Gujarat's rising star woos China
By Sudha Ramachandran
BANGALORE - The United States government might not be ready yet to put out the
welcome mat for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, but the controversial
leader was warmly received in China this week.
As a guest of the Chinese Communist Party, Modi met with senior party leaders
during a five-day visit that ended on Sunday. These included politburo member
Wang Gang and vice minister of international department Cheng Fengxiang, among
others. Although not a state visit, the chief minister, easily among India's
most divisive politicians, was received at the Great Hall of the People in
Beijing.
Modi used his visit to court investment from Chinese companies. According to
Gujarat's principal secretary for industries,
Maheshwar Sahu, part of the delegation, the Chinese showed "a lot of interest"
in sectors like infrastructure, port development, solar panel manufacturing. He
said Gujarat aims to secure at least 10% of China's investment in India.
Modi's mission, however, was not just about business. It was an opportunity for
him to show his detractors at home and in the US that he is not the pariah they
make him out to be.
Modi has been trying to carve out for himself a role at the national level. It
is widely believed that he is pitching to be the right-wing Bharatiya Janata
Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 general elections.
Modi is very popular in Gujarat, especially among the state's Hindus. He has
been chief minister of the state for a record three terms. He is seen as an
efficient, non-corrupt politician who has done much to facilitate Gujarat's
industrialization and is often referred to as Gujarat's chief executive
officer.
However, Modi's record as chief minister is tainted by his alleged role in 2002
violence targeting Muslims in Gujarat. Over 1,000 mainly Muslims were killed in
a pogrom seen as orchestrated by politicians as well as ministers belonging to
the BJP and its fraternal organizations.
A senior police officer, Sanjiv Bhatt, has said Modi abetted the violence. At a
meeting with senior officials soon after the burning of a train carrying Hindu
pilgrims that preceded the riots, Modi allegedly told the police to ignore
those carrying out the attacks. "Let the Hindus vent their anger," Modi is
reported to have instructed officials.
Whether or not Modi abetted the 2002 violence is yet to be proved in a court of
law.
While Modi remains a political "untouchable" in India, his anti-minority
positions and rhetoric has made more moderate politicians within the BJP and
parties that are BJP allies uneasy.
He has been refused visas by the US, Britain and the European Union. Very
public campaigns by secular Indian diaspora groups forced the US to reject his
visa application. Last week, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and
Central Asia Robert Blake said that there was no change in the US's position
with regard to granting Modi a visa.
Modi's warm reception in China will help him thumb his nose at the West. This
was his fourth visit to China. He has visited several Asian countries including
Singapore and Japan to woo investment.
Besides opening doors for investment in to India's most economically vibrant
state, Modi's recent visit presented the Chinese with an opportunity to
interact and assess him. "Chinese leaders, renowned for their far-sightedness
in devising strategic relationships, are likely betting on Narendra Modi's
political ascendance and would like to make an investment in his political
future in the event of his emerging as a candidate for prime minister in 2014,"
Venky Vembu observes in FirstPost.
Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who is seen as a rising star
in Pakistan's political arena, was invited to China too recently. Chinese
leaders are said to have sought his views on the security situation in
Pakistan.
The Chinese leaders are likely to have found much in common with Modi, Vembu
argues. "They can readily identify with the Gujarat government's sharpened
focus on economic development, given that provinces in China are caught up in a
similar competition to attract foreign investments and roll out enabling
infrastructure. In Modi, they find a man they can do business with. As the
masters of authoritarian capitalism, they might even find a bit of themselves
reflected in 'strongman' Modi".
Not that the Americans are averse to doing business with Modi. Senior diplomats
in the US consulate in Mumbai are known to have met the Gujarat chief minister
in Gandhinagar, the state capital, to discuss investment.
Blake has told media that Gujarat is an important place for American
investment. "I think it has shown itself to be a very welcoming environment for
American business to flourish," he said. "We will continue to promote
investment, encourage investment into that state."
A recent report prepared by the Congressional Research Service - a bipartisan
and independent research wing of the US Congress, was effusive in its praise of
Modi. "Perhaps India's best example of effective governance and impressive
development is found in Gujarat (population 60 million), where controversial
Chief Minister Narendra Modi has streamlined economic processes, removing red
tape and curtailing corruption in ways that have made the state a key driver of
national economic growth," the report said.
Patting Modi on the back for his "impressive development successes", the report
predicted that India's 2014 general election will see Modi battle Congress
party leader Rahul Gandhi.
In 2007, Modi's government hired APCO Worldwide, a public relations firm in the
US, to spruce up Modi's image and that of Gujarat as an investment destination.
Investment has been pouring into the state and American officials say off the
record that should Modi become prime minister they would not stop him from
visiting the US.
Meanwhile, in India Modi has been working hard to soften his image. He has been
going on highly-publicized fasts to "bring peace, harmony, brotherhood and
unity among the people". But his bid at adopting Gandhian tactics has failed to
impress most Indians.
Having failed to show remorse for the 2002 killings, his attempt at an image
makeover has not worked. Gujarat's strongman is still to build bridges with
Muslims in Gujarat. He still lacks all-India appeal. His successful trip to
China might have the Americans worried but in India itself, outside his
traditional base in Gujarat, few are impressed.
Sudha Ramachandran is an independent journalist/researcher based in
Bangalore. She can be reached at sudha98@hotmail.com
(Copyright 2011 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please
contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)
Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
