Persecuted PIOs welcome back in India, says Narendra Modi

New Delhi: In an interview to a private news channel, when asked whether he would keep the door open for post-poll alliances, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi replied “it could be possible”, but refused to go into details. When asked if his attacks on Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee and J. Jayalalithaa during campaigning might have harmed the possibility of alliances with them in case the BJP-led NDA did not get a majority, he said, “Politics isn’t conducted on the basis of what is said in the course of election campaigns.”

On his recent remarks about Bangladeshi inflitrators, Mr Modi said it was not a question of Bangladeshi, Hindu or Muslim, but of persecuted people and vote-bank politics, and asked why Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen was not allowed to stay in West Bengal. Without naming Ms Banerjee, who had attacked him on the issue, Mr Modi said, “If the blood (of a persecuted person) matches with us, and wherever in the world he is, he should be welcomed in the country (sic).” He said vote-bank politics should not be played on the issue and added that “Hinduism” does not mean a particular religion but a “way of life”, as according to the Supreme Court.

He argued that the BJP manifesto’s mention of India being a “natural home to persecuted Hindus” includes people of different faiths, but of Indian origin, as Hinduism is not a religion but “a way of life”. Mr Modi also said he acted in a “tough” manner internally against party leaders, like his close aide Amit Shah and Bihar leader Giriraj Singh, for their remarks targeting Muslims, saying that is why such statements had stopped. Mr Modi, who was criticised by the Opposition for giving a caste colour to “neech rajniti” remarks made by Ms Priyanka Gandhi, said what he had said about Rajiv Gandhi and the then Andhra Pradesh CM was a fact.

While others have a right to do “emotional blackmailing”, is he not allowed to say something, Mr Modi asked. The BJP leader said in Gujarat the “word’s meaning is what I reacted to”. He asked whether the “CWG scam” and non-utilisation of Nirbhaya funds do not count as “neech rajniti”. On the Snoopgate issue, Mr Modi said the apex court is looking into the matter. When asked why he does not agree with the Centre setting up a commission into the issue, he claimed Union minister Kapil Sibal, in a public speech in Gujarat in 2009, had said that Mr Modi would go to jail and that since then all efforts of the Centre have been to this end. Mr Modi said there should be a debate on whether the national broadcaster is independent or not after the controversy over his interview being “censored” by DD at the “government’s behest”.