Modi can refer to:

• Nikhil R Modi, Marketing Consultant, India
• Monochorionic-Diamniotic, a type of twin
• Modi (surname), a surname used in India
• Móði, one of Thor's sons
• Modi Rosenfeld, stand up comedian
• Modi script, a historical script used in the Maratha empire
• Murugappa Channaveerappa Modi, Indian eye surgeon
• Minoan Modi, the site of a Minoan peak sanctuary in eastern Crete
• Narendra Modi, chief minister of Gujarat
• Emperor Modi (disambiguation), several Chinese Emperors' name
• Lalit Modi, cricket administrator, Commissioner of Indian Premier League
• Modi, Chania, a village in western Crete
• Modi Group, India-based conglomerate
• Microsoft Office Document Imaging, (MODI) such as for the 2003 Object Model
• Modi Khola, a tributary of the Gandaki River in Nepal, draining south from the Annapurna Himalaya

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Narendra Modi નરેન્દ્ર મોદી
Chief Minister of Gujarat
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 October 2001
Governor	Dr. Kamla Beniwal
Preceded by	Keshubhai Patel
Constituency	Maninagar
Personal details
Born	(1950-09-17) 17 September 1950 (age 61) Vadnagar, Gujarat, India
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Residence	Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
Alma mater	Gujarat University[1]
Religion	Hinduism
Website	Narendra Modi
As of 9 March, 2009 Source: Government of Gujarat

Narendra Damodardas Modi (Gujarati: નરેન્દ્ર મોદી; born 17 September 1950^[1]) is the current Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat. Born in a middle class family in Vadnagar, he was the third of six children born to Damodardas Mulchand Modi and his wife Heeraben.^[2] He has been a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since childhood also having interest in politics since adolescence. He holds a master's degree in political science. In 1998, he was chosen by L. K. Advani, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to direct the election campaign in Gujarat as well as Himachal Pradesh.

He became Chief Minister of Gujarat in October 2001, promoted to the office at a time when his predecessor Keshubhai Patel had resigned, following the defeat of BJP in the by-elections. His tenure as chief minister of Gujarat began on 7 October 2001, and he is the longest serving Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat.^[3] In July 2007 he became the longest serving Chief Minister in Gujarat's history when he had been in power for 2063 days continuously.^[4] He was elected again for a third term^[5] on 23 December 2007 in the state elections, which he had cast as a "referendum on his rule".^[6][7]

Personal life[link]

Modi was born in a middle class family in Vadnagar in Mehsana district of what was then Bombay State, India.^[8] During the Indo-Pak war in the mid sixties, even as a young boy, he volunteered to serve the soldiers in transit at railway stations.^[9] As a young man, he joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, a student organisation and was involved in the anti-corruption Nav Nirmāṇ ("Reconstruction") Movement. After working as a full time organiser for the organisation, he was later nominated as its representative in the Bharatiya Janata Party.^[10] As a teenager Modi used to run a tea stall with his brother.^[11] Modi completed his schooling in Vadnagar. He earned a masters degree in political science from Gujarat University.^[12]

Early activism and politics[link]

Modi was a pracharak (campaigner) in the RSS during his university years.^[12][13] He took up the challenging task of energising the party cadres in right earnest. In partnership with Shankersinh Vaghela, Modi set about creating a strong cadre base in Gujarat. In the initial period, Vaghela was seen as a mass leader, while Modi was recognised as a master strategist.

The party started gaining political mileage and formed a coalition government at the centre in April 1990. This partnership fell apart within a few months, but the BJP came to power with a two-thirds majority on its own in Gujarat in 1995. During this period, Modi was entrusted with the responsibility of organising two crucial national events, the Somnath to Ayodhya Rath Yatra (a political rally through India on a converted Toyota van) of L.K. Advani and a similar march from Kanyakumari (the southernmost part of India) to Kashmir in the North. After the exit of Shankarsingh Vaghela from the BJP, Keshubhai Patel was made Chief Minister while Narendra Modi was sent to New Delhi as a General Secretary of the Party.

In 1995, Modi was appointed the National Secretary of the party and given the charge of five major states in India. In 1998, he was promoted as the General Secretary (Organization), a post he held until October 2001. In 2001, Narendra Modi was chosen by the party to be the Chief Minister of Gujarat after the removal of chief minister Keshubhai Patel.

Tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat[link]

Personality[link]

Modi is known for leading a frugal lifestyle. He has a personal staff of just three. He is known to be a workaholic Chief Minister and an introvert.^[14] He ordered the demolition of many Hindu temples that were built without proper government sanction which earned him the ire of VHP^[11] He is a crowd puller as a speaker. Modi has also tried to turn his image from an Hindu Nationalist politician to an image of able administrator. He wears business suits and is improving his command over the English language.^[15]

Awards and recognitions[link]

Modi was awarded Gujarat Ratna by Shri Poona Gujarati Bandhu Samaj at Ganesh Kala Krida Manch on celebration of centenary year.^[16]

Development of Gujarat[link]

As a Chief Minister, Modi started various 'yojanas' or plans. This includes:

• Panchamrut Yojana,^[17][18][19] a five-pronged strategy for an integrated development of the state,
• Sujalam Sufalam, a scheme to create a grid of water resources in Gujarat in an innovative step towards water conservation and its appropriate utilisation.
• Krishi Mahotsav – agricultural research labs for the land
• Chiranjeevi Yojana – To reduce infant mortality rate
• Matru Vandana – Providing preventive and curative services under the Reproductive and Child Health Programme
• Beti Bachao – Campaign against female infanticide to improve sex ratio
• Jyotigram Yojana – Provide electricity to every village
• Karmayogi Abhiyan – To educate and train government employees
• Kanya Kelavani Yojana – To encourage female literacy and education
• Balbhog Yojana – Midday meal scheme for students to encourage school attendance from poor backgrounds.^[20]

Vibrant Gujarat[link]

Vibrant Gujarat is a biennial Global Investors' Summit held by the Government of Gujarat in Gujarat, India. The event is aimed at bringing together business leaders, investors, corporations, thought leaders, policy and opinion makers; the summit is advertised as a platform to understand and explore business opportunities in the State of Gujarat. the event has been held continuously since 2003.

Gujarat earthquake[link]

The biggest challenge which he had to face when he took over as the Chief Minister, was the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the areas affected by the massive Gujarat Earthquake of January 2001.

Gujarat violence[link]

On 27 February 2002, a train was burned by a Muslim mob in the town of Godhra leading to 59 deaths, most of them Hindu pilgrims and activists returning from the holy city of Ayodhya.^[21] Riots broke out in the state after it was suspected to be caused by Muslims, leading to 1180 deaths, many of them Muslims. Modi administration was accused of inaction over the riots and for encouraging them.^[15] As an aftermath of the riots, there were calls for Modi to resign from his position as chief minister of Gujarat. The opposition parties stalled the national parliament over the issue. Even Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP), allies of the BJP, asked for Modi's resignation.^[22][23] Modi submitted his resignation to the Governor and recommended the dissolution of the 10th Gujarat Legislative Assembly.^[24][25] In the following state re-elections the BJP, led by Modi, won 127 seats in the 182-member assembly.

In April 2009, the Supreme Court of India appointed a special team of investigators to look into the role Modi had played in the alleged anti-Muslim conspiracy.^[15] The team was appointed in response to the complaint of zakia Jafri, the widow of ex-Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, who was murdered in the riots.^[26] In December 2010, a Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) in its report to the Supreme Court seeking answers pertaining to the Ehsan Jafri case, submitted that they had found no evidence against Narendra Modi.^[27]

However in February 2011, the Times of India reported that a confidential report from the SIT indicted Modi on several counts of alleged complicity in the Gujarat riots of 2002.^[28] Most other sources have noted that the SIT report does not indict Modi for the riots due to lack of evidence.^[29][30] The Indian Express too said the report did not find any Modi involvement in the violence, though it did accuse him of watering down the seriousness of the situation.^[31] According to the Hindu, the report not only found that Modi tried to water down the seriousness of the situation, but Modi also implicitly justified the killings of Muslims, and failed to condemn the attacks on them.^[32] The Bharatiya Janata Party demanded an investigation into the publication of the report, claiming the leak was politically motivated.^[33]

The apex court refused to pass any order on the case and referred it to the Ahmedabad magistrate for a decision.^[34] In April 2012, a Special Investigation Team found absolved Modi of any involvement in the Gulberg massacre, arguably the worst episode of the riots.^[35]. On 7 May 2012, a Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae, Raju Ramachandran observed that Modi can be prosecuted under sections 153 A (1) (a) & (b), 153 B (1), 166 and 505 (2) of the Indian Penal Code for promoting enmity among different groups during the 2002 Gujarat riots.^[36]. However the amicus report has been criticised by the Special Investigation Team for relying heavily on the testimony of a perjurer^[37].

2007 elections[link]

Modi made a speech at Mangrol in which he justified the alleged fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, During the election campaign In response to Sonia Gandhi's speech calling him a "merchant of death",^[38] and referred to Sohrabuddin's killing. For this speech the Election Commission of India, a constitutional body governing election proceedings in India, cautioned Modi as it considered it as indulging in an activity which may aggravate existing differences between different communities.^[39] Modi won the election and continued his post as the Chief Minister Of Gujarat, he won with majority of votes of 122 seats out of 182 total assembly seats.^[40]

Conflicts with Governor Kamla Beniwal[link]

On 25 August 2011 Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal appointed Justice R A Mehta to the post of Lokyukta of Gujarat, a critical anti-corruption post that had been lying vacant since 2003. Justice R A Mehta was recommended for the post by the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court in June. Since Governor Beniwal had made this decision without consulting and getting the approval of the chief minister and his council of ministers, the action angered Narendra Modi and his BJP party.^[41]

This marked the beginning of a strained relationship between Modi and the Governor. On 25 September 2011, Narendra Modi accused the Governor of running a parallel government in the state supported by the Congress. He demanded that she be recalled back.^[42] He also later accused her of delaying the progress of bills by not passing them.

