Matran
Country Switzerland Canton Fribourg District Sarine 46°47′N 7°6′E / 46.783°N 7.1°E / 46.783; 7.1Coordinates: 46°47′N 7°6′E / 46.783°N 7.1°E / 46.783; 7.1
Population	1,552 (Dec 2010)[1]
- Density	537 /km2 (1,391 /sq mi)
Area	2.86 km2 (1.10 sq mi)[2]
Elevation	614 m (2,014 ft)
Postal code	1753
SFOS number	2208
Surrounded by	Avry, Corminboeuf, Hauterive, Neyruz, Villars-sur-Glâne
Website	www.matran.ch SFSO statistics
Matran
Location of Matran

Matran is a municipality in the district of Sarine in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland.

History[link]

Matran is first mentioned in 1123 as Martrans.^[3] It is then mentioned in 1138 under the name Martrens en Nuithonie. Later it changed to Martrans (1148), Matrans (1157), Martranz (1285), Martrant (1445), Martrand (1555) and Matrang (1668). The place name derives from "Martyrus".

In the Middle Ages the Abbey of Payerne owned much land in Matran. In 1442 the hamlet was sold and came into possession of Fribourg. After the collapse of the Ancien Régime (1798) Matran belonged, during the Helvetic Republic and later, to the county of Fribourg. In 1848 it became a member of the Saane District of the Canton of Fribourg.

Matran has grown from a sleepy hamlet of a few hundred farmers and their families to a population of over 1,000 inhabitants in the last 25 years. Matran boasts a wonderful gothic parish church dating back to the 16th century with rare 18th century ceiling paintings depicting the 4 evangelists by an unknown artist, and a gigantic bronze Pieta by Hugo de Matran at the town mortuary.

The town is dominated by the former Kollegium Sankt Joseph, once a boarding school run by the Redemptorist Fathers (C. Ss. R.), which since the early 1990 serves a spiritual retreat for groups. The chapel is frequently used for broadcasts by the TV de la Suisse Romande.

Former students and teachers include the Swiss author Peter Fahr; the Fribourg Cathedral Organist and music professor Francois Seydoux (an expert on Alois Moser the organ builder); Luc Seydoux, organist; Father Alois Schmid (C. Ss. R.), author and biology professor at the University of Fribourg; James d'Argantel Odrowaz, painter and author.

Matran is also home to sculptor and painter Hugo de Matran (Hugo Heule).

Geography[link]

Matran has an area, as of 2009^[update], of 2.9 square kilometers (1.1 sq mi). Of this area, 1.47 km² (0.57 sq mi) or 51.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 0.55 km² (0.21 sq mi) or 19.2% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.85 km² (0.33 sq mi) or 29.7% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.02 km² (4.9 acres) or 0.7% is either rivers or lakes.^[4]

Of the built up area, industrial buildings made up 4.9% of the total area while housing and buildings made up 12.6% and transportation infrastructure made up 9.8%. Power and water infrastructure as well as other special developed areas made up 1.4% of the area Out of the forested land, all of the forested land area is covered with heavy forests. Of the agricultural land, 33.9% is used for growing crops and 17.1% is pastures. All the water in the municipality is flowing water.^[4]

The municipality is located in the Sarine district, on the left bank of the Glane river. It is at an elevation of 614 m (2,014 ft) above sea level and is about 5.5 km (3.4 mi) from the canton's capital of Fribourg.

