TOI

Ahmedabad, Apr 4: In 2004, if you did a Google search on Narendra Modi, the first 10 results would be articles written on 2002 Gujarat riots and links of his hate communities. Today, the first 20 pages have links to his personal websites and blogs created by his fans.

All the result of an aggressive e-campaign for a makeover of his virtual identity which has made him immensely popular among Indian expats the world over.

On Thursday, he prepared for another blitzkrieg in cyber space with a 40-minute closed-door meeting with members of his fan community and people who host his websites, trying to devise new ways to swamp the web.

"He seemed more concerned about his virtual security than his personal security and asked a lot of questions about rampaging Chinese hackers," said an invitee.

Sources said Modi elicited ideas on how the world could be made aware about the changing environment in Gujarat through mass mailing, blogging and video content. He also wanted the experts to tell him how the campaign on black money, initiated by LK Advani, could be made the central theme of BJP's poll campaign.

Modi is known to be more tech-savvy than any other politician of his genre and, apart from a mobile phone with internet access, he uses three lap-tops. "His average daily time-spend on internet is five hours and he receives almost 500 emails a day," said a fan who attended the meeting.

Brand guru Alyque Padamsee admits 50 million Indians are hooked on to internet and it is fast emerging as the single most powerful medium for politicians to make themselves popular. "Even Barack Obama has proved its power. But Modi should be aware that as internet is an interactive medium, it will not take netizens time to bring back his past, especially the holocaust of 2002," he told TOI.