 "No communalism in Modi's DNA: Madhu Kishwar")
In the book Kishwar showers praises of Modi for successfully supervising the administration to effective management of earthquake, to providing round the clock electricity, ensuring people’s participation, bringing revolution in agriculture sector and others efforts initiated by him. The time of the book reading event is significant as it come a day after the election notification was issued for the 16th Lok Sabha in Gujarat. Moreover, the event organiser Zafar Sareshwala is considered to be close to Modi. Sareshwala has earlier this year organised a Muslim Business Conclave in Ahmedabad which was inaugurated by Modi.
During the event Kishwar, justifying Modi’s efforts during 2002 riots, said, “Narendra Modi does not have communalism in his DNA. If he was communal Congress would have embraced him. But now he is being targeted by the Congress because he does not play communal politics.”
The professor also went on to claim that it was the Gujarat Congress that had conspired for the Godhra train carnage incident that killed 59 persons on February 27, 2002. She also accused senior Congress leader including Himmatsinh Patel, party’s candidate for the Lok Sabha from Ahmedabad -East seat, of instigating the post-Godhra riots.
“Congress party members had instigated the 2002 riots. Because of the good will that Modi was cultivating among the Muslims after he became chief minster in October 2001,” Kishwar said. Defending accusation on Modi that he gave inflammatory speeches immediately after the riots, Kishwar said, “Modi’s statements were misquoted and twisted by anti-Modi forces.” She also went on to blame social activist Teesta Setalvad, Shabnam Hashmi and Harsh Mander of maligning Modi and Gujarat in guise of riots.
On why she was wrote the book, Kishwar said, "The political discourse in India is so vitiated by Modi phobia that even if one expresses appreciation of the quality of roads in rural Gujarat or 24X7 power supply in the state's villages and town, one is branded a 'supporter of fascism'. It is politically fashionable to defend Kashmiri secessionists, press for peaceful engagement with Pakistani establishment. But, to say a word in appreciation of governance reforms in Gujarat, or to credit Modi for having given Gujarat its first-ever riot-free 12 years since independence, is to commit political hara-kiri - one is forever tainted and tarred with the colours of fascism. This intellectual terror created by the anti-Modi brigade pushed me to find out for myself the reason behind this obsessive anxiety about Modi."