Subhash Chandra expressed these views in an upcoming biography on the Prime Minister — Narendra Modi: The Global Leader — written by veteran journalists Radhekrishna and Hari Govind
“The Narendra Modi-led government had succeeded in raising India’s profile on the world stage. No country could afford to ignore India today,” Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Essel Group and Zee Media, and Rajya Sabha MP is quoted as saying in an upcoming biography of the prime minister, Narendra Modi: The Global Leader. India was now among the nations that set the global agenda, he had to the book’s writers, veteran journalists Radhekrishna and Hari Govind, said in an interview conducted a year and a half ago.
Chandra commended Modi on his positive and aggressive foreign policy, on Swachh Bharat, Beti Bachao, Beti Padao, and other initiatives. GST and demonetisation were the government’s two historic decisions, he felt.
On demonetisation, Chandra said, it was in the national interest and taken at considerable political risk given that assembly elections had been scheduled in five states soon after the measure was taken. It caused difficulties initially, but now people had begun to feel the positive difference. It had led to the registration of one crore new income tax assesses.
Chandra, however, differed with the government’s decision to launch Rs 2000 currency notes. The country did not need high denomination currency notes – going by per capita income, the maximum denomination would be Rs 200. The government also needed to do more on the economic front, such as speed up the hearing of cases related to economic offences.
The book, Narendra Modi: The Global Leader, has interviews with his elder brother Sombhai Modi and other luminaries such as Amitabh Bachchan; Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg; Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani; ex-Tata chairman Ratan Tata; yoga guru Swami Ramdev; BJP president Amit Shah; UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath; cabinet ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Smriti Irani; Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti; and also opposition leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mehbooba Mufti.
The prime minister’s brother has revealed to the authors that during the 1965 India-Pakistan war, Modi had wanted to join the army in order to serve the country. He could not because of he was too young – just 15.
The world should learn how to make effective use of the social media from prime minister Modi, the authors quote Zuckerberg. “He has used social media to take his message directly to the people in a powerful way.”
In another section, Ambani has spoken of how during talks with US president Donald Trump, Modi was focussed on how to make Indian villages centres for information technology.
In his interview with the authors, Mohan Bhagwat, Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, praised the prime minister for taking the country speedily on the path to becoming a superpower. Reiterating the government’s stance, he said that Article 370 should be lifted in the interest of stability, progress, prosperity and freedom from terror in Jammu & Kashmir. Also that there was no question of talking to Pakistan as long as it supported terrorism. On the border disputes with neighbouring states such as China, Bhagwat said that these could not be resolved in one-two round of talks but take time.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Subhash Chandra")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}