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AN UN-ISLAMIC KIDNAPPING AND CHAOS IN THE VALLEY

The illusion of azaadi and Kashmir’s historic deception

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Birth of social media jihadists, death of Article-370

Operation Sindoor: When Indian missiles rained on Pak terror parade

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<div class="itg-mosimage"><amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F2015March%2Fbooks_032715014918.jpg" alt="" height="425" width="650" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img><p>Peacocks call out in the background. Liveried stewards traipse noiselessly among the few assembled guests, distributing bite-sized uttapams and paneer cutlets. As the evening gathers itself around 7 Race Course Road, the Prime Minister sits in an armchair, his sandal-shod feet crossed at the ankles, his wristwatch turned face down, his gaze piercing, and his air redolent of repose. Outside there may be a storm brewing, caused either by the eruption of his party's lunatic fringe or opposition from other parties to reforms he sees as essential. But nothing can disturb the aura around Narendra Modi. So accustomed has India become to Modi as prime minister and so ubiquitous is his image that it requires some effort to recall Modi, the candidate.</p><p>Just as well Lance Price has written the definitive account of the campaign that got Modi to where he is now, friend of Barack and Bibi, mentor-in-residence of a young nation, and custodian-in-chief of an emerging alternative narrative of the past. Much of what he tells us is known to most journalists who reported or researched the 2014 General Election-the use of social media, the debut of 3D technology, the support of gurus such as Baba Ramdev and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. But the star of the book, as of the campaign, is Modi, as he tirelessly recounts the relentless campaign to Price with complete lack of irony about either referring to himself in the third person or recalling his God-given gifts (among them being a sense of style).</p><p>Most such accounts are as much about the writers as about their subjects-and Price, who has worked with former British prime minister Tony Blair, is no exception. He tells us often enough that he is a master of spin and can cut through the thicket of rhetoric. And unlike most Indian journalists (yes, present company included) he is not overawed by the man. So whether it is setting aside the apocryphal story about Bal Narendra grappling with a crocodile or indicating the Prime Minister's undoubted vanity, calling out his exaggeration (that he has been begging for food for the past 40-45 years), Price can be fairly ruthless.</p><div class="itg-mosimage"><amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F2015March%2Fbook_032715014918.jpg" alt="" height="425" width="650" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img>Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Guwahati ahead of the 2014 General Election.</div></p><p>But he tells a good story, even though in this case, you know exactly how it will all end. Extensive interviews with key aides, interesting comparisons with powerful politicians he has worked with, and detailed chats with Modi himself have given Price's book an exciting immediacy. For anyone, including Rahul Gandhi, who ever wants to launch a campaign to match Modi's, he has key learnings:</p><p><b>Pay attention to details</b><br>Piyush Pandey talks of how Modi was his art director, often stepping in to suggest colours and designs. Nothing was too minor for Candidate Modi to pay attention to. The theme was clear and best articulated by Modi: "My campaign had to be national but my appeal had to be local to the people."</p><p><b>Delegate to the right people</b><br>Because Modi could not use the party machinery, he put together a collection of bright, young, committed professionals, ranging from IT specialists Hiren Joshi and Prashant Kishor to admen Piyush Pandey and Prasoon Joshi, who worked tirelessly for him.</p><div class="itemcenter"><amp-iframe height="62" title="" width="320" sandbox="allow-forms allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-top-navigation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" allowfullscreen src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Findiatoday%2Fbanner%2Fpreferred-source-new.html%3Fv%3D1.014%5Cu0026native%3D1" class="mrBt15 preferred-source-banner"> </amp-iframe></div></p><p><b>Allow for experiments</b><br>The 'Chai pe Charcha' was abandoned after the first three times, while the 3D technology was tried a few times before it was perfected.</p><p><b>Never miss an opportunity to attack</b><br>The 2014 campaign was marked by the Congress handing Modi a series of prize catches-from Rahul Gandhi's toffee remark to Priyanka Gandhi's comment about neech rajniti to Manmohan Singh's achche din remark at his last press conference as prime minister. Modi didn't miss a single trick.<br><b><br>Never give up</b><br>As Price notes, Modi had to mount a three-step campaign-to win Gujarat in 2012, win over his party in 2013 and then India in 2014. It required patience, dedication, and never losing faith, not just on Modi's part but also on the part of all his followers. They managed because they didn't drop the ball even once.</p><p>Go big With Modi, says an aide to Price, everything had to be the biggest, the boldest, the best. Nothing less would do.</p><p>Price gives us a ringside view of Modi's way of working: how he checks his email first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. He tells us of Modi's two favourite responses to criticism-Congress lies and media distortion, in that order. He even settles the debate on how much, or how little, Modi sleeps-it is five hours.</p><p>It is when Price is analysing the future of the government that he is at his best. He quotes Arun Shourie as saying that the government had better start performing if it has to endure: "You need to act on what Buddha said: Live each day like your hair is on fire." And indeed, though Modi seems in no hurry, India is. It's when you read Price that you remember what an extraordinary campaign Modi launched to win India. Now he has to unleash similar forces for India to win the world. Or as Mario Cuomo said so famously: you campaign in poetry, you govern in prose.</p><p>Follow the writer on Twitter @kavereeb<b></b></p><p><b>To read more, get your copy of <a href="http://bit.ly/itedition" target="_blank" rel="dofollow">India Today here</a>.</b></p><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">AtMigration </div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Mar 27, 2015</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div></div>

