Elections are often only about the end result, the means do not
matter, only the ends do. Let's be honest. You ran a strategically
brilliant campaign, one that was based on whipping up public emotion
and stirring a religious identity. I still remember the classic ad
that you ran on voting day.

The Congress party's campaign ad was a long sermon by Shankarsinh
Vaghela on the development of Gujarat, written in small type, and
with very little that we hadn't heard of in the last 55 years. Your
ad was simple and direct. In bold type, you just reminded the reader
of the old Haqueeqat classic, "Ae mere Vatan ke Logon" and asked the
voter of Gujarat to treat their franchise as a homage to the dead. No
specific mention of Godhra or Akshardham, as per Election Commission
rules, but a clear recall of recent events. Little wonder then that
the next ad club function should honour you and your faithful ally
Arun Jaitley with the copywriter of the year award.

I also remember your campaign pitch on the last day of campaigning.
While a complacent Congress party was relishing the concept of
cashing in on the anti-incumbency mood, you were waving a news item
that you claimed was a fatwa asking the Muslims of Gujarat to vote
100 per cent for the Congress. Of course, you didn't have to tell the
voter the entire truth: that there was no real fatwa, that all that
had happened was that some unknown Muslim cleric in faraway Uttar
Pradesh had issued an appeal to voters to support the Congress party,
and that the advertisement in Gujarati newspapers had been inserted
by members of the Sangh Parivar. The fatwa worked, and you were able
to ensure that Hindus came out in large numbers to vote for you and
your party.

I will also not forget the manner in which you were able to
successfully use the demonisation of Musharraf as a vote-gathering
technique. You were able to translate anti-Pakistani sentiment into a
potent state election issue. What Musharraf had to do with the
Gujarat elections is unclear, but somehow you were able to convince
the voter that Islamabad was monitoring every move in Gandhinagar.
"If I win, the entire country will celebrate, if the Congress party
wins, crackers will be burst in Pakistan." It was yet another classic
one-liner, designed to stir the kind of jingoism that may not end the
low-intensity conflict on the border, but will certainly add to your
unique brand of macho politics.

I must also commend you on how you were able to redefine the entire
concept of Gujarati Gaurav or pride. Until now, we thought that a
state's self-image was defined by notions of peace, communal amity,
economic progress and social development. But you were able to
convince the Gujarati voter that the state was a victim of a
vilification campaign, that anyone who tried to raise uncomfortable
questions about the post-Godhra violence was an anti-national,
pseudo-secularist who should be hanged by the people of Gujarat.

As a representative of the English language media in particular, I
admired the manner in which you were able to blame the media for
virtually everything that had gone wrong in the state, from the
killing of innocents on the Sabarmati Express, to the loot and mass
murders that followed to the large-scale exodus of Muslim families
from their homes.

Let me also say that I will never forget the manner in which you were
able to use the Godhra incident for political benefit for months on
end, and suggest that somehow all Muslims in the state were linked to
an act of villainy by a group of criminals from the minority
community. I distinctly remember how you had posters put up all over
the state of the burning train compartment. I also remember how you
got a family member of one of the Godhra victims to be present at the
inauguration of your party office. I remember your yatra to Godhra
where you shared the anguish of the people who had lost their loved
ones in the train tragedy. Somehow, I don't recall you ever reaching
out to those living in the Shah Alam camp, or Naroda Patiya or the
numerous other refugee camps in the state. Nor did I ever see you in
the company of Muslim children who saw their entire families being
burnt alive before their eyes.

I must also admire the manner in which you were able to use the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad cadres in the political campaign. Until now, we
were always told that the VHP was a socio-cultural organisation that
had little to do with day-to-day politics. You made sure that the VHP
fiction was buried once and for all, and that Praveen Togadia was
transformed from cancer surgeon to a political rabble-rouser.

The strategic alliance that you struck with the VHP ensured that you
could eat your cake and have it too. Whenever you found yourself
under pressure from any constitutional authority, you quickly passed
the baton to the VHP. Then, whether it was the post-Godhra rioting,
vitriolic Muslim-bashing, abusing Lyngdoh or assaulting the media,
you always had the VHP as your accomplice, ensuring that the line
between the mob and the government was totally erased.

Finally, I must salute you for the way you stood up to virtually
anyone who questioned the politics of 'Moditva'. I remember how you
defied the entire RSS establishment when they wanted to give an
election ticket to your rival Haren Pandya, and even got yourself
admitted to hospital as mark of protest. But most of all, I will not
forget how you even put the prime minister in his place.

When Mr Vajpayee asked you to follow the 'Raj Dharma', you quietly
listened to him, and then went about doing your own thing. A weakened
Vajpayee was reduced to being your self-appointed advocate by the end
of the elections. Indeed, in the last few election meetings, I didn't
even see a single poster of Vajpayee or even of the original Hindutva
mascot, L.K. Advani. This victory then is yours and yours alone.

While you celebrate your triumph, may I leave you with a final thought?

Now, that you've won the battle, will you win the war? Could you
become the chief minister of each and every one of the five crore
Gujaratis, Hindus and Muslims, you now claim to represent? You could
perhaps start with paying a weekly visit to the homes of those who
still live in fear and despair. It may not fit in with your
worldview, but it would at least convince some of us that Gujarat's
Chote Sardar is more than just a hero of hatred.

Affectionately yours, Rajdeep Sardesai.

The writer is Managing Editor, New Delhi Television.