Coat of arms[link]

The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure a Lion rampant Or langued Gules holding upright a Cornucopia of the last filled with Roses of the same leaved Vert.^[5]

Demographics[link]

Matran has a population (as of December 2010^[update]) of 1,552.^[1] As of 2008^[update], 15.2% of the population are resident foreign nationals.^[6] Over the last 10 years (2000–2010) the population has changed at a rate of 26.4%. Migration accounted for 19.4%, while births and deaths accounted for 5.5%.^[7] Most of the population (as of 2000^[update]) speaks French (1,103 or 87.5%) as their first language, German is the second most common (95 or 7.5%) and Italian is the third (18 or 1.4%).^[8]

As of 2008^[update], the population was 50.0% male and 50.0% female. The population was made up of 652 Swiss men (41.8% of the population) and 128 (8.2%) non-Swiss men. There were 658 Swiss women (42.2%) and 123 (7.9%) non-Swiss women.^[9] Of the population in the municipality, 259 or about 20.5% were born in Matran and lived there in 2000. There were 614 or 48.7% who were born in the same canton, while 195 or 15.5% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 173 or 13.7% were born outside of Switzerland.^[8]

As of 2000^[update], children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 31.5% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 59.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 8.9%.^[7]

As of 2000^[update], there were 568 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 613 married individuals, 40 widows or widowers and 40 individuals who are divorced.^[8]

As of 2000^[update], there were 435 private households in the municipality, and an average of 2.8 persons per household.^[7] There were 86 households that consist of only one person and 52 households with five or more people. In 2000^[update], a total of 429 apartments (88.6% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 47 apartments (9.7%) were seasonally occupied and 8 apartments (1.7%) were empty.^[10] As of 2009^[update], the construction rate of new housing units was 41.7 new units per 1000 residents.^[7]

The historical population is given in the following chart:^[3][11] <timeline> Colors=

 id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9)
 id:darkgrey  value:gray(0.8)

ImageSize = width:1020 height:210 PlotArea = height:150 left:100 bottom:50 right:100 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:1300 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:300 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:60 start:0 PlotData=

 color:yellowgreen width:40   mark:(line,white) align:center
 bar:1811 from:start till:182 text:"182"
 bar:1850 from:start till:314 text:"314"
 bar:1860 from:start till:316 text:"316"
 bar:1870 from:start till:329 text:"329"
 bar:1880 from:start till:316 text:"316"
 bar:1888 from:start till:316 text:"316"
 bar:1900 from:start till:309 text:"309"
 bar:1910 from:start till:335 text:"335"
 bar:1920 from:start till:312 text:"312"
 bar:1930 from:start till:315 text:"315"
 bar:1941 from:start till:368 text:"368"
 bar:1950 from:start till:369 text:"369"
 bar:1960 from:start till:430 text:"430"
 bar:1970 from:start till:454 text:"454"
 bar:1980 from:start till:603 text:"603"
 bar:1990 from:start till:1009 text:"1,009"
 bar:2000 from:start till:1261 text:"1,261"

</timeline>

Politics[link]

In the 2011 federal election the most popular party was the SPS which received 27.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the CVP (23.7%), the FDP (16.3%) and the SVP (15.1%).^[12]

The SPS received about the same percentage of the vote as they did in the 2007 Federal election (31.3% in 2007 vs 27.7% in 2011). The CVP retained about the same popularity (26.3% in 2007), the FDP moved from fourth in 2007 (with 14.1%) to third and the SVP moved from third in 2007 (with 15.3%) to fourth. A total of 466 votes were cast in this election, of which 8 or 1.7% were invalid.^[13]

Economy[link]

As of 2010^[update], Matran had an unemployment rate of 3.9%. As of 2008^[update], there were 11 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 4 businesses involved in this sector. 480 people were employed in the secondary sector and there were 19 businesses in this sector. 530 people were employed in the tertiary sector, with 63 businesses in this sector.^[7] There were 636 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 43.7% of the workforce.

