New Delhi, May 31 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dedication is the most impressive virtue to learn for all politicians, said Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday.

In a free-wheeling interaction with actor Anupam Kher to mark 100 days of the Delhi government, the Chief Minister said, “PM Modi’s selfless dedication towards a goal, country, motherland and public is a gold standard for all politicians.”

“Dedication is the stepping stone for any politician. Unless this feeling is in the heart of a politician, he can never be successful,” she said, reciting a couplet in Hindi and highlighting the need for empathy and patriotism for selfless service.

Every word that PM Modi says about the country is a source of motivation, she stated, adding, “Sometimes he talks about ‘vocal for local’ or the efforts he makes to promote Indian products is a motivation for us.”

Asked about what she misses the most after occupying the top post in Delhi, CM Gupta said, “I have lost the freedom to express myself in a carefree manner.”

“The freedom to indulge in playfulness and banter is not available to me anymore as I am in a responsible post and have to speak everything with care. Earlier, I could stand anywhere and pass a comment without caring for an outcome,” she said.

Earlier, speaking to Kher in a podcast-style interview, CM Rekha asserted that the poll promise of Rs 2,500 monthly financial dole for poor women in the national Capital would be launched soon.

She mocked the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab for either not starting such a scheme despite promises or doing so without adequate funds.

CM Gupta said, “We have held six meetings on forming the policy on the matter, and I have allocated Rs 5,100 crore in the Budget for the Mahila Samridhi Yojana.”

She said her government does not want to falter like the Himachal Pradesh government, which announced a financial scheme with enthusiasm but ran out of funds to give to women.

CM Gupta also hit out at the previous Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi, which promised, just before the Lok Sabha elections, to give Rs 1,000 to Delhi women but failed to do so.

“The AAP government in Punjab has also failed to start the financial assistance scheme despite announcements,” she said.

–IANS

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