Gurugram, June 28 (IANS) Sharmistha Mukherjee, the daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, has stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership has been characterised by stability and progress, even amid global uncertainty.

In an interview with IANS, Mukherjee reflected on the moment when the BJP first announced then-Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. She referred to his subsequent victory as a “personal mandate” for him.

Speaking about her recent article published in a leading newspaper, she said that her father had described the 2014 Lok Sabha election as a watershed moment in Indian politics, saying Narendra Modi became the country’s first directly elected Prime Minister in the true sense.

“I have written in my article that he is one of the strongest Prime Ministers. It does not mean that there were no other strong Prime Ministers. He is one of the strongest Prime Ministers. I will say this because Narendra Modi has been successful in giving a strong and stable Central government to the country in the last 12 years. Many can criticise his policies because we are a democracy. However, one cannot deny that it has been a period of stability,” Mukherjee told IANS.

“In the history of India, one can not help but wonder how a period of coalition government arrived and how it kept falling apart, and elections were held again and again. The UPA 1 and UPA 2 governments were also a coalition government, and because of that, many decisions were not taken. Even though both of these were stable governments, there were many ups and downs,” she added.

Mukherjee further stated that PM Modi has been “successful in providing stability” to the nation.

In discussing her article and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, she mentioned that the situation in India was quite “unique” when the BJP announced Narendra Modi as their Prime Ministerial candidate in 2013.

“Traditionally, in Congress, the parliamentary party elects its leader (after winning the elections). And those leaders then go to the President and stake a claim to form a government. But for the first time, Narendra Modi was in a declared prime ministerial face. So people knew that if the BJP won the elections, Narendra Modi would become the Prime Minister,” she said.

“And the most important thing is that Narendra Modi was a new face in national politics, because he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. During that time, he had formed a certain aura. Following this, he fought the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and won. This mandate was not only for the BJP but also a personal one for Narendra Modi,” Mukherjee said, stressing his prominence in national politics.

On whether PM Modi will be known as the strongest politician of independent India, Mukherjee said, “Every Prime Minister contributes to the country’s development. Each Prime Minister has different strengths and weaknesses. Every government works to move the country forward. History will judge the strengths and shortcomings of each leader. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a strong Prime Minister. As I said, he has provided a stable government.”

Providing examples, she highlighted the Digital India initiative of the Modi government, and said that through this, the Centre has “significantly advanced the digitisation of the Indian economy”. “You can even make online payments in any remote village of India. There are many such policies of the Modi government,” she said.

“Now, in the times of global uncertainty, the way PM Modi is taking forward a stable government is praiseworthy. Many people might criticise him for a few policies, but this is a democracy, and everyone has the right. However, he has done some of the most incredible work. Every PM has worked for the country, so I don’t think that comparison is the right thing to do,” she added.

–IANS

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