The decision of the governor in the appointment of R A Mehta was challenged in the high court by the Modi government. The two member high court bench gave a split verdict on 10 October 2011. Later, a third member upheld the governor's decision in January 2012.^[43]

Foreign visits[link]

As the Chief Minister of the Gujarat State, to attract foreign investment in the state, Narendra Modi has made visits to foreign countries, including China and Singapore.

Narendra Modi made his first China visit in 2007 to invite investors Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor Summit,^[44] and second visit in November 2011. One month after the second visit to China, the Chinese Government released 13 Diamond traders from India jailed by the Shenzhen Customs, which the Chief Minister described as the consequece of his diplomatic efforts and statesmanship.^[45]

In 2005 Narendra Modi was denied of diplomatic visa to the United States, in addition to this visa denial, he was also revoked from his already granted B-1/B-2 visa.^[46]

Sadbhavna Mission[link]

In the late 2011-early 2012 Narandra Modi practised a series of fasts in the name of Sadbhavna Mission. The mission started on 17 September 2011 in Ahmedabad with 3 day fast with a view to strengthen the atmosphere of peace, unity and harmony in the state. He observed total 36 fasts in 26 districts, 8 cities including Ahmedabad.^[47]

Views and opinions[link]

Modi's position on terrorism[link]

On 18 July 2006 Modi delivered a speech criticising Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "for his reluctance to revive anti-terror legislations" like the Prevention of Terrorism Act. He asked the Centre to empower states to invoke tougher laws in the wake of the blasts in Mumbai.^[48] Quoting Modi:

Narendra Modi has frequently commented that if the BJP came to power at the Centre, they will honour the 2004 Supreme Court judgement to hang Afzal Guru.^[49] Afzal was convicted of terrorism in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack in 2004 by the Supreme Court of India and is in Tihar Jail.^[50]

On account of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, on Thursday 27 November, Narendra Modi held a meeting to discuss waterfront security along the coastline.^[51] The meeting decided to ask the Central government to urgently sanction the following:

• Increase the number of police stations along the coast to 50 (from 10)
• Increase the number of police to 1500 from 250
• 30 modern high-speed surveillance boats.

The 30 coastal boats, under construction at Goa's shipbuilding yard, will have the capacity to run at the speed of 25 nautical miles per hour. These are being manufactured under the Centre's Rs 58-crore grant for coastal security.^[51]

Views on criticism of Modi's governance[link]

In 2003, when Narendra Modi was asked about the conflict of his dreams for Gujarat's future with international criticism of his past activities, Modi said,^[52]

Modi's decision to link Gujarat's violence with the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US drew criticism from some observers, who contrasted it with the then Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's unpleasant apology for Gujarat in London a year ago.^[52] Modi responded to this criticism by The Guardian,^[52]

See also[link]

• Chief Minister
• Gujarat
• Bhartiya Janata Party

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Narendra Modi

Official

• @narendramodi Official & verified Twitter Account
• Narendra Modi Official website
• Narendra Modi Personal blog

Other

• Profile at BBC News

v t e Current Chief Ministers of Indian states (list)     Andhra Pradesh: Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy Arunachal Pradesh: Nabam Tuki Assam: Tarun Gogoi Bihar: Nitish Kumar Chhattisgarh: Raman Singh Goa: Manohar Parrikar Gujarat: Narendra Modi Haryana: Bhupinder Singh Hooda Himachal Pradesh: Prem Kumar Dhumal Jammu and Kashmir: Omar Abdullah Jharkhand: Arjun Munda Karnataka: D. V. Sadananda Gowda Kerala: Oommen Chandy Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chauhan Maharashtra: Prithviraj Chavan Manipur: Okram Ibobi Singh Meghalaya: Mukul Sangma Mizoram: Pu Lalthanhawla Nagaland: Neiphiu Rio Orissa: Naveen Patnaik Punjab: Parkash Singh Badal Rajasthan: Ashok Gehlot Sikkim: Pawan Kumar Chamling Tamil Nadu: Jayalalithaa Tripura: Manik Sarkar Uttar Pradesh: Akhilesh Yadav Uttarakhand: Vijay Bahuguna West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee Delhi: Sheila Dikshit Pondicherry: N. Rangaswamy

Lalit Kumar Modi, (Hindi: ललित कुमार मोदी; born November 29, 1963, Delhi, India) is one of the architects of the Indian Premier League (IPL)^[4]

Best known for his stint as the Chairman and Commissioner of the Indian Premier League and the Chairman of the Champions League, between 2008 and 2010, he has also occupied the roles of Vice President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), between 2005 and September 2010, and Vice President of the Punjab Cricket Association.^[5]

Lalit Modi is also the President and Managing Director of Modi Enterprises and the Executive Director of Godfrey Phillips India.^[6]

Early life[link]

Lalit Kumar Modi was born into a wealthy and successful business family. His father Krishan Kumar Modi is Chairman of Modi Enterprises, a Rs40 billion business empire, which was founded by his grandfather, Rai Bahadur Gujarmal Modi, who also founded the town of Modinagar.^[7]

Family[link]

Lalit Modi is married to Minal, whom he met while studying in the USA. Modi has three children, Karima, Ruchir and Aliya.

