No more a political pariah: Modi

As the electoral process for the 16th Lok Sabha nears its end, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Thursday appeared to suggest that he was no more a political untouchable with the BJP managing to enter into a pre-poll alliance with 25 other parties, a feat even the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led coalition could not achieve.

Modi also threw open the doors for potential allies to enable the alliance to cross the 272 mark, saying that politics is not conducted on the basis of what is said in the course of election campaigns. He said, elections bring about a different kind of atmosphere and every party spreads awareness about itself.

“The day Modi was declared the prime ministerial nominee, the mainstream media across the country had only one centre story- that the BJP would find no allies. It was the centre story. For the first time in India’s political history, the BJP has 25 parties in a pre-poll alliance in the electoral fray. Even during the NDA regime, we didn't have a pre-poll alliance,” he told a news channel.

Modi’s critics in the party like L K Advani had argued that his anointment would result in allies deserting the NDA and it would be difficult to attract new parties into the coalition.
On the number game, Modi said: “The country will give me the numbers needed to run the government. Even if we get 350 seats, every single MP from every single party is as valuable to me as the 125 crore citizens.”

Asked whether it was wrong to target Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Mayawati, he said, it can also be a strategy to keep the door open. When the interviewer said he did not understand the response, the BJP leader quipped, “I won't explain it now but will do it after May 12.”

Queried about AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa’s attack on him, Modi was not responding except for once when he asked people not to waste their time finding allies for him.

“You have already asked me 6 questions related to this. I have explained everything clearly that the BJP is winning with a clear majority and we will be forming the strongest and most stable government since that of Rajiv Gandhi,” he said. Modi also claimed that he had taken strong view of communal barbs by his party colleagues.

“If I didn't oppose it through the internal mechanism, don't you think it would have continued. Hasn’t it stopped? Did it stop or not? That means I have taken action and you can understand. But does it mean that I convey it to the media and make my actions clearer?” he said.