New Delhi:
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said Narendra Modi is a popular leader, not just in the BJP but outside of it as well and that he will have a very important place in the BJP's campaign for 2014 general elections.
Following are the highlights of what Mr Jaitley said:
On Advani's comments on Narendra Modi and Shivraj Singh Chouhan- It is very easy to misinterpret a speech
- Today Madhya Pradesh has roads, 24 hours electricity, better infrastructure
- MP is a turn-around story, 10% growth rate. MP is not a BIMARU state
- Gujarat has continuous growth at 9-10%
- Gujarat has geographical advantages
- Advani said that Gujarat has continuously grown and Madhya Pradesh has turned around. Don't agree with this hair splitting
- Advani did not pitch one against the other. Did not praise one more than the other
- As a senior politician he is praising the work that both have done
- Choosing a candidate is challenging
- Modi is a popular leader. Not just in the party but outside of it as well
- I personally believe that Modi's popularity is very high. He will have a very important place in the BJP campaign
- Modi's popularity is immense... Modi's role will be very special
- I see Advaniji as a guide or patron of the party, at times his views are self-critical
- Because of his special position, he retains the moral authority to express views freely
On the IPL controversy and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)- The administration of cricket in India has been good. The sport, the game overtakes
- Not satisfied with the BCCI board meet. I would have been happier if a cordial arrangement would have been reached at on day one and not on day 8th or 9th
- What we achieved was we put an alternative in place and I would like to give that a chance, to see whether they can clean up cricket
- No reason to doubt that Jagmohan Dalmiya will not do a reasonable job, he is a senior administrator committed to the game
- When insiders get into betting, it transforms into fixing and it is a huge challenge
- If you are a sports lover, you can be in the game
- Politicians are the only community in India with a high level of public accountability
- Ultimately the game is much taller than any administrator of the board
On Political parties coming under the Right to Information Act
- If accounts of political parties or BCCI are publicly known nothing wrong in it
- We are filing returns with the Election Commission - don't think nothing much would change
- Great thing about RTI is everyone wants it applied to others
- Don't think heavens will fall if RTI applies to political funding