"Raj Dharma and relief camps" ::::: Beauty of Life is .... "it takes full circle".... often with none taking note of that ::: Modi met 'internally displaced' people in Manipur .... many years earlier he had visited a relief camp and man alongside him was Vajpayee

PM Narendra arrived in Imphal on Saturday morning. 

".... violence is a great injustice to our ancestors and our future generations" - he said later. 

“Aur main aaj aapko waada karta hoon, main aapke saath hoon. 

Bharat sarkar aapke saath hai. Manipur ke logon ke saath hai,” 

- PM Modi in Churachandpur

Earlier in the day -- his first stop in Manipur was at Churachandpur, where Kuki-Zo people dominate and where till now Meiteis are not welcome.

About 6o km away is state capital - Imphal, a stronghold of the Meitei people -- where there still houses after houses 'deserted' by the Kukis. 

Due to heavy rains, he was informed that a helicopter ride was not possible. He, however, decided to reach there by road.  In Churachandpur, he met some internally displaced persons who had lost their homes in the violence.

Sept 13, 2025 - Manipur 

Take the clock back .... back by two decades plus. Some youngsters Modi met today (Sept 13, 2025) -- were not born.

I am talking about 2002.

April 4th --  

The then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had walked through the Shah Alam camp in Ahmedabad, through the intangible debris. 

The camp was home to 9,000 displaced Muslims, refugees in their own country, victims, like countless others, of the religious violence that had gripped Gujarat since the killings of Kar Sevaks/Ram Bhakts in Godhra on February 27, 2002. 

Vajpayee was accompanied by Narendra Modi - the man in a light green half-shirt slightly bearded.

Vajpayee had made his famous speech: "Mein kaun sa chehra le ke videsh jaoon 

(With what face I will now go abroad ... reference was to the indiscriminate killings). 

My journalistic career had taken a huge turn post Feb 27 - 2002. 

On Feb 28th morning (2002) - I was asked by Press Trust of India (PTI) to take the first flight from Mumbai to Ahmedabad.

For next few weeks and months - PTI management behaved - as if I had burned the train and I was killing Muslims.

"Tum khana khane ja rahe ho ... wahan paanch log mar gaye" !! --- one could not survive long in that sickening atmosphere !!

Contrast this - my Reuters Colleague Thomas Kutty Abraham (also an ex-PTI) at Ahmedabad received a letter from his Asia Pacific editor -- "No story is important for us more than your life" 

(Everything can't be so bad about firangis na !! )  

It was a world of nepo-kids -- Parliament Street building ---- and those who did not walk beyond the cushion of South Delhi posh-residential or a few 'power brokers' in East Delhi -- ruled the roost in later months and years.

The agency too got its share of 'fame' with tapes and other kinds of Smriti Irani's snaps types of journalism !! It's coverage of Robert Vadera would always excite journalists in other organisations)

April 4 - 2002 Press Conference - where Vajpayee spoke about "Raj Dharma"

Life goes on.

And if you have survived --- somewhere ... jobless .... you call your self -- Nirendra Dev.

Others may call you -- a blogger and again a vanishing term in the world AIs --- 'freelance journalist' !! 

Coming back to 2002 .... on that day at the joint press conference sitting along side Narendra Modi; the PM Vajpayee had said -

"I expect Raj Dharma from Naren bhai".

"Mein wohi kar raha hoon ..." - the then Gujarat Chief Minister had replied softly.

The media ignored - Modi's remarks and the rest is history. Some history got repeated in more than one ways. 

Godhra - train carnage and the violence changed the lives of two Indians -- I often tell myself. 

One Narendra Modi -- who became India's Prime Minister.

And second 'ND of PTI' --- once tagged in office "ND is the man for all seasons" -- became a blogger !!  

2004 publication 

I remember interviewing many citizens in Gujarat those days -- Hindus as well as Muslims.

One Hindu gentleman from Uttarakhand - gave a gist of the story in Ahmedabad ---

"Reaction thoda jada ho gaya (The Hindu reactions were expected but ... it went a little too far)

Another gentleman - a resident of Maninagar (where Modi became MLA in 2002, 2007 and 2012) -- one retired banker had said :

"Any attempt to dismiss Narendra Modi will only result in upheaval and see Gujarat in flames."  

That was the moment a new Hindu Hriday Samrat was born ! 

Sickular India was lost somewhere. 2014 and aftermath were not in their imaginations.

ends