Gandhinagar: Narendra Modi on Tuesday debunked the view that he was 'bigger' than the BJP, his 'mother', after his resounding victory. A day after his triumph in the Assembly elections, he also appeared to reach out to the party rebels who had failed in their bid to check him.
An emotion-charged Modi took on the 'perverted mindset' of the media which had portrayed him as bigger than the party in remarks which would be reassuring to those in the top echelons of his party wary of his triumph.
"Those people who say Modi is bigger than the party do not know the history of the BJP and the sangh (parivar). Politics has become so cruel that it asks whether the son has become bigger than the mother," he said in his speech to the MLAs in the presence of central leaders M Venkaiah Naidu and Arun Jaitley.
The 57-year-old former RSS pracharak, who virtually ran the election campaign single-handedly, had tears in his eyes and was overcome by emotion when he hit out at the media for its predictions and for projecting him as bigger than the organisation.
"It is 'vikrut mansikta' (perverted mindset) to say that Modi is bigger than the party," he said. "In the days of Jan Sangh, candidates of the party used to lose their deposits in most of the elections. At that time, many dedicated workers and families sincerely worked for the party."
"My image appears to be bigger because of the limitation of your lenses which stop at me. But if you were to widen your focus, you could see thousands of BJP workers who have lifted me up on their shoulders," Modi said, taking a dig at the media which has been projecting him as being bigger than the party.
"Leading media had no inclination about the outcome of the Gujarat elections, prompting them to rely on 'satta bazaar' (betting)," he said.
Modi said it was the need of the hour that "we show large-heartedness towards each and everyone. Some people may have failed to see the changing times and the turn of events. It is the demand of the time that we show large-heartedness towards each and everyone."
Modi also went on say that his government will work towards betterment of the backward and weaker sections of the society. "I do not know whether I will be able to fulfill all this work, but I assure you that my attempts will be in that direction," he said.
"The elections are over and there will be no distinction between any of the 5.5 crore people of Gujarat," Modi said.
In an apparent reference to his adversaries, Modi said: "It is the need of the hour that we show large-heartedness towards each and everyone. Some people may have failed to see the changing times and the turn of events. It is the demand of the time that we show large-heartedness towards each and everyone," Modi said.
Modi acknowledged his indebtedness to the BJP workers in helping him surmount the manifold problems and emerge victorious in the recent assembly elections.
Tracing the problem of rebellion in the BJP to corruption, Modi said those people who were involved in 'hanky-panky business have gone. (lene-denewale woh log chale gaye).'
"People thought that as we had not made appointments to the boards and corporations, there would be large-scale disaffection in the party and the BJP would lose. However, the BJP workers have not come to make commission but are out on a mission. They have not joined the party to receive but to give something back to the society."
Modi said: "People have not just given us power, but have also handed over responsbility." The people of the state had elected the BJP after taking the work which his party has done in the last five years into consideration, he said.
"This re-election is enough indication that we are treading on the right path," Modi said, adding that the future government in Gujarat will continue to work on the same lines as it had done in the past.
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