democracy, Constitution and justice," the CM said.

"Even in 2008 after the (serial) blasts (in Ahmedabad)there were no riots or untoward incident but no one acknowledged this peace and unit in time of adversity," the Chief Minister said.

Modi claimed that in 1980s and 1990s the atmosphere in Gujarat used to be filled with tension and there would be curfew for months together. Small fight over kite flying or cycling would trigger communal riots, he said.

However, since the last 10 years there has been no curfew. This was not because of some preaching or an individual but because of people of Gujarat who have understood the true value of harmony, peace and unity, said Modi.

After independence, in the name of secularism, there have been votebank politics. Communalism and casteism had become a tradition for 60 years, Modi stated.

"In such a background, I would like to tell with responsibility that the day was not far when Gujarat's model of peace, unity and harmony would be discussed across the country and the world," he said.