Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during an election campaign rally in Meerut.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi justified introducing electoral bonds despite it being struck by the Supreme Court, saying it helps trace the source of funding of political parties.
In an interview to Thanthi TV, owned by the Daily Thanthi group, PM Modi said: "People who are protesting against the electoral bonds will soon regret it. Before 2014, there was no trail of the funds given to political parties during elections. Thanks to electoral bonds, we can now trace the source of funding. Nothing is perfect, imperfections can be addressed.”
Breaking his silence on the issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested that the AIADMK should regret walking out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). He also took potshots at the AIADMK saying only people who indulge in the act of destroying the “dreams” of late J Jayalalithaa should be worried about snapping ties with the BJP.
The Prime Minister said he had enjoyed good rapport with late Jayalalithaa since 1995 and that she was a pillar of support to him when everyone derided him during his tenure as Gujarat chief minister.
“Our friendship was strong. If there is any regret, it should be from the AIADMK, not the BJP. Only those who are committing sins by destroying the dreams of Amma Jayalalithaa should regret, not us,” the Prime Minister added.
Modi also spoke on a range of issues, including the Congress, DMK, national security, and the BJP’s growth in Tamil Nadu. Maintaining that the BJP worked for Tamil Nadu even when it did not have a single municipal candidate, Modi heaped praise on the state unit chief K Annamalai, saying he is attracting the youth.
“They see him and think that if money and corruption were the reasons behind his conduct, then he could have joined the DMK. Annamalai chose the BJP not for personal reasons, but for national reasons. He is working for the country and for Tamil Nadu,” Modi added.
Modi, while expressing his love for Tamil and Tamil Nadu, said he doesn’t feel bad about the southern state not having trusted the BJP so far, and he doesn’t work only to win elections.
“Tamil Nadu has huge potential which must not be wasted. If merely winning elections was my goal, I would not have worked for the development of the northeast. I have visited north-eastern states more than all of the former Prime Ministers combined,” Modi added.