‘Secularism divides’ says Narendra Modi in TV interview

New Delhi: Appearing supremely confident of electoral victory, BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi on Friday unveiled his economic and political roadmap in the course of a TV interview. He also indicated that if voted to power, he would give priority to preventing corruption in future before addressing old cases, and was ready to face investigation if charges were levelled against him “professionally”.

On criminalisation of politics, the BJP PM candidate said that if he came to power his government would ask the Supreme Court to create a mechanism to fast-track cases against legislators.

But the former pracharak also reiterated his commitment to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, describing it as the “biggest nationalistic, social and cultural organisation — which has been given a bad name by news traders and people with vested interests”. He also said functionaries of the RSS, who have “dedicated their lives for the welfare of the downtrodden”, were “pavitra log (sacred people)”. Targeting his main political rival, he said that “whenever the Congress goes through a bad phase, it begins to abuse the RSS”.

Mr Modi, while claiming in the television interview that he would never indulge in “divisive politics”, also made it clear that there would be no “politics of appeasement” and that he “will not divide the country in the name of secularism”. He said he did not believe in offering schemes only to reach out to Muslims, and that he would “prefer to lose from Varanasi than indulge in divisive politics”.

‘‘Sonia can meet imam, can’t seek vote’’

Describing corruption as “nothing but a disease”, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Friday said his main priority will be to “develop a system by which the scope of corruption is minimised”.

In an interview to a television channel, he said he has to “decide whether I should concentrate my efforts on preventing new corruption, or to clean up the old mess... My conscience says my focus should to be ensure that new messes are not created”. He also maintained that the steps to prevent corruption “should not be political, otherwise the cause will be defeated and this disease will continue to increase".

Asked to clarify his position on the party's doublespeak on the issue of Congress president Sonia Gandhi meeting the Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, Mr Modi said: “I personally never commented on Soniaji meeting the imam, but my comment was on the signal that was being sent.” Mr Modi said he had no objection to such meetings by Mrs Gandhi. “Soniaji should meet Muslims, Christians and all,” he said. In this case, he pointed out, “a particular community was specifically asked whom to vote for", and that, he said, was “against the Constitution, and a violation of the model code of conduct".

On what he would ask from Muslims in Varanasi, Mr Modi responded that he would “not commit that sin”. He said he would address his appeal to “neither Hindus nor Muslims - but to Indians”. Then he added: “If it suits them, then it is fine. But if does not suit them, I am ready to face defeat... I am ready to be wiped out.”

My mantra is that all are one. I cannot accept a divide between brothers of the country in the name of secularism. In the name of secularism, the nation has been divided.”

Blaming Congress for causing the deterioration of the country's federal structure, he said that if he became Prime Minister he would ensure that a “family-like" environment existed between the Centre and the states. He took a potshot at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying that only after he had read the PM’s former media adviser's recent book did he realise that the PM was "under pressure from just one family"!