Follow– Sudhanshu Karkala
Many want Narendra Modi to become PM because of one reason – he ‘allowed’ or ‘did not avoid’ the post-Godhra riots. They speak of development only to mislead the voters. 
The actual trump card is his ire against a particular community.
If development was the criteria, the BJP would have chosen likes of Shivrag Singh Chauhan or Raman Singh, who also match Narendra Modi when in terms of so-called development in their respective states. They stand behind in the race to top post, because they had no post-Godhra like riots, or did not have an opportunity like that, in their respective states.
Nobody should forget the fact that he advanced elections to Gujarat state assembly soon after post-Godhra riots only to sail through the image of ‘saviour of Hindutva’, he had acquired by allowing the riots in his state. That showed he is the politician of distinct species, which catch fish in troubled waters or 
warm themselves in the flames that burn innocents. Is there any better word than ‘mouth ka saudagar’, to explain him?
L.K. Advani, the former future prime minister of India, had done a similar exercise to come up in politics and make his party popular. He took out yatra in the name of Ram mandir in Ayodhya, which, in fact, did impact the party prospects in the following elections. Undoubtedly that Yatra played a prominent role in promoting him to the stature, he enjoys now. His growth was at the cost of lives of hundreds who were killed in riots, followed by the Yatra.
Being a former disciple of Advani, Narendra Modi, who had watched Advani’s growth from the close quarters, followed his guru to climb the ladder in politics. Otherwise, he would have not allowed the riots 
within months after coming to power in Gujarat. (He came to power in October 2001 and riots were in Feb 2002).
Following the riots, he advanced the elections and returned to power, as he had polarised the voters on the communal lines through his controversial conduct during the riots. He planned his public speeches or interviews with media such that nowhere he either felt apologetic or remorseful for what had happened right beneath his nose. Since then, he has been successful in tailoring his image. Otherwise, he would have not hired a global PR firm to manage his public appearance.
The particular section of media, which is busy projecting Modi as the only efficient administrator, world-class orator, missed, rather deliberately, the event where he lost the track of his speech in English as the written speech copy fell down. If any other politician had done that the media would have not bothered to miss it.
For the country’s sake and to safeguard its diversity, politicians with communal agenda should be kept at bay.