Karima, who is Minal’s daughter from a previous marriage, is married and currently living in London. Karima has a daughter named Arya. ^{[8] [9]}

Due to security reasons the Modis had left Mumbai in May 2010 and have relocated to London.

Family Security Threat[link]

In March 2009 the Mumbai police arrested and interrogated Rashid Malabari, who is reportedly the hit man of underworld don Chota Shakeel.^[10] During the interrogation, Malabari revealed that the there was a plan to assassinate Lalit Modi, his wife Minal and son Ruchir.^[11]

This was later cross-referenced by a government intelligence agency, who picked up a phone conversation between Chota Shakeel and his boss Dawood Ibrahim instructing him to hire four assassins to carry out the assassination of Modi and his family in either South Africa or in India.^[12]

Till today, Modi remains under constant threat and is rumoured to travel in a bullet-proof car and to be protected by three layers of around-the-clock security. ^[13]

His son Ruchir remains under a high security cover as well after 2 near incidents took place on his life as mentioned on a letter sent by him to the Commissioner of Mumbai Police. In Mumbai and the rest of India Ruchir never leaves his house which was for a few months the five star deluxe Four Seasons Hotel in Southern Bombay without his convoy containing 7 vehicles including a police escort vehicle. He has a highly trained security team containing approximately 12 private Bodyguards including foreign security specialists and 4 heavily armed members of the Mumbai Police Protection Squad. ^[14], ^[15], ^[16]

Education[link]

Lalit Modi joined Bishop Cotton School in Shimla, Asia's first boarding school, in 1971.^[17] Modi is noted to have been a brilliant sportsman and used to play a number of sports, including cricket.^[17] He also attended St Joseph's College in Nainital. Having scored well in the SAT^{[citation needed]}, he chose to skip the school-leaving examinations, which were required for entrance to colleges and universities in India, and travelled to the United States to continue with his studies, where he is believed to have studied in Pace University and Duke University, between 1983 and 1986.^[18] Considering that he was a sophomore at the time of his criminal trials in 1985, it is not clear if he finished the degree in 1986.

On March 1, 1985, while a sophomore, Modi was arrested on charges of conspiracy to traffic cocaine, assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill^[19] and second-degree kidnapping. On April 2, 1985, Modi and another student were indicted.^{[20] [21]}Modi pleaded guilty to the crime when the case was heard in the Durham County court, North Carolina and later entered a plea bargain, which resulted in a suspended two year prison sentence.^[22]

Business career[link]

Modi is the President and Managing Director of Modi Enterprises, an industrial conglomerate created and run by his family.^[23] Modi has been the Executive Director of Godfrey Phillips India since 1992, one of India's largest tobacco companies.^[23] The company is jointly promoted by the Modi Enterprises and Philip Morris International.^[24]

Modi Entertainment Networks[link]

Modi started a 10-year joint venture with Walt Disney Pictures in 1993, called Modi Entertainment Networks (MEN), to broadcast some of Disney's content in India, including Fashion TV.^[25][26]

In 1994, he became the pan-India distributor of ESPN on a ten-year contract worth $975 million. His job was to collect money from the cable companies in India in exchange for them broadcasting ESPN.^[27]

The deal, gave ESS exclusive global commercial rights for all T20 Champions League seasons until 2017, making it the highest cricket tournament by value on a per game basis.^[28]

Apart from ESS, bids were received from Abu Dhabi Sports Club and Dubai International Capital (DIC). While the DIC bid was for $751.3 million, Abu Dhabi Sports Club’s bid, being a conditional one, was disqualified. ESS had bid $900 million for the deal and an additional $75 million for marketing.^[29]

Of the deal, ESS Managing Director, Manu Sawhney said: “This deal will cement our relationship with BCCI, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa and we are committed to setting new benchmarks in broadcast and distribution.” Lalit Modi, who was IPL chairman and commissioner at the time, said: “We believe this is the best commercial deal for Champions League.”^[30]

In 2008 ESPN, paid almost $1 billion for the global rights to the Twenty20 Champions League, in a ten year deal. Lalit Modi called it: “The best commercial deal for the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 season and for cricket fans across the world.” ^[31]

On 24th January 2008 The Indian Premier League announced the new owners of eight franchises. The base price of the auction was set at $400 million, but the final auction total reached $723.59 million. Mumbai was the most expensive team, costing $111.9 million. ^[32]

In October 2009, Nimbus Communications paid $431 million for the rights to India's home international games for four years, which commenced in April 2010. Although the deal didn’t include internet or radio rights, Lalit Modi indicated the deal was: "The highest price ever that will be paid per match by a broadcaster to any national board." ^[33]

