PM Modi not dictatorial, but most democratic leader India has seen: Amit Shah

New Delhi, Oct. 10: In an interview on Sunday, Mr. Shah said he had never come across a “better listener” than Mr. Modi. Asked about allegations of Mr. Modi being dictatorial, Mr. Shah said these were baseless allegations. Mr. Shah, who has worked with Mr. Modi in the BJP, the Gujarat government and now in the Central Government, said the Prime Minister heard out all points of views and held extensive discussions before taking decisions. He said unlike before, the details of decisions taken do not leak out, leading to some people thinking the decisions are taken unilaterally.

Mr. Shah spoke to the government channel last week, marking 20 years of Mr. Modi in public office — first as Gujarat Chief Minister and then as Prime Minister from 2014.

Speaking about the challenges faced by Mr. Modi as Chief Minister, the Home Minister said the school enrolment numbers and dropout rate was a problem in India and Gujarat. He said Mr. Modi took up enrolment drives as a mahotsav or festival. Enrolment increased from 67% to 100% and the dropouts decreased from 37% to under 1%, he said. “You can understand what contribution this had on the development of the country and Gujarat. An illiterate person becomes a big burden on the country. Neither does he know his Constitutional rights, nor duties. How can he be a good citizen,” he asked.

He said Mr. Modi had quickly taken to the world of administration, having had no experience. “Never been a sarpanch, let alone an MLA,” he said.

Mr. Shah said Mr. Modi focused on upliftment of the tribal population of Gujarat that the Congress had “used as a vote-bank” earlier. Mr. Modi also worked to develop the coastal areas of Gujarat, which became the “backbone of Gujarat’s industrial development”, he said.

Is PM Modi Autocratic? Amit Shah’s Response To Critics

Union Home Minister Amit Shah strongly defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi from a suggestion that he was at times dictatorial or autocratic, saying that in his decades-long association, he had “not seen a listener like Modi ji”.
“All these people who are accusing us, these accusations are baseless. I have not seen a listener like Modi ji. If there is a meeting for any problem, Modi ji talks less and patiently listens to everyone and then takes a decision. We often think ‘what is there to think so much?’. He takes a decision patiently after 2-3 meetings,” he said in response to a question during an interview to the state-run Sansad TV channel.

“Every person’s suggestion based on its quality is given importance by Modi ji and not based on who the person is. So, saying that he imposes his decisions as PM is not true at all. Whoever has worked with him, even the critics would agree that the cabinet has never functioned in such a democratic manner,” he said.

Both from Gujarat, PM Modi and Amit Shah have worked closely since their early days in the BJP and its ideological parent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS. Considered to be the Prime Minister’s closest confidante and strategist, Amit Shah has held executive portfolios in the Gujarat government when PM Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

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