Click to play videoNew Delhi: They call him the Vikas Purush, the Master of Political Rhetoric and Hindutva's poster boy. He is Narendrabhai Damodardas Modi. Love him or hate him, but you simply cannot ignore him.
Born on September 17, 1950 in the Vadnagar district of North Gujarat, Modi started his political career as a RSS pracharak in the Kangra region of Himachal Pradesh in 1972. His rise within the RSS and his ultimate inclusion into the BJP in 1984 has been attributed to his exceptional organisational skills.
Known to be LK Advani's favourite protege, Modi actively participated in Advani's Somnath Yatra as the General Secretary of BJP's Gujarat unit in 1992.
In 1995, he was given the charge of BJP's election campaign in Gujarat. Following the party's victory in the Assembly elections, Modi was made the National Secretary of the party.
But his big break came in 2001, when he was appointed Chief Minister after Keshubhai Patel was forced to step down following electoral losses.
Four months later, in February 2002, came his hour of greatest shame. First the Godhra carnage and then the riots that followed. Modi's handling of the violence drew all-round criticism.
But in spite of the criticism, Modi was able to hold on to power. In the 11th Assembly elections held in December in the same year, Modi led his party to a landslide victory.
"On Gujarati ashmita, five crore Gujaratis have become commanders in this battle for self-respect," Modi declared after his resounding victory.
But while the Modi magic worked in Gujarat, he had to share the blame for the NDA's defeat in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls with none other than Atal Behari Vajpyee himself pointing fingers at him. "The Chief Minister should follow principles of ideal governance," Vajpayee then said, referring to Modi.
And the stigma of the riots stuck to his name. So much so that in March 2005, Modi was denied a diplomatic visa by the US Consular Division.
Modi, however, has remained unfazed. He's tried to showcase himself as an efficient administrator and deftly used every adverse situation to his advantage.
So, when Sonia Gandhi described him as "maut ka saudagar (the merchant of death), Modi shot back, saying: "It's not me but the members of the Congress party who are merchants of death."
Modi's speeches leave the crowds cheering and his opponents fuming. "It is a government that is hiding behind lies," says Rahul Gandhi.
He has the charisma and the organisational capabilities. And with his popularity ratings only rising higher and higher, Modi might just be a PM-in-waiting too.
"They are afraid of Modi's leadership and that's why they are in a hurry to put up a Prime Ministerial candidate," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said about BJP's decision to project LK Advani as its prime ministerial candidate before the outcome of Gujarat polls.
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