The Modi I Got to Know in 2006

WHILE WORKING as Additional Secretary General of FICCI, I had the privilege to meet and interact with Mr Narendra Modi – then Chief Minister of Gujarat – several times in connection with his signature project, Vibrant Gujarat.

- Krishan Kalra

I also got the opportunity to travel with him to Singapore, China, Russia. During these sojourns I got to notice up close several remarkable traits of the great man – which I want to share with the readers.

Mr Modi used to take weekly monitoring meetings for Vibrant Gujarat during the last couple of months before the big day in January 2007. As industry coordinators for the event, FICCI was invariably invited to these discussions. At times my boss the Secretary General – Dr Amit Mitra – was not able to travel, I was deputed to stand in for him.

Vibrant Gujarat 

One particular meeting, which somehow I too couldn’t attend, but got the usual report from a colleague, stands out clearly in my memory even after so many years. This was to review the crucial case of ‘A List’. As several Secretaries of the Gujarat government and people from FICCI stood outside his room, Mr Modi walking in briskly, enquired as to what had happened about the ‘A List’?

My colleagues – to whom the query was addressed – had no answer; they were quiet. The Chief Minister repeated his question a little loudly “Aap se poochh rahe hain, ‘A List’ ka kya hua?” It was only then that one guy picked up courage to mumble an apology and informed the CM that he and his seniors had all tried but were not able to get confirmation from anyone on the ‘A List’. “You know; our event cannot happen without the presence of ‘A List’; so what do you propose we do. Cancel the event?” His sharp tone terrified everyone. Modi ji was obviously angry.