books

Books

<div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  title=""  class="" alt="" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F2015March%2Fbooks_032715014918.jpg" loading="lazy" /></div><p>Peacocks call out in the background. Liveried stewards traipse noiselessly among the few assembled guests, distributing bite-sized uttapams and paneer cutlets. As the evening gathers itself around 7 Race Course Road, the Prime Minister sits in an armchair, his sandal-shod feet crossed at the ankles, his wristwatch turned face down, his gaze piercing, and his air redolent of repose. Outside there may be a storm brewing, caused either by the eruption of his party's lunatic fringe or opposition from other parties to reforms he sees as essential. But nothing can disturb the aura around Narendra Modi. So accustomed has India become to Modi as prime minister and so ubiquitous is his image that it requires some effort to recall Modi, the candidate.</p><p>Just as well Lance Price has written the definitive account of the campaign that got Modi to where he is now, friend of Barack and Bibi, mentor-in-residence of a young nation, and custodian-in-chief of an emerging alternative narrative of the past. Much of what he tells us is known to most journalists who reported or researched the 2014 General Election-the use of social media, the debut of 3D technology, the support of gurus such as Baba Ramdev and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. But the star of the book, as of the campaign, is Modi, as he tirelessly recounts the relentless campaign to Price with complete lack of irony about either referring to himself in the third person or recalling his God-given gifts (among them being a sense of style).</p><p>Most such accounts are as much about the writers as about their subjects-and Price, who has worked with former British prime minister Tony Blair, is no exception. He tells us often enough that he is a master of spin and can cut through the thicket of rhetoric. And unlike most Indian journalists (yes, present company included) he is not overawed by the man. So whether it is setting aside the apocryphal story about Bal Narendra grappling with a crocodile or indicating the Prime Minister's undoubted vanity, calling out his exaggeration (that he has been begging for food for the past 40-45 years), Price can be fairly ruthless.</p><div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  title="Narendra Modi"  class="" alt="Narendra Modi" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F2015March%2Fbook_032715014918.jpg" loading="lazy" /></div>Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Guwahati ahead of the 2014 General Election.</div></p><p>But he tells a good story, even though in this case, you know exactly how it will all end. Extensive interviews with key aides, interesting comparisons with powerful politicians he has worked with, and detailed chats with Modi himself have given Price's book an exciting immediacy. For anyone, including Rahul Gandhi, who ever wants to launch a campaign to match Modi's, he has key learnings:</p><p><b>Pay attention to details</b><br>Piyush Pandey talks of how Modi was his art director, often stepping in to suggest colours and designs. Nothing was too minor for Candidate Modi to pay attention to. The theme was clear and best articulated by Modi: "My campaign had to be national but my appeal had to be local to the people."</p><p><b>Delegate to the right people</b><br>Because Modi could not use the party machinery, he put together a collection of bright, young, committed professionals, ranging from IT specialists Hiren Joshi and Prashant Kishor to admen Piyush Pandey and Prasoon Joshi, who worked tirelessly for him.</p><div class="itemcenter"><iframe scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="62" awidth="320" aheight="62" amplayout="fixed" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Findiatoday%2Fbanner%2Fpreferred-source-new.html%3Fv%3D1.014" class="preferred-source-banner" loading="lazy"></iframe></div><style>.preferred-source-banner{  margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}</style></p><p><b>Allow for experiments</b><br>The 'Chai pe Charcha' was abandoned after the first three times, while the 3D technology was tried a few times before it was perfected.</p><p><b>Never miss an opportunity to attack</b><br>The 2014 campaign was marked by the Congress handing Modi a series of prize catches-from Rahul Gandhi's toffee remark to Priyanka Gandhi's comment about neech rajniti to Manmohan Singh's achche din remark at his last press conference as prime minister. Modi didn't miss a single trick.<br><b><br>Never give up</b><br>As Price notes, Modi had to mount a three-step campaign-to win Gujarat in 2012, win over his party in 2013 and then India in 2014. It required patience, dedication, and never losing faith, not just on Modi's part but also on the part of all his followers. They managed because they didn't drop the ball even once.</p><p>Go big With Modi, says an aide to Price, everything had to be the biggest, the boldest, the best. Nothing less would do.</p><p>Price gives us a ringside view of Modi's way of working: how he checks his email first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. He tells us of Modi's two favourite responses to criticism-Congress lies and media distortion, in that order. He even settles the debate on how much, or how little, Modi sleeps-it is five hours.</p><p>It is when Price is analysing the future of the government that he is at his best. He quotes Arun Shourie as saying that the government had better start performing if it has to endure: "You need to act on what Buddha said: Live each day like your hair is on fire." And indeed, though Modi seems in no hurry, India is. It's when you read Price that you remember what an extraordinary campaign Modi launched to win India. Now he has to unleash similar forces for India to win the world. Or as Mario Cuomo said so famously: you campaign in poetry, you govern in prose.</p><p>Follow the writer on Twitter @kavereeb<b></b></p><p><b>To read more, get your copy of <a href="http://bit.ly/itedition" target="_blank" mce_href="http://bit.ly/itedition" rel="dofollow">India Today here</a>.</b></p><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">AtMigration </div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Mar 27, 2015</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div></div>