In 2008^[update] the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 919. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 10, all of which were in agriculture. The number of jobs in the secondary sector was 467 of which 202 or (43.3%) were in manufacturing and 200 (42.8%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 442. In the tertiary sector; 297 or 67.2% were in the sale or repair of motor vehicles, 7 or 1.6% were in the movement and storage of goods, 31 or 7.0% were in a hotel or restaurant, 65 or 14.7% were in the information industry, 15 or 3.4% were technical professionals or scientists, 10 or 2.3% were in education.^[14]

In 2000^[update], there were 481 workers who commuted into the municipality and 525 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 1.1 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering.^[15] Of the working population, 10.8% used public transportation to get to work, and 76.9% used a private car.^[7]

Religion[link]

From the 2000 census^[update], 1,018 or 80.7% were Roman Catholic, while 84 or 6.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church. Of the rest of the population, there were 9 members of an Orthodox church (or about 0.71% of the population), there were 7 individuals (or about 0.56% of the population) who belonged to the Christian Catholic Church, and there were 26 individuals (or about 2.06% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 15 (or about 1.19% of the population) who were Islamic. There were 2 individuals who were Buddhist. 65 (or about 5.15% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic or atheist, and 48 individuals (or about 3.81% of the population) did not answer the question.^[8]

Education[link]

In Matran about 392 or (31.1%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education, and 204 or (16.2%) have completed additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule). Of the 204 who completed tertiary schooling, 63.2% were Swiss men, 27.9% were Swiss women, 4.9% were non-Swiss men and 3.9% were non-Swiss women.^[8]

The Canton of Fribourg school system provides one year of non-obligatory Kindergarten, followed by six years of Primary school. This is followed by three years of obligatory lower Secondary school where the students are separated according to ability and aptitude. Following the lower Secondary students may attend a three or four year optional upper Secondary school. The upper Secondary school is divided into gymnasium (university preparatory) and vocational programs. After they finish the upper Secondary program, students may choose to attend a Tertiary school or continue their apprenticeship.^[16]

During the 2010-11 school year, there were a total of 157 students attending 9 classes in Matran. A total of 338 students from the municipality attended any school, either in the municipality or outside of it. There were 3 kindergarten classes with a total of 40 students in the municipality. The municipality had 6 primary classes and 117 students. During the same year, there were no lower secondary classes in the municipality, but 80 students attended lower secondary school in a neighboring municipality. There were no upper Secondary classes or vocational classes, but there were 54 upper Secondary students and 40 upper Secondary vocational students who attended classes in another municipality. The municipality had no non-university Tertiary classes, but there was one non-university Tertiary student and 3 specialized Tertiary students who attended classes in another municipality.^[9]

As of 2000^[update], there were 3 students in Matran who came from another municipality, while 128 residents attended schools outside the municipality.^[15]

References[link]

v t e Municipalities in Sarine District, Switzerland Arconciel Autafond Autigny Avry Belfaux La Brillaz Chénens Chésopelloz Corminboeuf Corpataux-Magnedens Corserey Cottens Ependes Farvagny Ferpicloz Fribourg/Freiburg Givisiez Le Glèbe Granges-Paccot Grolley Hauterive Marly Matran Le Mouret Neyruz Noréaz Pierrafortscha Ponthaux Prez-vers-Noréaz Rossens Senèdes La Sonnaz Treyvaux Villars-sur-Glâne Villarsel-sur-Marly Vuisternens-en-Ogoz Fribourg Districts of Canton Fribourg Municipalities of the canton of Fribourg

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Matran

K. V. Anand is an Indian cinematographer, film director and former photo journalist. After working for a short period as a journalist, he became a cinematographer in the early 1990s, working for about fifteen films in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu. In 2005, Anand turned film director with the critically acclaimed Kana Kandaen (2005) and rose to fame with his second film, Ayan (2009). Anand won the National Film Award for Best Cinematography for his debut film as a cinematographer, Thenmavin Kombath, in 1995.^[1]

Early life[link]

K. V. Anand was born in Chennai, India graduated with Bachelor's degree in Physics from D. G. Vaishnav, Chennai followed by Master's degree in Visual Communications from Loyola College, Chennai. Anand, during his college days participated in annual trekking expeditions in the Himalayas. His exploratory trips to various remote locations in India triggered his passion in photography. Anand participated in inter-collegiate, state and national level photography contests. His visual images earned him numerous photography awards.