Pune and Kochi were unveiled on 21st March 2010 as the two new franchises for the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League. Pune was bought by Sahara Adventure Sports Group for $370 million and the Kochi franchise was bought by Rendezvous Sports World Limited for $333.3 million. The auction fetched a total $723.59 million. ^[34]

Other Interests[link]

In 2002, he launched an online lottery business in Kerala called Sixo.[1] He later went into the real estate business in Rajasthan, with a company called Amer Heritage City Construction Pvt Ltd, where his wife, Minal, is a director.^[5][35]

Cricket Administration[link]

Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association[link]

Lalit Modi joined the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association in 1999 (when it had no cricket stadium) after promising to build a cricket stadium that would be used to play cricket in the Indian summer.^[36] In 2000, he started raising concerns with the way things were run in Himachal, and was booted-out when Mr. Prem Kumar Dhumal became the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and installed his son as the President of the HP Cricket Association.

Rajasthan Cricket Association[link]

In 2005, Lalit Modi joined the Rajasthan Cricket Association. He became a member of the Nagore district. He allegedly submitted his name to the RCA as Lalit Kumar, because he did not want to be "cut-off" like he was with the HPCA.^[37] He raised concerns with the way RCA was run by the Rungta family for 40 years. There were 32 district associations in Rajasthan and 57 members, of which all 57 were related to the Rungta family. There were no elections in the RCA for 40 years.

He eventually became president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, with the help of then Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje, who changed the law in Rajasthan, effective 18 August 2004, so that the RCA becomes a more democratic organisation with elections. His election was mired in controversy as he was accused of impersonating one Lalit Kumar to gain eligibility. His stint was over after Vasundhara lost the elections and he had to fight a fair election. He lost to Sanjay Dixit on 1st March 2009, a career bureuacrat and firebrand cricket administrator with whose brains and help, Lalit Modi had got into Rajasthan Cricket Association. He did try to engineer a comeback by fomenting a revolt against Sanjay Dixit and the Government of Rajasthan, in a surprise move, ordered re-election. The wily fighter that he is, Sanjay Dixit patched up with Dr. CP Joshi, a Union Cabinet Minister, and Lalit Modi had the dubious distinction of losing twice in a calendar year after he lost the re-election to CP Joshi - Sanjay Dixit combine. CP Joshi is now the President while Sanjay Dixit as Secretary General continues to run the Rajasthan Cricket Association far more successfully compared to Lalit Modi, making Rajasthan win the Ranji Trophy in 2011.

Board of Control for Cricket in India[link]

In 2004, Lalit Modi ran for President of Rajasthan Cricket Association and won, which entitled him to a seat on the Board of Control for Cricket in India.^[38]

In 2005, Modi figured in a power struggle that resulted in Sharad Pawar, an influential politician and national cabinet minister, ousting former Indian cricket supremo and International Cricket Council Chief, Jagmohan Dalmiya, in the Board of Control for Cricket in India elections. Modi was then appointed Vice-President of the BCCI.^[39]

Lalit Modi was heavily involved in the commercial side of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and it is reported he was responsible for increasing the BCCI's revenues sevenfold between 2005 and 2008, with the BCCI then reporting annual revenues of over $1 billion.^[40]

During his time at the BCCI, Lalit Modi concluded the following deals:

• Pan-India distributor deal with ESPN on a ten-year contract - $975 million in 1994
• Team Sponsorship Deal for Team India with Sahara Thenyamukkim group for 4 years - $103 million (415 Crores) on 20.12.05^[41]
• Team Apparel Sponsor Deal for Team India with Nike for 4 year - $53 million (215 Crores) on 24.12.05^[42]
• Media Rights Deal with Nimbus for 4 years - $612 million on 18.2.06^[43]
• Media Rights for overseas matches with Zee for 4 years - $219 million on 7.4.06^[42]
• BCCI Sponsorship Deal with WSG - $46 million (173 Crores) on 27.8.07^[44]
• The Indian Premier League sold eight franchises - $723.59 million on 24.01.08 ^[45]
• ESPN deal for Twenty20 global rights - $1 billion in 2008 ^[46]
• IPL Media Rights Deal with Sony - $1.26 Billion on 15.1.08^[47]
• Web Media Rights to Live current Media - $50 million on 18.4.08^[48]
• IPL Title sponsorship and Ground sponsors - $220 million in March 2008^[49]
• Renegotiated with Sony WSG the IPL Media rights from $1.26 billion to over $2.46 billion on 25.3.2009^[50]
• Nimbus Communications four year deal for the rights to India's home international games - US$431 million in October 2009 ^[51]
• IPL Theatrical Rights Deal with UFO and ESD for over 300 Crores on 12 November 2009^[52]
• IPL Entertainment Broadcast deal with Viacom for over $30 Million on 23 January 2010^[53]
• IPL undisclosed sum deal with Google and YouTube on 22 January 2010^[54]
• Pune and Kochi deal with Sahara Adventure Sports Group and Rendezvous Sports World Limited - US$703 million on 21st March 2010 ^[55]

