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These were meant to be thanksgiving speeches but Narendra Modi, speaking to voters in Ahmedabad and Vadodara, made sure he outlined some of his governance priorities. A point he made repeatedly but without naming any community, was that India was one and could not be divided. It was important to take everyone along in rebuilding India.
Some analysts might have been disappointed, for they would have expected a much stronger community-inclusion pitch from Modi after a thumping victory for his Bharatiya Janata Party. But that he did not believe in the politics of appeasement was all the next prime minister said. He emphasised India belonged to all the people who lived here. "With all and development of all will be my ruling slogan... The era of divisive politics is over, it is all about getting people together now," he said.
His Ahmedabad speech was more about development. If done right, he said, development would address all sorts of backward thinking. "Those who criticised me didn't know Modi was a magician, who forced even them to speak on the all-important development issues... These discussions also told the country that only development could save India. Even if they referred negatively to Gujarat, they still spoke about development here. There is only one medicine for all problems - development."
In Vadodara, Modi referred to something industry circles had been wary about: That Modi, after coming to power, might not remember his friends from his time as Gujarat chief minister. Apparently responding to the been allegations he "favoured" a few business houses in the state, he said: "Sabka saath, sabka vikaas, yehi humara mantra hai. No apna, no paraya for me."