Winning India was an extraordinary achievement. A new book reminds us how Narendra Modi did it.

India Today

Campaign and glory - India Today

Campaign and glory

Paris prosecutors raid offices of Elon Musk's X offices across France

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Chinese New Year celebrations in 2026 see a unique trend as Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter series becomes a symbol of good fortune, with his image appearing on decorations across China due to a play on words in his Chinese name.

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Despite the Supreme Court’s stern warning over data-sharing and privacy, WhatsApp is not immediately set to leave India but the coming weeks could decide how it must operate here.

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Netflix released the teaser of Ikka featuring Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna in a tense courtroom drama. The teaser has generated attention online with fans showering the two actors with love and praise.

Akshaye Khanna, Sunny Deol, Ikka

Akshaye Khanna, Sunny Deol face off in Ikka; internet says Rehman Dakait is back

Currently, senior party leader Praful Patel is serving as the working president of the NCP, while Sunil Tatkare is functioning as the head of its Maharashtra unit.

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Sunetra Pawar likely to be elected NCP chief days after husband Ajit's death

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greeted with applause and accolades at the NDA parliamentary meeting on Tuesday following a landmark trade agreement between India and the US. The meeting, held at the Parliament complex, concluded with alliance MPs congratulating the Prime Minister for securing the deal, which promises immediate tariff relief for Indian exports. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, speaking after the session, welcomed newly elected BJP president Nitin Nabin and noted the visible enthusiasm among MPs over the recent trade developments. Chants of “Jai Modi,” “Vande Mataram,” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai” echoed through the hall as party members praised Modi for the landmark agreement with US President Donald Trump.

Watch: PM Modi gets warm welcome at NDA meet for US trade deal breakthrough

T20 World Cup: Legendary Sunil Gavaskar has trolled Pakistan over their stand of boycotting India in the T20 World Cup 2026. Gavaskar said that he is awaiting a U-turn that Pakistani players are infamously known for.

Gavaskar On Pakistan Skipping India Clash: Not A Surprise

Gavaskar trolls Pakistan over T20 World Cup stand: Waiting for their U-turn

We take a look at all the desi moments from the 2026 Grammy Awards that grabbed eyeballs and nominations.

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Desi representation at the Grammys 2026

In an exclusive interview with India Today, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor confirmed the India-US trade deal, stating the final tariff number will be 18 and whether that takes an hour or two days.

Final number will be 18%: Ambassador Sergio Gor on India-US trade deal

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi slammed PM Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for not letting him speak on ex-Army chief MM Naravane's memoir in Lok Sabha. 

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Winning India was an extraordinary achievement. A new book reminds us how Narendra Modi did it.

Winning India was an extraordinary achievement. A new book reminds us how Narendra Modi did it.

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