Word: modi
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...Monday, the court ruled on a petition filed by Jakia Nasim Ahesan, the widow of Ehsan Jafri, a legislator belonging to the Congress Party who was killed along with 38 people by a mob at his home in Ahmadabad, Gujarat's largest city. Ahesan accused Modi and 62 others of hatching a "well-executed and sinister criminal conspiracy" to effect a "deliberate and intentional failure" of the state government to protect the life and property of its citizens. Says New Delhi-based political analyst Amulya Ganguli: "Modi tried his best to scuttle the investigation - some 2,000 cases were closed...
...archrival, the ruling Congress Party, immediately demanded Modi's resignation. But the BJP dismissed such calls, with general secretary Arun Jaitley claiming, "There is nothing against Modi," and that none of the investigations conducted by the Gujarati government had cited him. Jaitley also hinted at a conspiracy behind the timing of the court ruling, claiming that in the past, various reports targeting the BJP have been released at critical phases of elections. (Several key states have yet to vote.) Many observers point out, however, that most of these types of decisions actually came out in the BJP's favor...
Indeed, many pollsters believe that one of the incidents that worked to the BJP's advantage was Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi's speech at a 2007 rally in which she referred to Modi as a maut ka saudagar - a merchant of death. Riding on outrage, Modi won re-election in Gujarat for a third term as Chief Minister. "Gujarat is one state that has been very touchy about Modi and anything written or spoken about him," says Mumbai-based poll analyst Jai Mrug, adding that Gandhi's remark rejuvenated the Hindu vote in the state in favor...
...protect its seats in Modi's Gujarat, according to Mrug. The party fully expects to win very comfortably there. "But the BJP would certainly try and make use of his charisma and his newfound status as a martyr in states that have not yet gone to the polls and where no leader of Modi's stature has yet appeared," Mrug says. These include Rajasthan, western Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana, among others. (Read about how India's young voters may change the country...
...gain - to whatever extent - may not translate easily into Modi's gain. Potential coalition partners are nervous about Modi, who has refused to apologize for the 2002 massacres. BJP allies like the Janata Dal (United) of Bihar, who want to reach out to Muslims, fear that such a stance will not go down well with the Indian electorate. Modi may be trying to make himself more acceptable to a wider audience. Since the Gujarat elections of 2007, Modi has been trying to paint himself as the able administrator who has brought progress and prosperity to Gujarat. The Supreme Court ruling...