Rejecting Congress charges of favouring big business as "another canard", Narendra Modi today said that the incentives given by his government were policy-driven rather than discretion-based.
"I do believe in the importance of Corporate India and how it can help in wealth creation for the nation. I believe that in the last 60 years, the Congress party has indulged in rent seeking behaviour by encouraging red tape," the Gujarat Chief Minister told PTI.
He maintained that he sincerely believed in cutting down on the red tape. "While I have never been in favour of giving concessions to big businesses, I certainly believe in creating the right kind of atmosphere for investments by expediting procedures, reducing bottlenecks and encouraging transparency.
"Even when incentives have to be given to certain sectors, they have to be sector-specific and policy-driven rather than case-specific and discretion-based."
Modi was responding to persistent charges by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who had accused him of favouring industrial houses such as Adanis and Tatas.
Dismissing the charges as "another canard being spread by a desperate Congress tottering to its fall", Modi said that in an important judgement last week in the Tata Nano case, the Gujarat High Court had upheld the Gujarat government's stand and vindicated it.
"The judgement has comprehensively debunked the allegations made in the petition. Now there is no jusitification for such propaganda," he said.
The BJP Prime Ministerial candidate was referring to rejection of a PIL by the High Court challenging 'a soft loan' given to the Tatas for the Nano plant in Sanand as well as the land allocation.
As Priyanka Gandhi stepped up her offensive against BJP over allegations about her husband Robert Vadra, Modi said that he did not believe in politics of vendetta but the law must take its own course.
Asked about how allegations against Vadra would be dealt with it in the event of his coming to power, the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate said he did not believe in politics of vendetta and witch-hunting of which he himself had been a "victim" for the last 10 years.
At the same time, nobody was above law and if somebody had done something wrong, the law must take its own course.
"But that has to happen in an institutional manner as per the due process without interference from any quarter. Such actions should never be guided by political considerations," Modi told PTI.
Anwsering a question about recent attacks on him by Priyanka who had accused him of humiliating her family, he said, "It is natural that a daughter would like to defend her mother. A sister would like to defend her brother. I do not have any problems with that."
Asked which one was the "real Modi"--a strong willed and decisive leader or a divisive and authoritarian one, the Gujarat Chief Minister said that for those who had seen him closely and worked with him believed that he was strong willed and decisive.
However, some people for reasons best known to them had decided to judge him not on what he was and not on his work but "on the basis of perception created about me by certain vested interests and my political opponents". At times, he wondered why was there "this constant attempt to portray me in a particular manner".
Modi asserted that his opponents had not been able to find any serious allegations of corruption, nepotism or incompetence against him.
"They have found no substantive issues to target me. Thus, it seems they resort to vague, non-specific and subjective things like saying that I am authoritarian, jingostic, divisive etc," he said.
About his prospects in the current Lok Sabha elections, Modi replied," As of now I firmly believe that the BJP with its pre-poll NDA partners is going to get the required numbers to form a government at the Centre."
Asked if he saw a contradiction in his statement in July last year in which he had described himself as a Hindu nationalist even as he had maintained that the Government had only one religion, i.e. India First, he said that he was a "patriot".
"I would like to see myself as an Indian first and foremost, I am a Hindu by faith and I am proud of the faith I belong to. I love my country. So you can say that I am a patriot," he told.
He was also asked if he would reach out to three powerful regional leaders Mamata Banerjee, Jayalalithaa and Mayawati who had been critical of him during the campaign but whose support he may need after the poll results were out.
Modi replied, "We are sure that we will get the numbers to run the government. However, we will need everyone's support and cooperation to run the country."
Accusing Congress of "trying to hide in the bunker of secularism", Modi said that it was fighting for its survival with even a 100-seat mark in the new Lok Sabha appearing "an uphill task for it".
Reacting sharply to Congress President Sonia Gandhi's accusation that his election campaign was a "dangerous combination of religious fanaticism, power and money", he said, "faced with certain defeat, fighting for its survival it is once again trying to hide in the bunker of secularism.
"Its last hope is to somehow cross the 100-seat mark which now appears an uphill task for it," Modi said.
Responding to Sonia's dig that he was promising to make India a paradise, he said, "I have never claimed that I will make India a paradise and that I have solutions to all problems. I am sure even people do not expect this from me."
People of India were not looking forward to miracles but "they certainly deserve a stable, decisive and sensitive government," he added.
Modi also said that his government's focus regarding industrial investment has been mainly on small and medium scale industries. The growth of micro, small and medium enterprises(MSMEs) had been only 19 per cent across the country compared to 85 per cent in Gujarat.
Unveiling the economic focus of an NDA government, Modi said that restoring the health of the economy and putting it back on track will be his first priority and that he would let business do "what they are best at".
"The first and the foremost will be to bring back the focus on infrastructure and manufacturing sector," he said.
He also said that maximum attention has to be given to generate employment for the youth of the country.
The BJP Prime Ministerial candidate said steps will have to be taken to remove the procedural bottlenecks and expedite the entire decision-making process for clearing projects.
Besides, Modi said specific steps will have to be taken to control inflation.
Stating that corruption is another challenge that the country faced, Modi said the emphasis should be on preventing graft rather than focusing on the problem after it has taken place.
Emerging story. Watch this space for updates as more details come in
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