Career[link]

Photo journalist (1988-1992)[link]

Anand worked as a freelance photo journalist for leading newspapers and magazines such as Kalki, India Today, Illustrated Weekly, Aside and other national publications. Within a short period of time, his photos were published in more than 200 magazine covers and had taken photos of 10 Chief Ministers in close quarters. Anand continued to freelance in industrial photography, advertisements and cover pages for fictional Tamil novels.

Anand applied for a full-time position as a photo journalist for India Today, a leading publication group in India, but failed to get the job offer. Anand, disappointed, left to Andaman Islands for a month. During this wilderness trip, Anand decided to transition from photo journalism to cinematography.

Cinematographer[link]

Anand met cinematographer P. C. Sreeram and expressed his interest to work for him as an assistant. He joined him, serving as an apprentice for Sreeram's film such as Gopura Vasalile, Amaran, Meera, Devar Magan and Thiruda Thiruda. Anand got his breakthrough when he was recommended by Sreeram to director Priyadarshan for Thenmavin Kombathu. Anand got the National Film Award for Best Cinematography for his work in his debut film. Anand's first Tamil film was Kadal Desam followed by his first Hindi film, Josh.

Anand has wielded the camera for 14 films in languages including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi for notable directors such as Priyadarshan, S. Shankar, Mansoor Khan and Rajkumar Santoshi. He has worked as a cinematographer for more than 100 commercials with leading advertisement agencies in India.

Film director[link]

He then turned a film director with Kana Kandaen. The film, penned by novelist duo Suba and starring Srikant, Gopika, Prithviraj, received favorable reviews from critics and was a moderate success. In 2009, Anand's second directorial venture, Ayan, starring Suriya, Prabhu Ganesan and Tamannaah,^[2] became a blockbuster success and the year's highest-grossing Tamil language film, having collected nearly Rs. 40 Crores worldwide.^[3] He was named the Best Director in Edison Awards 2010.^[4]

2011, his third directorial Ko, starring Jiiva, Ajmal Ameer and Karthika Nair released to very positive response from media and public. One of the critics neatly summarized it by saying "For an audience numbed by predictable Kollywood potboilers week after week, here is an original offering from KV Anand, a fearless filmmaker who doesn't insult your intelligence. He is able to cater to the needs of both the elite as well as mass audiences, which should be applauded." Anand is currently shooting his fourth directorial, Maatraan collaborating with Suriya again.

Filmography[link]

As cinematographer[link]

• Sivaji: The Boss (Tamil, 2007)
• Khakee (Hindi, 2004)
• Chellamae (Tamil, 2004)
• The Legend of Bhagat Singh (Hindi, 2002)
• Virumbugiren (Tamil, 2002)
• Nayak: The Real Hero (Hindi, 2001)
• Josh (Hindi, 2000)
• Mudhalvan (Tamil, 1999)
• Doli Saja Ke Rakhna (Hindi, 1998)
• Nerukku Ner (Tamil, 1997)
• Kadhal Desam (Tamil, 1996)
• Punya Bhoomi Naa Desam (Telugu, 1995)
• Minnaram (Malayalam, 1994)
• Thenmavin Kombath (Malayalam, 1994) (Won National Film Award for Best Cinematography)

As director[link]

Awards[link]

• 1995: National Film Award for Best Cinematography - Thenmavin Kombath
• 1997: Screen Awards South for Best Cinematography - Kadhal Desam
• 2001: Screen Awards nominated Best cinematography - Josh
• 2002: SICA Awards for Best cinematography - Legend of Bhagat Singh
• 2008: Filmfare Award for Best Cinematographer - South - Sivaji

References[link]

External links[link]

• K. V. Anand at the Internet Movie Database

Interviews

• in TeluguCinema.com, 2009
• Interview in Rediff, 2005
• Interview in Chennai Online
• Interview in The Hindu, 2005
• Interview in Nilacharal
• Interview in TeluguCinema.com, 2007

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

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