BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
BJP prime ministerial candidate
Narendra Modi today said he was never silent on the 2002 riots in his Gujarat, but no one ever tried to "understand the truth," which he blamed on a conspiracy.
"I was not silent. I answered every top journalist in the country from 2002 to 2007, but noticed there was no exercise to understand the truth. It was an unknown entity causing conspiracies," he told the ANI news agency today.
Here are the highlights:- Not silent on riots, answered all top journalists from 2002-2007. (On 2002 riots)
- There was no exercise to understand truth of riots. (On 2002 riots)
- Crimes against women are a national shame.
- Neither Rahul nor I should politicise crimes against women. (On snoopgate)
- Seven of 10 top ranked states on crime against women are Congress. (On snoopgate)
- Women's security will be a priority if we form the government.
- I am a backroom boy, I don't measure polls in numbers. (On 2014 elections)
- This will be Congress' worst performance and BJP's best. (On 2014 elections)
- Amit Shah is hardworking, a self-made man. (On Amit Shah)
- Amit Shah is what he is on merit, not because of me. (On Amit Shah)
- A country's relations are not determined by what happens/happened with an individual. (On foreign policy and US)
- Foreign policy won't be influenced by what US did to Modi. (On foreign policy and US)
- Conflict not good, but India's welfare a priority. (On Pakistan)
- How can such an assessment be made about a man who has not done this work before. (On International press saying that Modi's foreign policy will be muscular).
- I am not going to Varanasi to defeat someone. Defeating someone is not my aim. I am going there to win over people's hearts. (On contesting from Varanasi)
- Things have moved on, someone's playing an old record. (On changes in Uttar Pradesh BJP)
- Won't wear a symbol of appeasement for a photo-op. Does Sonia Gandhi wear a skull cap? (On not wearing a skull cap)
- BJP ready for debate on any issue, we only talk of this so that development reaches Jammu & Kashmir (on Article 370 and Omar Abdullah's challenge for accession debate).
- Party will decide next Gujarat chief minister (on who will be next Gujarat chief minister if Modi becomes PM).
- Don't understand this 'old guard', seniors are our engine (On BJP old guard)
- Politically Sharad Pawar and I trade sharp criticism, personally both of us have good relations.
- We may have different ideologies but have excellent relations. (On Jayalalithaa)
- I don't believe in anyone being untouchable in politics. (On alliance politics and Jayalalithaa)
- Party decided which seat I should contest from, not me. (On 2014 polls)
- Would like media to stop talking about old perceptions. (On media)
- First time unprecedented pre-poll alliance of 25 parties. (On NDA alliances)
- Congress says any figure that they dream up at night. (On campaign spending)
- Interviewer tweeted that Modi didn't mean anything like that. (On puppy controversy)
- No first use was a great initiative of Atal Bihari Vajpayee - there is no compromise on that. (On 'no first use' of nuclear weapons)