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Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi on Thursday assured the people of the state that he would serve them till 2017 as they have given him the mandate till then, while down playing his prime ministerial aspirations, something that was read as frustration by party leaders in Delhi.
"I am here to serve you till 2017 and that is what I am doing. I will answer your questions not only on 5th September but whenever you ask me," Modi said in response to a question asked by a student during a function held in state capital Gandhinagar to felicitate teachers on occasion of Teachers' Day. A young boy had asked Modi if he will meet youngsters in Gujarat on September 5 next year after he becomes the Prime Minister in 2014.
"I never see such dreams (of becoming PM), nor am I going to see such dreams. People of Gujarat have given me the mandate to serve them till 2017 and I have to do this. Those who dream of becoming something end up destroying themselves. One should not dream of becoming something, but one should dream of doing something," BJP's 2014 general election campaign committee chief said.
In Delhi, BJP leaders saw in this statement, a sense of frustration. “He is undoubtedly our topmost leader. Everyone acknowledges that. But the repeated delays in naming him the prime ministerial candidate is causing him to say these things” a senior BJP leader said.
According to BJP sources, Modi’s elevation is now stuck because top BJP leaders say he must leave Gujarat and come to Delhi to enable full and requisite exposure. “khadaun ka raj nahin chalega” (we cannot accept rule by proxy) these sources.
There is resentment over the role of some leaders, specifically Amit Shah, who are seen as acting only to forward Modi’s interests and not the concerns of the entire party.
On the occasion of Teacher’s Day today Modi interacted with over 1.5 crore students across the state through video conference and answered some of their questions on a wide range of issues ranging from his personal beliefs, his personal habits and issues of governance.
He also shared the dais with Governor Kamla Beniwal for the first time after the latter returned the contentious New Lokayukta Bill for reconsideration by the legislative assembly with sketching remarks.
During an interactive session with children a girl from Bharuch district asked Modi about the upcoming Statue of Unity (of Sardar Patel) and from where he got the idea. Modi said that this was the best way to commemorate a person who worked towards uniting the nation and added that the Statue of Unity will be double that of America's Statue of Liberty.
Answering a question of a girl from Vadodara on how many times he got angry during the day and what he does about it, Modi said, "I too am human and not above the shortcomings that humans have." He went on to opine that anger can be controlled but it is about controlling it at the right moment.
A Class VIII girl asked the chief minister as to how many siblings he had and that whether they fought when they were young. “I have two elder brothers, two younger brothers and a younger sister. What is the fun if siblings do not fight? There were no daily but hourly fights. But, there is no bitterness in any fight only love and affection," Modi answered.
Meanwhile, after the Left parties publicly issued a statement on Wednesday, demanding that Narendra Modi be prosecuted citing the encounter accused cop DG Vanzara’s letter, the Congress today demanded that the Gujarat chief minister should quit.
Congress took recourse to the fact that the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes had demanded from the CBI a status report on the now public sting operation CD in connection with the Tulsiram Prajapati encounter killing. The Commission that is headed by Congress leader PL Punia, has demanded that the CBI which is investigating the encounter killing should take cognizance of the CD and “which contains evidence about manipulation of the judicial process and interference in the administration of justice”.
With references being made to the Gujarat chief minister in the CD, Opposition BJP has spent the past few days denying the contents of the tape. Nevertheless, the Congress has found in it a new weapon to attack the Gujarat CM with much to the discomfiture of the BJP.
