Amit Shah says no Indian PM achieved as many feats in a decade as PM Modi

In an exclusive conversation with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that no Indian Prime Minister has managed “as many feats for the country as Narendra Modi ji in a decade". Shah emphasised how, over the years, the prime minister has increased the pride that every citizen feels for India, no matter where they are.

Shah noted how the prime minister made the political slogan of ‘garibi hatao’ a ground reality. “Modi ji has changed both the size and the scale of the country’s economy. He transformed the political slogan of ‘garibi hatao’ into reality on the ground," Shah told Network18.

The home minister also mentioned that bringing 25 crore people out of poverty is a “huge” feat. “We have given 60 crore people toilets, electricity, cooking gas cylinders in households, 5 kg of food grains per person per month for free, providing treatment up to Rs 5 lakh, and delivering clean drinking water to homes. In 11 years, raising the standard of living of 60 crore people, for which they have been waiting for generations, is a major achievement," Shah said.

“Modernising the armed forces, making the country secure, realising the dream of Make in India, moving the nation from eleventh place to fourth place in the global economy, to fix a goal for 2047 to make India a great nation, with the highest position in the world, to awaken such resolve in 140 crore people, is a great achievement. History will analyse this, but I believe no Indian PM has managed such feats in a decade," he added.

‘PM Modi gave spine to India’s foreign policy’: Shah

Mentioning other achievements of PM Modi, Shah insisted that every citizen feels a sense of pride being an Indian. “I may have missed many things, be it the education policy, or implanting spine in foreign policy, Modi ji has increased the pride that every citizen feels and made their heads go higher," the home minister said.

When asked if PM Modi reminded him of any other leader, Shah simply said, “If we talk of achievements, most have come in Modi ji’s time." When asked if the prime minister is a “tough taskmaster”, Shah said that he approaches every matter with utmost sincerity.

“I can say without hesitation that there will be countless such examples with Modi ji. He approaches matters with strictness and, because of that, there has often been resentment, whether when he was a minister, a chief minister, or handling organisational work. But never have I seen any personal animosity in it,” Shah explained.

“Whenever he scolded or reprimanded, there was always a reason behind it – and in that reason, there was purity, there were principles, and there was discipline. His strictness has always been for these things. So yes, if one were to broadly analyse it, one could certainly say he is a tough taskmaster”, he added.

The home minister gave insights into the Modi administration on the occasion of his 75th birthday.