Lord Parekh, who visited his hometown Vadodara two days before his address on Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in New Delhi, said, “It was anti-Muslim propaganda that helped Modi in the 2002 elections, but this time it was all about Gujarati nationalism. Modi personified Gujarat with statements like an insult to him is an insult to Gujarat,” which appealed to the masses.

Drawing a comparison between the 1984 anti-Sikh riots following Indira Gandhi's assassination and the post-Godhra riots of 2002, Parekh said Gujarat and the BJP have felt far more negative publicity than those responsible for the Sikh riots.

“I believe that within Gujaratis, who are now a little better off economically than most other states, there is a deep sense of persecution of having being singled out,” Parekh told reporters during an informal meet at his Fatehgunj house. He added that this was only compounded when the state was not given as much importance as a political force.