Bengaluru: The usually non-controversial BJP leader S. Suresh Kumar has kicked up a storm by comparing Narendra Modi to Gautama Buddha on the marital status disclosure issue. In his Facebook post the former minister had stated: “If Buddha were to contest elections, what would he have declared in the affidavit?”
Here are excerpts from the interview:
Your comparison of Narendra Modi to Gautama Buddha on mentioning the name of wife in the affidavit has received flak. Your comment.
I did not compare Narendra Modi to Gautam Buddha. I would be the last person to do so. I said it in a lighter vein. I only made a reference to the fact that Buddha had walked away from his wife. Mr Modi too has given up his family life. We often say that if Mahatma Gandhi were to contest now, forget winning, he would not even get a ticket. This doesn’t mean we are comparing him to any candidate. I did not intend to demean anybody. My statement has been misunderstood.
Do you think Modi abandoned his wife to achieve something politically?
Until September 2013, it was not mandatory for candidates to fill all the columns in the affidavit. We could leave it blank. Only after the Election Commissioner, at the behest of Supreme Court, made it compulsory for candidates to fill all the columns did the occasion arise for Mr Modi to fill the details. He did not try to conceal the information.
You have been a non-controversial party worker. What made you draw this reference?
As I said earlier, my statement has been misinterpreted. Maybe, I should have been more careful with the statement.
There is a NaMo wave. Do you think the Jashodaben issue has affected it?
Ultimately there is a Modi wave and only that matters. The two reasons for the wave are Modi’s works and the model of development in Gujarat. The country has been devoid of good governance for the last 10 years. This controversy won’t affect the Modi’s prospects. If that had been the case, the response to Mr Modi’s rallies in Bengaluru should have reflected that. There is Modi frenzy across the country and it’s for all to see.
How many seats will BJP win from Karnataka and what would be the overall tally in the country?
Our mission is to get 273 votes. We want to win all these votes just by the BJP’s symbol alone. As far as the state is concerned, we won 19 seats in the last elections and we want to surpass it this time.