Punjab Cricket Association[link]

Lalit Modi is currently the Vice President of the Punjab Cricket Association under the patronage of former Board of Control for Cricket in India President, I.S. Bindra.^[56]

IPL 5: Punjab sign Awana, Gurkreet

Indian Premier League[link]

In 2008, Lalit Modi was instrumental in launching the Indian Premier League (IPL), a league based around Twenty20 cricket, where each team is limited to batting for a maximum of 20 overs.^[57] he also engineered the Indian Premier League's move to South Africa in 2009 after the dates of the tournament clashed with the Indian general election and the Union Minister of Home Affairs, P. Chidambaram, could not commit to the security of the tournament.^[57]

The IPL has since grown into one of the world's biggest sports, worth over $4 billion.^[58] The commercial success of the Indian Premier League and Modi's control of the league has led to him being compared to Don King and Bernie Ecclestone.^[58]

In 2010, Modi oversaw the bidding process and creation of two new teams in the Indian Premier League. Pune and Kochi were declared the new franchises. A Twitter entry by Modi declaring the stakeholders of the Kochi IPL Team allegedly breaching confidentiality agreements led to the resignation of the then Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Dr. Shashi Tharoor.^[59][60]

Modi was then suspended as Chairman and Commissioner of the IPL in April 2010.^[61] A suspension notice and a 34-page letter stating 22 charges of impropriety were served via email to Modi. Modi publicly protested his innocence immediately after the 2010 Indian Premier League Final had been played.^[58]

An income tax department report on Modi has revealed that he holds a silent stake in three IPL teams - the Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab.^[62] Furthermore, there are questions as to whether Modi was involved in match fixing and betting in Indian Premier League games.^[63] He is also under fire for helping his family and friends buy stakes in Indian Premier League teams.^[64]

In March 2012 New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns successfully sued Modi for making false, malicious statements in the media about Mr Cairns. This is after Modi posted on Twitter in 2010 that Cairns had been involved in match-fixing during 2008, which was proven to be lies made up by Modi. Cairns won costs and damages.^[65]

Mihir Bose Interview[link]

On 25th November 2010 an exclusive interview conducted in London between Mihir Bose and Lalit Modi was posted on the official www.lalitmodi.org website. During his first interview since being suspended as commissioner of the IPL, Lalit Modi rejected a number of allegations levelled against him during his career. Global news networks, newspapers and social media sources reported on the interview, including The Times of India, AFP and The Economic Times. ^[66]

When questioned about the $80 million that he allegedly cost the BCCI, Modi claimed that ”the way I did the deals I made the BCCI billions of dollars not cost them eighty million dollars.” ^[67]

Modi indicated that his security agencies advised him not to return to India until the threat level reduced. Security protection has remained high since Modi moved the IPL to South Africa in 2009. ^[68]

Awards and Recognitions[link]

• In October 2011, Lalit Modi was bestowed the 'Outstanding Contribution Award' at the 2011 International Sports Event Management (ISEM) Awards^[69]
• In February 2010, Sports Illustrated named Lalit Modi as the 2nd Most Powerful Person in Indian Sports^[3]
• On 28 December 2009, Business Standard named Lalit Modi as one of the ‘Game Changers of the Decade’^[70]
• On 26 September 2009, Lalit Modi was presented with the ‘Brand of the Year’ award by India Leadership Conclave^[71]
• In August 2009, Forbes Magazine described the IPL as ‘the world's hottest sports league’ – a remarkable accolade from a US magazine less than a year after the IPL’s launch^[72]
• On 22 January 2009, Lalit Modi was given the ‘Sport Business Leader’ award by CBNC-TV18^[73]
• On 30 December 2008, SportzPower ranked Lalit Modi No. 1 in their annual Top 20^[74]
• On 12 November 2008, Lalit Modi was given the SportsBusiness ‘Rushmans Award For Sports Event Innovation’ by Rushmans^[75]
• On 8 November 2008, Lalit Modi was given the ‘Teacher's Achievement of the Year’ award by Beam Global Spirits & Wine^[76]
• In October 2008, Business Week ranked Lalit Modi 19th in a list of 25 most powerful global sports figures^[77]
• On 24 October 2008, Lalit Modi was awarded for ‘Excellence in Innovation’ at the Frost & Sullivan Growth Excellence Awards^[78]
• On 6 October 2008, Lalit Modi was named ‘The Most Innovative Business Leader in India’ by NDTV Profit^[79]
• On 26 September 2008, Lalit Modi was presented with ‘The Consumer Award for Transforming Cricket in India’ by CNBC Awaaz^[80]
• On 25 September 2008, Lalit Modi was named ‘Brand Builder of the Year’ by Asia Brand Conference^[81]
• In August 2008, Lalit Modi was ranked number 17 in the leading sports magazine Sports Pro’s Power List of global figures connected with sports^[82]
• In July 2008, Time Magazine ranked Lalit Modi 16th in a list of the world’s best sports executives^[83]
• In July 2008 he featured on the cover of Sports Pro and was hailed as the Best Rain Maker (money maker) for any sports body in the history of sports globally^[84]
• On 21 June 2008, Lalit Modi was given the ‘Business Standard Award’ for making BCCI the Most Innovative Company in India for that year^[85]
• On 9 April 2006, Mike Atherton described Lalit Modi as arguably ‘the most important cricket administrator in the world today’^[86]
• In March 2008, Lalit Modi was listed among India's 30 most powerful people by the India Today magazine^[40]

