Nothing to hide: Narendra Modi defends India Inc links

NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi, addressing criticism flung at him by political rivals that he was close to industrialists and only cared for their interests, has strongly defended his links with them, saying while most other politicians courted rich tycoons secretly he did it openly because he had nothing to hide.

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, whose party is seen as the frontrunner to emerge as the single largest party in the elections, also said he would not appeal to the Muslim community, which nurses suspicions about him over the 2002 riots in Gujarat, for its votes because he did not believe in sectarian solicitation and it didn’t matter if he lost elections as a result.

Narendra Modi calls media news traders

Modi’s comments on his links with industrialists, which his rivals Rahul Gandhi of the Congress and Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party have been using as a stick to beat him with, were the first time that he has spoken on this issue and addressed criticism head on. “Indian politicians don't have the guts to stand on an open stage and get photographed with industrialists... Why? Inside they steal, they sin. Behind the scenes, day and night, they sit only with industrialists. I have full information about them. I openly talk to industrialists because I don't have anything to hide. I don't have to steal,” the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate said in a television interview.

He accused the media – news traders as he called it – of only focusing on his meetings with industrialists and not his government’s work in villages.

“They do not see the work that I do for farmers and children in the villages when the entire state machinery go to the villages in the summer braving 44 degree celsius temperature. Some news traders can only see five or fifteen people in coat and tie and they can't see beyond that,” he said.