Development, trust hold key in J&K: Modi

Days before an all-party delegation led by Union home minister Rajnath Singh visits Kashmir on September 4 and 5, with violent protests sweeping the state for the past two months after violent protests began following the killing of Hizbul militant Burhan Wani in July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for “development” and “trust” as two key elements needed to address the problem afflicting the troubled region.

Speaking on a range of issues in an hour-long interview to a television news channel, Mr Modi said he had thought of coming out with a white paper on the state of the economy after 10 years of UPA rule when NDA came to power in 2014, but refrained from doing so as he feared it would hurt the country’s interests.

Condemning violence against dalits, he asked politicians, including of his own party, to shun irresponsible remarks as he said the community’s “self-appointed champions” were giving political colour to a social problem to create tensions.

He said he was committed to the welfare of dalits and other oppressed sections of society, but some people have not been able to digest the fact that “Modi is pro-dalit”.

Speaking on the politics of vendetta, an allegation that has been levelled against the Centre, amid a row surrounding an inquiry against Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra’s land deals in Haryana, Mr Modi, without referring to any particular case, rejected all the vendetta allegations, insisting there were no instructions from his government to conduct any probe against any political party or dynasty.

He also chose to downplay the fact that politics could dominate the BJP’s election campaign in the politically-crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, that holds polls early next year.

In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP will fight on the development plank. Social justice will be highlighted, and unity and prosperity are the key to the state’s development, he said.

The PM, who appeared relaxed and called on the media to focus more on development issues, while speaking on the issue of Kashmir, said it was an old problem whose seeds were sown right after Independence and successive governments had been dealing with it. However, amid the escalated unrest in the Valley in the past few weeks, he stressed the need for taking Kashmir ahead with peace and unity while ensuring that it remains a “paradise” in the real sense.

“The seeds (of the current unrest) were sown during Independence. Every government has had to face this problem. This is not a new problem but an old one,” he told Network18 in an interview, when asked how to solve the problem of the Valley.

Asserting that a “solution to the problem” will be found, Mr Modi said: “Kashmir needs vikas (development) and vishwas (confidence). 125 crore people of the country are ready to give vikas and there has never been any dearth of vishwas.”

On the challenges that a struggling economy posed for his government when the NDA came to power in May 2014, the PM revealed that just before the presentation of its first Budget in July 2014, his political sense advised him to present the health of the economy, including the precarious state of public sector banks and problems with Budget numbers, but the national interest prevented him from doing so.

“Today I think that before presenting the first Budget (in 2014), I should have placed a white paper in Parliament on the economic situation in the country. This thought had come to me. I had two paths. Politics told me I should put out all the details. But the nation’s interest told me this information would increase the hopelessness, the markets would be badly hit, it would be big blow to the economy and the world’s view of India would get worse... I chose to stay silent at the risk of political damage in the national interest,” he said.

The government did not put details about the situation of public sector banks and how the previous government used to move Budget numbers, the PM said. “It hurt us and we were criticised, it was made to look like it was my fault. But I took the political damage in the country’s interest and the result of that is I am being able to fix things, despite the shortcomings,” Mr Modi added.

Condemning the violence against dalits, the PM urged all politicians, including his own partymen, to shun all irresponsible statements as that community’s “self-appointed champions” were giving political colour to social problem to create tensions.

“I want to tell politicians, including the leaders of my own party, that there should be no irresponsible statements against any person or community. The country’s unity, social unity and equality should not be affected. We should be extra cautious,” he said in the interview.

Noting there are many dalits who are BJP MPs and MLAs, he said: “Ever since I celebrated the 125th birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar... many people felt that Modi is Ambedkar’s follower. They started having problems.”

Dismissing charges of indulging in vindictive politics, amid a row over the inquiry against Robert Vadra’s land deals in Haryana, Mr Modi insisted that there were no instructions from his government on conducting a probe against any political party or dynasty. “I have been chief minister of a state (Gujarat) for 14 years. History is witness to it that I have never opened any file because of political reasons. There has been no such allegation against me. It has been over two-and-a-half years here (in government at the Centre). There is no instruction from the government to open any file,” he said.

Without referring to any case, Mr Modi said the law will take its own course. “I do not have the right to do any cover-up either... It is not right to say we have not spared any dynasty,” the Prime Minister said.

On the crucial Uttar Pradesh polls, the PM said it was sad that whatever decisions governments take, were analysed in the light of forthcoming elections. “It is a travesty that elections are happening in our country at regular intervals. Our actions are always gauged in the context of elections. Why can’t we have elections at all levels simultaneously so that the government can run smoothly for five years. Suggestions on this are coming, but it can’t be one party’s decision. It has to be a consensual one. But I do hope it (holding polls simultaneously) would be discussed within political circles in the near future,” he added.