Modi can 'do something' in neglected areas: Congress leader Natwar Singh

Kolkata, West Bengal: Former Congress leader K Natwar Singh gave a thumbs up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his performance in the last three months, hoping that his government would be able to "do something" in areas neglected since Independence.

"As a patriotic Indian I feel that after 65 years of Independence three areas in which Indian governments have failed are education, health and judiciary... I hope Modi's government will do something about them," Singh said.

He said this while launching his autobiography 'One life is not enough' here in the city last night.

On the performance of the Modi government, Singh, a former diplomat, said, "I think three months is too early to comment on Modi... But I don't think he has made any major mistake. I think he (Modi) has great success in Japan, in Brazil. He visited Bhutan, Nepal... Even China is also coming to India. So I think he has done it nicely."

"Nobody has made any serious objection to what he (Modi) is doing. He is very conscious that he is the Prime Minister of India, but not of a particular group or party... He is doing well as the Prime Minister," the veteran politician said.

He, however, did not support India's suspending the foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan, saying it should have been postponed not cancelled.

"Speaking as somebody who has spent a lifetime in the foreign affairs, if I were advising him (Modi) about the foreign secretary-level talks I would advise him to postpone them," he said.

"You have to start negotiating at sometime. You cannot for all time say there will be no composite dialogue. I know it's a difficult relation and they are going through a difficult time at the moment of their own making probably," Singh added.

According to the 83-year-old veteran politician, though BJP in its manifesto has mentioned abolishing Article 370, Modi, will not be able to fulfil it.

"I don't think Modi will be able to abolish Article 370... Because Mr Vajpayee did not, Mr Advani did not Mr Moraji Desai did not," he said.

"I say this with all respect... governing Gujarat is one thing and governing India is a second thing. From Gandhinagar you get one view of India but from Delhi you get a totally different view of India... So he (Modi) is going to find out the facts of life... Facts of political life at the level of Prime Minister," Singh said.