BJP president Rajnath Singh speaks eloquently about the performance of Chief minister Modi while criticising Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
NEW DELHI: BJP president Rajnath Singh is on his third visit to Gujarat in 10 days. He speaks eloquently about the performance of Chief minister Modi while criticising Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her use of the term “peddlers of death” for his party and the Modi government, in particular.
But he does not try to match Modi’s rhetoric on the subject. Singh deflects the issue about the Sohrabuddin encounter killing. He is at his best when he blends politics with spirituality. Singh spoke exclusively to DNA at his hotel in Vadodara
Q. This is your third visit to Gujarat. What’s your assessment of the ground situation?
We will win. Victory is certain. We will form the government comfortably both in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
Q.How would you react to a senior leader like Keshubhai Patel appearing in an advertisement urging people to oust Narendra Modi?
Keshubhai has not given his approval to that advertisement. The ad may have statements made in different contexts and is merely a compilation of those. He has also said he is not against the BJP.
Q.Keshubhai has not denied what the ad says. But would his silence in these elections cost the BJP or Modi the elections?
Keshubhai is a senior leader. He may feel hurt for some reason or the other but he would never want to see the Congress win this election, and BJP lose. We cannot allow the Congress to snatch away power from the BJP. The people will weigh all the factors and vote accordingly.
Q.How do you react to Sonia’s statements of being liars and peddlers of death.
The Congress president is a leader of stature. She chooses her words for public discourse carefully. Even if a leader intends to make a baseless allegation against a political adversary, a certain restraint must be applied. Her statement against political opponents has caused concern over the continuing deterioration of public life.
The development work done by Modi has been widely appreciated. Even the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, which Sonia heads, declared Gujarat as state No. 1 in terms of development. Its ironical she is using this kind of language for the state that she declared a model state.
Q.What about Modi’s rhetoric?
Modi has been modest in his reactions. In his speeches, he refers the Congress president as Sonia Behn (Sonia, my sister).
Q.Is Hindutva ‘s appeal is fading in Gujarat?
Hindutva is soul of Indian culture (Quotes a Sanskrit phrase to detail spirituality of the term). It is inclusive, not exclusivist. The BJP does not differentiate between believers of different faiths. It is because we as a party are inspired by Hindutva. But don’t confuse our counter to terrorism with Hindutva.
Terror can not be linked with any religion. We will be relentless in our counter to terror. Unfortunately, critics add a Hindutva angle even to it. Those who see religion first are guarded on terror because they think that it might affect their votebank.
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