The prime minister in his interview to ANl TV’s journalist Mrs. Smita Prakash spoke candidly what his views, his achievements and his party’s stand on all issues concerning the nation. Though Rahul Gandhi called the interviewer a ‘pliable journalist’ she could handle better than the international journalist Fareed Zakaria (who also interviewed prime minister Modi a couple of years ago) in asking all comprehensive questions. To know directly from the prime minister his opinions on varied issues was a delight. Throughout the interview he was poised and was humble in answering questions that appealed to many.
The PM said the electoral battle of his party in 2019 would be between Janta versus Gatbhandhan. He answered queries on all fronts i.e. ranging from demonetization, GST, cow related violence, Pakistan, Sabarimala, Rafale, economic offenders/fugitives running away, resignation RBI governor Urjith Patel, farmers distress, solutions to middle classes problems, surgical strikes etc.
While talking about what was going through his mind when he approved and assented surgical strikes, he (the P.M) was very humane. The interviewer Smita Prakash cleverly brought out what was inside the prime minister’s mind (otherwise enigmatic to the general public) by articulating her question that the people of country would like to know how P.M. felt about the military operation while it was on. The prime minister said emphatically, he wanted all his soldiers to come back safe after conducting the strikes in the night and not to risk their lives by overstepping or overstaying if the operation was not done in the stipulated duration. He also stated he was worried till he heard that the army accomplished the task and came back safe in the afternoon and released the bulletin. It appeared that he treated all soldiers like his own children and his own family. That’s the reason he celebrated all five Diwalis of his tenure with the military soldiers in their camps.
When the interviewer asked him that he was, through his welfare schemes, providing relief to the poor and also to the rich businessmen with incentives for ease of businesses, the middle class being squeezed out in the midst subjected to tax-woes, the P.M elaborated the slew of measures he had taken to benefit the middle classes. He also said the middle were important for their contribution to the country. Hence, he said the air travel, railway services were made affordable to middle classes in his tenure. In fact, he stated middle classes have been travelling more on air now than on land.
On all fronts of developmental programs, the P.M has proved himself to be development-oriented. He provided farmers a kind of relief with solar pump-sets and good quality urea and other aids to alleviate agrarian distress. On international relations front, he exercised to a great extent to bring bilateral efforts by de-hyphenating countries like Palestine and Israel and attended international summit-meets for multi-lateral economic and trade relationships that yielded fruitful results.
The BJP government in the present (last one in its ruling) Parliament session made all out effort to pass the bill on instant triple talaq (talaq-e-biddat) but has made no move till date to pass a bill for the construction of Ram Mandir. In 1989 , the same BJP passed a resolution in Palampur saying that the party was committed to the construction of Ram Temple either through mutual consultation or by an enabling legislation. In the recent interview P.M Modi stated that the bill for triple talaq was tabled and passed because the Supreme Court had cleared the case to enable a legislation whereas in the case of Ayodhya Ram Mandir it is not so. Unless the judiciary passes its verdict (or till the judicial process ends) the party cannot make a headway for any decision relating to Temple, he said categorically. This stand of BJP dampens the spirits of the people, specially the BJP’S core voters, for, it defies all logic/commitment of the party.
The Supreme Court, even to constitute a bench to take up the case, postponed the matter in a jiffy to 10th January. Nobody knows how many more years the arguments might take place. So, the final verdict is too long to fathom.
The case of Ayodhya temple has been pending in courts since 1948 or so. Fully knowing the case to be in sub-judice, BJP (earlier) made a movement for the temple construction and committed to the voters for the cause. It’s this single temple issue that gave a face to BJP as a national party. Shri Modi was and is the BJP leader and RSS Pracharak of that vintage. He, as an organizer, sent troops of karasevaks to Ayodhya.
Now the same party absolving the responsibility (without even a trial bill in Parliament) of constructing the temple when in full majority, is something incomprehensible. The BJP has to ensure people that at least next time round it would build the temple and see to the interests of Hindus. That would be a saving grace for the party.
