Lucknow: Under fire the past week over allegations of cronyism in the Rafale fighter jet deal and battling the perception since 2014 of being too close to big business, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took the offensive, declaring at a public event here that he was not afraid of being seen with industrialists.
Attacking the opposition for being against development and for calling industrialists “chor and luterey” – thieves and robbers – Modi said that he had no hesitation is being seen beside the business community as his “intentions” are clear.
“You cannot have blot on you simply by standing with anyone if your intentions are good and clear. Gandhiji’s intentions were so pure that he never hesitated in staying with Birla family,” he said.
Modi’s reference was to Gandhi accepting the hospitality of G.D. Birla. Birla House, on what is now Tees January Marg, became Gandhi’s unofficial residence in Delhi for what would be the last five months of his life. But he also often accepted the hospitality of humbler folk.
“Public mey milna nahi, parde ke peeche sab kuch karna hai. Woh dartey rahtey hain. (Those who do not meet publicly and do everything behind curtains remain scared),” Modi said in Lucknow.
“Amar Singh, former SP leader, is sitting here and he can give you all the details”, Modi said with a laugh. Singh, who is close to various business houses, was associated with the Samajwadi Party for many years but is now on his own.
“Should we insult them (industrialists and businessmen) by labelling them as ‘chor’ and ‘luterey’. What is this? Those who will do wrong will have to leave the country or spend life in the jail. This was not done earlier because everything was done behind the curtains…”
“Kiskey jahaj me log ghoomtey pata nahi kya,” (Are you not aware on whose aircraft they used to travel),” he said without naming anyone.
Undated photograph of Narendra Modi and businessmen Vibhav Kumar Upadhyay (centre) and Gautam Adani on board an aircraft (centre). Credit: vibhav.org
The mega event today was attended by captains of industry, including Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of Aditya Birla group, Gautam Adani, chairman of Adani group, Subhash Chandra, chairman of Essel group and Sanjeev Puri, MD, ITC. Besides top magnates of other major business houses like Walmart participated in the event.
The prime minister said that those who used to look for issues to criticise him forget that the problems go back several decades. “Please note, whatever you find will be dating back to 70 years (of their rule) and not from my four years. I have only four years in my account and you have 70 years,” he said.
In fact, the Congress has ruled India for 54 years, while Modi’s own BJP has directly being in power for six years, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in power, and part of a coalition government for another three years, when Morarji Desai was prime minister.
“Some persons are calling it a ground breaking ceremony but its a record breaking ceremony. In such less time, old ways have been changed and the trust of industrialists has been gathered. I am happy that under Yogi Adityanath’s leadership, an atmosphere is being created for investment by changing work culture,” the prime minister said.
Modi said India has become the world’s second largest producer of mobile phones, and Uttar Pradesh is leading this manufacturing revolution.
India is being recognised as mobile manufacturing hub, he said.
He said all households will get electricity by March next year.
The prime minister said the government is giving prime importance to the energy sector, especially green energy and solar energy.
The projects the PM launched today are expected to hugely boost industrialisation in the state, which has big development goals to meet before next year’s Lok Sabha elections.
State’s industry minister Satish Mahana said the projects have the potential to create more than two lakh jobs.
The prime minister also took the opportunity to attack his political rivals who have been ridiculing his frequent visits to the state and saying that it smacked of his nervousness ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
“As an MP from the state, I will come twice, five times, ten times… I am your MP and will keep visiting (the state),” he said.
His remarks come against the backdrop of opposition Samajwadi Party mocking the prime minister for visiting the state six times in a month.
Modi’s Uttar Pradesh tour today marked his sixth visit to the state this month and the second to Lucknow in as many days.
Without naming the SP, Modi said the tube in a ‘cycle’ (its party symbol) tyre can take only a limited pressure of air. “Beyond that limit, the same air hampers its movement,” he said
With inputs from PTI