PM Modi's understanding of people and society best after Mahatma Gandhi, says Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Senior BJP leader and defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighted his organisational skills, described him as an incomparable strategist in independent India, and pointed out that he sleeps for just three and a half hours a day. The minister also said that PM Modi’s ability to connect with the masses and his understanding of society is the best in the country after Mahatma Gandhi.

While recounting his personal interactions with the PM, the minister, who was speaking at the release of the book, The Architect of the New BJP: How Narendra Modi Transformed the Party, by seasoned journalist Ajay Singh, said that he was surprised at the alertness and energy of Modi.

“I asked him about his daily routine as he looks so energetic in the morning as well as in the evening. He told me that he sleeps for three and a half hours and that is enough for him,” said the minister. “The only leader that understands the people of this country is Narendra Modi. He understands the pulse of the masses. I can say in the past eight years the expansion of the party is because of the ideology but more than that it was due to Modi’s zeal to take that ideology to masses through a strategy.”

The BJP leader praised Modi for expanding the party beyond caste lines and sections of society and removing the tag of it being a “party of urban voters”. The minister said that the book talks about the qualities of Modi as a strategist that set him apart from the rest of the politicians in the country.

“You will not find any politician in independent India who will deliver more than expected of him in whatever responsibility he is given, by either the Sangh or BJP. This is true that he had not contested elections before 2001, and after 2001 he has not lost any election he contested. This has contributed to his image of an undefeatable strategist,” stated Rajnath Singh.

‘Modi brought the Northeast closer to the party’

The BJP leader said that it was due to the efforts of PM Modi that the BJP and the NDA have governments in all seven states of the Northeast.

“I do not hesitate to say that whatever the BJP attained post-2014 is due to PM Modi. No one used to speak about the possibility of BJP governments in the states of the Northeast. People used to mock those who would mention this. Today, we have an NDA government in all seven states. The party has expanded even in those areas where we had no one who would take the party’s name,” he said.

‘People reposed faith in Modi after demonetisation too’

The union minister said that when rivals started writing PM Modi’s political obituary after the demonetisation move, people put their faith in him.

“The book also throws light on how he won the hearts of the people on tough steps like demonetisation. Despite so much trouble that the people went through, he managed to make them understand the importance of the decision and no one else could have achieved it. It was because of people’s faith in him. This is evident from the success we got in elections that happened soon after the demonetisation. People knew his intentions were right,” said Singh.

2024 Lok Sabha polls and beyond

The minister pointed out that political analysts say that whosoever wants to replace PM Modi should target 2029 as he is going to win again in 2024.

“I believe this cannot be possible without God’s blessings. The new political system in Jammu and Kashmir, triple talaq law, Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir, Kashi Vishwanath redevelopment, having a network of expressways, starting medical colleges, providing up to Rs 5 lakh worth of free medical treatment to the poor, building infrastructure at borders with Pakistan and China, National Education Policy, pucca houses, toilets, roads, electricity, taking culture to newer heights— there is no match to the Modi government,” he added.

‘Amending cultural, historical mistakes’

Rajnath Singh did not forget to mention the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya (Prime Ministers’ Museum), with which PM Modi has ensured that people are aware of the legacy of his predecessors.

“Pt Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Manmohan Singh…along with 13 PMs’ achievements have been showcased. Also, ‘sanskritik bhool sudhar ke saath, historical political vikrityon ko theek kiya jaa raha hai’ (We are amending cultural mistakes and historical political distortions),” said Singh.

‘Modi hai to mumkin hai’

The minister also said that “Modi hai to mumkin hai” is not just a slogan. “At the time of Covid, PM Modi taught the world about self-reliance while the opposition was mocking his efforts. He did not bother about that,” he added.

The BJP leader also spoke extensively on the PM’s experiences and where he draws his strategic efficiency from.

“His strategic efficiency did not come from a day’s experience but from his ‘pravas’ (travels) he did across the country over the years and from his understanding of the country. People are looking at alternatives but they are not finding any. He has accepted every task that was given either by the organisation or others. His strategy of expansion that he devised in Gujarat in 1980 was replicated by him in Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh by deploying cadres, and he had the vision of having a party office in every district,” said Singh. “He has turned the BJP into an election-winning machine by using his experiences without compromising on ideology.”

People-connect

Rajnath Singh also recalled PM Modi’s achievements since his Gujarat days. “The then chief minister Amarsinh Chaudhary banned the Jagannath Yatra in Ahmedabad. However, signs were put up across the crossing that the yatra would continue despite the ban. On the morning, people started gathering and it took the shape of a yatra. Chaudhary made a committee to investigate the role of PM Modi in organising the yatra,” the minister said.

While praising the PM, Singh delved into another one of his qualities: always thinking about how to connect schemes to the common people.

“In Gujarat, the Statue of Unity in Kevadia was to be constructed. This could have been done with government funds, but taking donations from farmers of their junked paraphernalia from the fields was his idea. It connected lakhs of farmers with the statue. Five lakh villages participated in the process and thus they became emotionally linked to the statue,” he added.

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