Not afraid of standing with industrialists: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit back at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his "suit-boot" jibe saying that he (Modi) was not afraid of standing with the industrialists as his intentions were honest.

"I am not one of those persons, who is scared of standing with industrialists...if your intentions are honest then there is no need to be scared," Modi said while speaking at a function here after laying the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 61,000 crore.

"Industrialists play a crucial role in the progress of the country...should we humiliate them and call them thief...what kind of culture is this,'' the prime minister said at the function attended by the heads of several leading business houses of the country.

Modi said that Mahatma Gandhi used to stay at Birla's house sometimes. ''He (Mahatma Gandhi) never had any guilty feeling because his intentions were honest,'' Modi said.

''Some people criticise the industrialists in public but meet them in private...do we not know in whose aircraft they fly?'' the prime minister said.

He, however, said that those, who violated the laws, would either have to leave the country or go to jail.

Modi also slammed his political rivals for seeking an account of his four-year performance. ''They should remember that I had only four years while they had 60 years,'' he remarked.

Earlier Modi laid the foundation stone for projects worth Rs 61 crore and said that the business climate in the country had improved considerably since his government assumed charge of the country.