See also[link]

• Rajasthan Government Sports Re-organizations Act, 2004. [2]
• Indian Cricket League
• Indian Premier League
• Twenty20 Champions League
• Twenty20 Cup
• Gabriella Demetriades

Sachin hits 100th international ton

External links[link]

• Official Website of Lalit Modi
• Official YouTube Channel of Lalit Modi
• Official Twitter Account of Lalit Modi
• Official Facebook Fan Page of Lalit Modi
• Lalit modi LinkedIn profile
• Lalit Modi topic page on Forbes.com

Nitish Kumar
Chief Minister of Bihar
In office 3 March 2000 – 10 March 2000
Deputy CM	Sushil Kumar Modi
Preceded by	President's rule
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 November 2005
Preceded by	Rabri Devi
Minister of Railways
In office 20 March 2001 – 21 May 2004
Preceded by	Ram Vilas Paswan
Succeeded by	Lalu Prasad Yadav
In office 19 March 1998 – 5 August 1999
Minister of Agriculture
In office 27 May 2000 – 21 July 2001
In office 22 November 1999 – 3 March 2000
Minister of Surface Transport
In office 13 October 1999 – 22 November 1999
In office 14 April 1998 – 5 August 1999
Personal details
Born	(1951-03-01) 1 March 1951 (age 61) kalyanbigha, Nalanda
Nationality	Indian
Political party	Janata Dal (United)
Spouse(s)	Late Smt. Manju Kumari Sinha
Children	Nishant Kumar (son)
Residence	1 Anne Marg, Patna
Alma mater	National Institute of Technology, Patna
Profession	Politician Social Worker Agriculturist Engineer
Religion	Hinduism
Website	http://cm.bih.nic.in
As of 18 June, 2006 Source: Government of India

Nitish Kumār (born 1 March 1951) is an Indian politician who has been a Union Minister and is the Chief Minister of Bihar, an eastern state of India, since 2005. He belongs to the Janata Dal (United) party. As Chief Minister, he gained popularity by initiating a series of developmental and constructive activities including building of long-delayed bridges, re-laying roads that had ceased to exist, appointing over 100,000 school teachers, ensuring that doctors worked in primary health centers, and keeping crime in check.^[1]

Early life and career[link]

Nitish Kumār was born in Kalyanbigha, Bihar to Kaviraj Ram Lakhan Singh and Parmeshwari Devi.^[2] His father was a freedom fighter and was close to the great Gandhian Bihar Vibhuti Anugrah Narayan Sinha, one of the founders of modern Bihar. His nickname is 'Munna'.^[3] He is a teetotaler, does not smoke, and is a frugal eater.^[4]

He has a degree in electrical engineering from the Bihar College of Engineering, Patna now NIT Patna.^[5] He joined the Bihar State Electricity Board, but almost halfheartedly, and later moved into politics.^[6]

Political career[link]

Nitish Kumar belongs to a socialist class of politicians.He learnt the lessons of politics under the tutelage of stalwarts Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia, Karpoori Thakur, S N Sinha, George Fernandes and V. P. Singh.^[7]

Early career[link]

Nitish Kumar participated in Jayaprakash Narayan's movement^[8] between 1974 and 1977, and was close to Satyendra Narayan Sinha, a prominent leader of the time. In the 1980 Bihar assembly elections, Kumar stood from Harnaut, which had a strong presence of his fellow Kurmis. He lost, however, to a Kurmi ‘bahubali’ (muscleman/criminal politician).^[9] He was first elected to the Bihar Legislative Assembly in 1985 as an independent candidate. In 1987, he became the President of the Yuva Lok Dal. In 1989, he became the Secretary-General of the Janata Dal in Bihar. He was also elected to the 9th Lok Sabha the same year. Nitish was aligned with Laloo Prasad Yadav for years before they parted ways and Janata Dal (United) came into existence in 2003.^[10][11]

During his term as Minister of Railways, he brought widespread reforms.^[12]

Union Minister in Centre[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2011)

In 1989, Nitish Kumar was appointed as the Union Minister of State for Agriculture in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh. In 1991, he was re-elected to the Lok Sabha and became General Secretary of the Janata Dal at the national level and the Deputy Leader of Janata Dal in the Parliament. He represented Barh parliamentary constituency in the Lok Sabha between 1989 and 2004.

