Were the opposition NDA to win the next Lok Sabha polls, the next PM will hail from Gujarat. This is something that even Gujarat CM Narendra Modi is proud to proclaim. On the face of it, he is referring to his mentor and Lok Sabha MP from Gandhinagar, L K Advani. But here’s the spin. Just days ago, Anil Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal took Indian politics and India Inc by surprise because they openly voiced their support for Modi as the ‘‘next leader of the country’’. It helped that their endorsement came at the Vibrant Gujarat investors’ summit in Ahmedabad, and saw titans of Indian industry join foreign dignitaries and businessmen from 40 countries. The industrialists’ open admiration for Modi caused some embarrassment within the BJP and indignation within the Congress. But sections of the BJP say the writing is on the wall. ‘‘There was a time when people used to say only Atal Bihari Vajpayee would be acceptable to the other NDA partners. Today, they accept Advani-ji. It could well be Modi’s turn tomorrow,’’ says a key Modi aide. He says that the 81-year-old Advani is clearly over the hill and there is no one but Modi who can lay claim to succeed him. The support from India Inc is not without reason. In the seven years since the Gujarat riots, Modi has transformed the state’s image from that of intolerance to an ideal investment destination, which is attracting big money from all over the world. Investment pledges of $250 billion in these hard times are enough of an achievement for many to clamber on to the Modi bandwagon. If Ambani and Mittal were seen to be excessive in their praise, it came alongside the bets of thousands of businessmen who have put their money in Gujarat. But Modi’s critics remain unimpressed. Fr Cedric Prakash, a Jesuit and civil rights activist, says: ‘‘The projection of a vibrant Gujarat is a bluff based on lies, half-truths and illusions. The state presided over the killing of hundreds of Muslims in 2002. Right-wing Hindu groups put up billboards in Gujarat proclaiming a Hindu Rashtra. There is palpable fear all over.’’ Despite the taint of Godhra, the level of Modi’s acceptability to the NDA became clear in December 2007. Coalition allies turned out in full strength at Modi’s swearing-in ceremony as he became CM a third time. Even George Fernandes attended. Chandrababu Naidu and Jayalalithaa phoned him. In order to gain greater acceptability, Modi did not mind taking on the VHP when he ordered the demolition of nearly 250 illegal temples in Gandhinagar. Criticizing the state’s farmers for stealing electricity, Modi took on the powerful RSS-backed Bharatiya Kisan Sangh. He brushed aside the objections of Vidya Bharati, a Sangh Parivar outfit, to teaching English in schools. ‘‘If you have to be globally competitive, you have to learn the language the world uses to do business,’’ he said. Modi’s many moves paid off. As he lost traditional allies, he won new friends. Like Ratan Tata. ‘‘Instead of an average processing time of 90 days to 180 days, the Gujarat government completed procedures in three days for our small car project,’’ the industrialist declared wonderingly at the Vibrant Gujarat meet. Even though the US and EU still deny Modi a visa, the Vibrant Gujarat summit saw representatives from a dozen Muslim countries at his side. The change didn’t happen overnight. In February 2003, Modi organised a training session for ministers and bureaucrats at IIM Ahmedabad. ‘‘There are leaders who have a grand vision. There are some who have tremendous administrative capabilities. And there are those who enjoy popular support. In Modi, we have a combination of all this. If villagers see him as their leader, corporates see him as a CEO,’’ says Bakul Dholakia, ex-director, IIM-A. Perhaps the IIM-A training has had an effect. But whatever the reason, Modi has stopped the age-old practice of pleasing political allies by appointing their nominees as heads of PSUs. Ailing state-owned units have been turned around and are making good profit. Gujarat’s power situation is regarded as the best among states today. This has helped it dramatically improve its contribution to the country’s GDP, both in terms of agricultural and industrial output. Against the 10.2% growth rate in the past five years, Gujarat’s target is 11.2% for the next five years, the Planning Commission says. The 2008-09 projection is 13%, way above the national target. ‘‘He is a dreamer and he knows how to achieve them. He may even exceed these targets,’’ says Mukesh Patel, member of Ficci’s national executive. 
