Kyusuibu Honbu
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AHMEDABAD: Their names were once synonymous with the growth of Hindutva in Gujarat. Narendra Modi (64) and Dr Pravin Togadia (58) used to attend RSS shakhas together in Ahmedabad in the 1980s.They were the rising hawks in the parivar who were often seen together at Hedgewar Bhavan in Maninagar, the Sangh's headquarters in what is now Modi's assembly constituency in Ahmedabad.
Many recall how the duo would travel on a motorcycle or scooter across Gujarat spreading the Sangh's ideology. Togadia always rode the bike with Modi as pillion. The Sangh clearly saw potential in both. Togadia, a cancer surgeon, was drafted into the VHP in 1983 and Modi, a full-time pracharak, was inducted into the BJP in 1984. But they remained a pair, always helping each other execute plans which eventually helped the BJP's ascent to power in Gujarat in 1995.
With Keshubhai Patel becoming chief minister, both were in the core committee which took important decisions for the government. When the Keshubhai government was rattled by Shankersinh Vaghela's rebellion, they fought him together. When Vaghela imprisoned Togadia, it was Modi who took to the streets in support. When Modi was banished from Gujarat in 1995 for being a source of trouble for the government, Togadia inched closer to Keshubhai and continued to wield considerable power.
During the period from 1995 to 2001, Modi was persona non grata in Gujarat and hardly any BJP leader wanted to be seen in his company. Since Modi was barred from the BJP office in Ahmedabad, he used to spend time in the VHP office during his visits to the city.
Togadia was one of the few leaders kept in the loop by Advani when the decision was taken to make Modi chief minister in October 2001. Togadia agreed to the change and got his right-hand man Gordhan Zadaphia inducted as minister of state for home in the Modi cabinet. Togadia had a substantial say in postings of saffronized police officers, many of who played a dubious role in the post-Godhra riots in February-March 2002 when the VHP and Bajrang Dal cadres unleashed a wave of terror.
The subsequent assembly elections in December 2002 saw Togadia address more than 100 rallies in support of the BJP, using a helicopter non-stop for almost two weeks. Things changed when Modi won the elections. He immediately dropped Zadaphia from his council of ministers, in a clear signal to Togadia that his interference in governance was no longer required. The process of consultation with Togadia and other Sangh Parivar outfits stopped.
In fact, many of them were targeted. A Togadia aide, Ashwin Patel, was booked for sedition for sending an SMS which challenged Modi's Hindutva credentials. The Bharatiya Kisan Sangh was evicted from its government quarters for launching a farmers' agitation.
The relationship came under further strain when, under pressure from the Supreme Court, the Modi government was forced to reopen riots cases and start arresting VHP and Bajrang Dal workers who had led the mobs. On Modi's instructions, VHP workers protesting against Advanis remarks in praise of Jinnah in Pakistan, were beaten up by police in Ahmedabad. The government also demolished nearly 200 temples in Gandhinagar, which provoked VHP stalwart Ashok Singhal to compare Modi with Ghazni.
Strangely, while Singhal patched up with Modi, Togadia remains stubbornly opposed to the Sangh's endorsement of the Gujarat chief minister's national ambitions. In recent years, he sparingly visited Gujarat, citing a threat to his life. He ridiculed Modi's "sadbhavana" overtures towards Muslims in 2011 and accused him of dumping the Hindutva agenda for the sake of an image make-over. Saturday's meeting in Bhavnagar, where he spewed venom at Muslims, may just be an excuse for Modi to settle old scores.
History of how Modi and Togadia fell out - The Times of India
