Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned a year older. The 71-year-old is the first non-Congress Prime Minister to serve the country for the longest time.
His 13 years as Gujarat's chief minister and seven years as Prime Minister set new benchmarks for government leadership, hard work and policies, and greatly increased the bar for all
those involved in public life and service.
From being an NCC cadet during his school days to his desire to join the Indian Army, there are many interesting facts about India’s one of most liked and controversial Prime Ministers,
Modi. However, a lesser known fact about him is that emergency played a significant role in his life and political career.
The 1975 Emergency was a watershed moment in Narendra Modi's political career. He met L K Advani at that time and became a member of his inner group. Modi's relationship with Advani
changed his political life forever.
All prominent leaders of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and other opposition parties were detained after Indira Gandhi declared an Emergency in 1975. Some opposition party leaders went underground,
while others attempted to trick the police by changing their identity.
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To avoid arrest, Narendra Modi, who was a BJP state worker at the time went into hiding. He used to go around in various guises. Sikh attire was one of his favourite looks.
"By the time Emergency was lifted, Modi’s vision had broadened and from being an obscure pracharak, he was a ‘name’ in RSS circles. Success in building a statewide
net of supporters providing safe havens and financial support, organising meetings that escaped prying eyes of the police, ferrying proscribed literature and ability to network with diverse anti-Emergency groups resulted in
Modi’s stock-value rising and earning the tag of a ‘thinking’ man," says journalist Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.