The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections, Narendra Modi, on Wednesday shrugged off the need for his apology for the 2002 Gujarat riots and said the Congress should first seek forgiveness for its sins. In two different TV interviews, Modi elaborately defended his functioning as the Chief Minister of Gujarat during the 2002 riots and emphasised that a BJP-led Government at the Centre would not practice vendetta politics, which he was subjected to for almost 12 years.
Modi predicted that the ruling Congress would suffer the worst performance in its electoral history, while the NDA would come up with its best till date. Rejecting contentions that he had remained silent on the Gujarat riots, Modi told ANI: “I answered every top journalist in the country between 2002 and 2007, but noticed that there was no exercise to understand the truth.”
“I have said what I had to say. Now, I am in the people’s court, and I am waiting to hear from them,” Modi said when prodded further about his role as the CM during the 2002 riots. In an earlier interview with TV9, when Modi was asked about the demand from the Opposition that he should apologise for the Gujarat riots, he said, “None from the Congress have come to meet me. Nor they have even spoken about an apology. Congress people should first account for their sins.”
On being asked whether he agreed with the statements of Finance Minister P Chidambram and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that he (Modi) was a threat to the nation, Modi said that he never heard Manmohan Singh speak like this in the last 10 years. “I have taken care of Gujarat for the past 10-12 years and that threat could be from anyone in the streets or house.”
Modi disagreed with a section of his party leaders who have been talking about setting up accountability commission to deal with cases of irregularities committed by the Congress leaders. “The main focus of the BJP-led Government will be to fulfil promises it has made to people and it will work with a positive attitude. It will not be vindictive towards anyone. I have paid the price for the past 12 years due to others’ vindictiveness. I will not follow that,” Modi said.
He also discounted the Modi wave saying that there was no Modi wave but a BJP wave as people want a change. “This is a BJP wave and not Modi wave. Modi is not bigger than the party.” Modi also sounded confident of the party’s winning more than 300 seats in the lok Sabha election this year. He, however, refused to answer questions on senior party leaders lK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi not getting their choice of seat. He said, “I don’t decide seat distribution.”
In the ANI interview, responding to a question on AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal’s comment that editors of newspapers would flee if he became the next Prime Minister, Modi replied: “For 14 years, we (the BJP) has run the Government in Gujarat. I ask you, has any editor left, or has any reporter leftIJ” Predicting a rout for the Congress in the present lok Sabha polls, Modi said: “This will be the worst performance in the Congress Party’s history, and the BJP and the NDA’s best performance.”
The BJP prime ministerial candidate rejected the view that Muslims were fearful of him and therefore there could be a polarisation of votes in key constituencies of the country, such as in Varanasi, from where he was contesting the polls. “I am not going there (Varanasi) to defeat anyone, but to win hearts. Once I meet them all, they will love me,” he said. On his and the BJP’s reported differences with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa, Modi said that neither Jayalalithaa nor he had made “bitter statements against each other”, and added that he did not believe there are “untouchables” in politics. “We (AIADMK and BJP) might have different ideologies, but at a personal level, I have excellent relations with JJayalalithaaji,” Modi said further.
When asked specifically about the 2009 “snoopgate” case in which the Gujarat Government is said to have intercepted telephonic conversations of a woman, Modi said: “Crimes against women is a national shame. We should all work as a nation. Rahul (Gandhi) shouldn’t politicise it and nor should I.”
On the issue of criminalisation in politics, the Gujarat Chief Minister said that he was all in favour of setting up special courts under the aegis of the Supreme Court to try politicians accused of crime. “As far as MPs of all parties who have cases against them, I will request the Supreme Court to set up special courts,” Modi said. He further said that he would like to see all such cases to be taken up and tried in these special courts within a year, and ensure that the guilty are sent to jail, their seats vacated, and see a non-criminal occupying it. He said that it will be my aim to “try for consensus to create these special courts to try criminal politicians.”
“Nobody really disagrees, but I want to do it, and I am open to suggestions. This step is not being considered out of vindictiveness, or with the aim of slapping cases on (our) opponents. It is aimed at cleaning the system,” he said.
He also rubbished allegations of forking out huge sums of money during his election campaign to promote and project him as the ideal candidate for occupying the office of Prime Minister after Manmohan Singh, jocularly remarking: “If you ask the Congress, they would have said Rs 15,000 crores, and then 20,000 crores. Whatever number they dream up they say.”
“The Congress has 25 days left in Government. I urge them to investigate this. Duudh ka duudh, paani ka paani kardo (Automatically, it will become clear)… I say let the Election Commission scrutinise expenditure in each constituency, and if the Congress has any evidence, they should send it to the Election Commission,” he added.