He briefly served as the Union Cabinet Minister for Railways and Minister for Surface Transport and then as the Minister for Agriculture in 1998–99. In August 1999, he resigned following the Gaisal train disaster. He introduced internet ticket booking facility as well as opened record number of railway ticket booking counters. He introduced revolutionary tatkal scheme for instant booking.

Later that year, he rejoined the Union Cabinet as Minister for Agriculture. From 2001 to May 2004, he served as the Union Cabinet Minister for Railways in the NDA Government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections he contested elections from two constituencies, Barh and Nalanda. He was elected from Nalanda but lost from his traditional constituency, Barh. He was the leader of the Janata Dal (United) Parliamentary Party in the Lok Sabha.

Chief Minister of Bihar[link]

1st Term (3 March 2000 – 10 March 2000)[link]

On 3 March 2000, Nitish Kumar was appointed the Chief Minister of Bihar, but he resigned seven days later because failed to prove majority.

2nd Term (24 November 2005 – 24 November 2010)[link]

In November 2005, he led the National Democratic Alliance to victory in the 2005 Bihar assembly elections bringing an end to the 15-year rule of the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal. He was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar on 24 November 2005. Under his government, Bihar developed an electronic version of the Right to Information Act called Jankari scheme. In addition, he launched the E-shakti NREGS program, by which rural people can get employment information by telephone. He is credited with improving infrastructure, and reducing crime, widely felt to be serious problems in the state.

Under his governance Bihar has had a record number of criminal prosecutions through fast track courts. His government initiated a mandatory weekly meeting with all District Magistrates to monitor progress at the grassroot level. His government has generated employment in police services and teaching. Bihar recorded record construction work during his five year mandate, surpassing the national average.

Nitish Kumar government also initiated bicycle and meal programs – the government gave bicycles to girls who stayed in school – which saw Bihar getting huge number of girls into schools and fall in school drop out rates.^[13] Women and extremely backward castes were given 50% reservation in electorals for the first time ever in India. However, bicycle scheme of Nitish Government has been criticised by some people because of corruption involved in the scheme.

Health schemes were launched to improve village hospitals and the free medicine distribution system. Loan schemes for farmers were improved by involving national banks.

The state witnessed steep hike in GSDP growth, the second highest in the country. Bihar was recorded as the highest tax payer state in eastern India.

Dr. Abdul Kalam, former President of India and Nitish Kumar initiated the Nalanda International University project, headed by the Prime Minister of India.

In 2010, Nitish Kumar's party swept back to power along with its ally Bharatiya Janata Party. On 26 November 2010, Nitish Kumar took oath as a Chief Minister of Bihar. This is his second consecutive term as Chief Minister of Bihar.[6]

3rd Term (26 November 2010 – Till Now)[link]

In a keenly fought contest, Nitish Kumar led JDU-BJP combine won with four-fifth majority. NDA won 206 seats while RJD won 22 seats. No party there has won enough seats to represent the opposition in the state assembly, which requires at least 25 seats to become eligible to represent the main opposition party.^[14][15]

For the last time electorates witnessed high turnout of women and young voters, while this declared as the fairest Bihari election, with no bloodshed or poll violence.^[16]

Personal life[link]

On 22 February 1973, Nitish Kumar married Manju Kumari Sinha, a teacher by profession. They have a son, Nishant, who is a graduate of BIT, Mesra.^[17] His wife died in 2007 at the age of 53. He is credited with giving a new face to Bihar. The kind of win his Alliance registered during 2010 Bihar Assembly is viewed amongst the biggest ever election win by anyone in Indian elections, where the entire opposition was almost wiped off. Many sections of media and political sections consider him as the best Chief Minister from India, able to bring success of governance in a state of turmoil, finishing caste, religion barrier and paving way for development. For his clean and Statesmanship he owns respect from his bitter opponents and all political parties including Congress whose many prominent leaders including chief Sonia Gandhi, Home Minister P. Chidambaram, NCP leader Agatha Sangma and Congress leader(Minister for information and broadcasting) Ambika Soni, credited Nitish Kumar's clean, pro-citizen development oriented governance. It is a status which currently only Nitish Kumar enjoys, something a rare feat in Indian politics where someone achieves respect and appreciation from opposition along with landslide public support from all sections of Society.

Awards and recognition[link]

• XLRI,Jamshedpur "Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal" for Industrial & Social Peace 2011.^[18]
• "MSN Indian of the year 2010"^[19]
• NDTV Indian of the Year – Politics, 2010^[20]
• Forbes "India's Person of the Year", 2010^[21]
• CNN-IBN "Indian of the Year Award" – Politics, 2010^[22]
• NDTV Indian of the year – Politics, 2009^[23]
• Economics Times "Business reformer of the Year 2009".^[24]
• 'Polio Eradication Championship Award' 2009, by Rotary Internationals.^[25]
• CNN-IBN Great Indian of the Year – Politics, 2008^[26]
• The Best Chief Minister,^[27] according to the CNN-IBN and HT State of the Nation Poll 2007.

Positions Held[link]

See also[link]

• List of Chief Ministers of Bihar

References[link]