Ahmedabad: Narendra Modi is sixty one these days. He began the day by touching his mother's feet during a televised moment, tweeted his whereabouts, seeking support for his sadbhavna (amity) mission and reached the Gujarat university exhibition hall precisely on time for his three-day quick for communal harmony. Birthday celebrations had begun.


Not a celebration, the Gujarat chief minister was fast to mention. "This is that the solely day once I do not answer the phone, do not meet anyone. I never celebrate. The question of celebrating doesn't arise these days."
however there have been birthday needs from six km away. Congress veteran and Modi's one-time RSS colleague Shankarsinh Vaghela is quicking too - in protest against Mr Modi's quick. Mr Vaghela, surrounded by Congressmen all in Gandhi caps, began his quick at the Gandhi Ashram an hour before Mr Modi's. He can finish 2 hours when Mr Modi will and has sent across a message - "I want Mr Modi happy birthday and hope he can get sadbuddhi (better sense)."

Mr Vaghela's less spectacular counter-show is unlikely to dent Mr Modi's enthusiasm. there's an exact air of celebration within the packed hall where thousands of supporters, prime BJP leaders, together with LK Advani, and political allies have gathered to support Mr Modi's quick and sadbhavna mission. There was the ceremonial tying of a turban and lighting of lamp, the chanting of mantras. And Modi, the person of the instant, straight to the purpose. The world, he said, was talking concerning the event of Gujarat, a state that lifted itself quickly from the dual setbacks of earthquake and riots ten years ago. "Everyone thought Gujarat can never be able to retrieve, Gujarat is finished. They said nobody can invest in Gujarat...A World Bank report says that if the foremost developed countries undergo most, it takes them seven years to square once more. It took Gujarat solely 3 years."

Mr Modi in his praise of Gujarat, took a bow. "People kept attacking us, we have a tendency to never hit back. such a large amount of accusations, defamation, we've never hit back, continuously tolerated everything. Waited for the reality to return out. Kept collecting the stones that were thrown at us and that we created stairs out of these stones and got Gujarat kept rising."

And crucially, to keep with the terribly overt image makeover that the Gujarat Chief Minister is making an attempt in his bid for wider political acceptance, Mr Modi stressed on inclusive politics. The hurt of six crore Gujaratis was his, he said; he worked for all of them, he said; and he promised that his amity mission would "end vote bank politics".

Having set the tone for the Gujarat Shining theme, Mr Modi got a thumbs up from LK Advani, who said the sadbhavna mission was aimed toward obtaining rid of misconceptions. Mr Advani hailed Mr Modi for Gujarat's development. And from BJP colleague Arun Jaitley, who said told NDTV in an exclusive interview, "Narendra Modi has focused on development while not discrimination."
Before the grand show began, the Gujarat Chief Minister met his mother Narmada Bai for birthday blessings. wearing a blue kurta, Modi touched his mother's feet, she gave him a book and that they spent some moments along with her sitting on a standard swing.

Then he tweeted, "On my thanks to the venue of quick for #Sadbhavana Mission. be part of the Prayer for Togetherness, face to face or on-line."

The last week has been defining for the Gujarat Chief Minister. The Supreme Court transferred a Gujarat-riots-related case to a lower court within the state and Narendra Modi tweeted, "God is Great". Suddenly, from a US suppose tank to BJP patriarch LK Advani, there was cite Narendra Modi, doable future Prime Minister.
A canny Modi has quickly seized upon the chance to promote whole Modi. Gujarat and Modi shining is that the message and therefore the tone has modified to a softer, virtually apologetic one because the Chief Minister wrote 2 open letters to the folks of his state. The second, written every day before he turned sixty one, said, "I am grateful to all or any who discovered my real mistakes throughout last ten years...Gujarat has overcome the evil of communalism...The Pain of every citizen is my very own pain."

Modi's birthday quick is something however austere. The state machinery was out in frenetic preparation for the last week - the airconditioned university hall rents at Rs. five lakh every day, there's tight security, 6000 chairs for those that can watch Mr Modi quick on a really giant stage over subsequent 3 days. there's overt political support that Modi shall wear on his sleeve - from at intervals the party as alternative prime leaders, Advani, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj share his decision, settling the difficulty of the BJP's firm backing.

And from allies that have thrown their weight behind Mr Modi. Nitish Kumar of the JD(U), not known to like Mr Modi, might not be in Ahmedabad to want him a cheerful Birthday, however Parkash Singh Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal leaders is there. And J Jayalalithaa has sent 2 senior AIADMK leaders though she emphatically said it absolutely was a goodwill gesture not a political move. however the participation of those parties is being showcased as Mr Modi's wider political acceptance.

Gujarat BJP spokesman Vijay Rupani says, "Narendra Modi's image as a preferred leader is obtaining any impetus. the complete country knew concerning his capabilities, currently the globe is obtaining aware."

That image makeover is very important for Modi. One that has been within the creating over the past few years. because the man of the instant he currently figures on the most recent edition of Society magazine, talking politics and poetry. The international media has quickly taken note.
As he begins his quick these days, Mr Modi can decide to obliterate the one serious blemish of his political career - the 2002 Gujarat Riots. to try and do this he's expected to link 2 isolated events - escaping the Supreme Court's indictment within the Zakia Jafri Gujarat riots case and therefore the US Congressional panel report that talks of him as a future prime ministerial candidate.

Not therefore quick, says the Congress. The party's spokesperson in Gujarat, Hemanshi Vyas insists, "His (Modi's) road to Delhi continues to be quite way." And Congress leader Mr Vaghela is making an attempt to confirm that the road is arduous. Mr Vaghela says the motive of his counter-fast at the Gandhi Ashram is to gift the opposite facet of the Modi story. Mr Modi's fast, he says, is propaganda which he would really like to unfold the message that the Supreme Court has not given the Chief Minister a clean chit.