From women voters to east India: What NDTV asked Modi on his roadshow

Amid the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been speaking to one news channel after another in various formats – from the sit-downs with multiple editors to conversations recorded outdoors. But what’s common to all those interactions is the absence of uncomfortable questioning.

Joining that long list of media houses is NDTV, whose executive Marya Shakil spoke to PM Modi as he stood next to NDA ally and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar during a roadshow in Bihar’s Pataliputra on Sunday. 

But it seemed like both Modi and NDTV had come a long way, a decade after the former cancelled on an NDTV townhall on India’s PM candidates for several ostensible reasons. Newslaundry had published the sequence of events leading up to the event, recalling conversations with Narendra Modi’s office. This was a decade before NDTV was acquired by industrialist Gautam Adani.

NDTV’s questions

 “In this epic battle, he has decided to give us time amid his busy schedule,” the journalist said, pointing out that the viewers of “our six channels are watching you right now”. “You have done programmes across the country. Is Patna's vibe a bit different?”

Modi responded with a 400-paar assertion. “I have visited almost all the states of India. And I can say that Bihar has added many colours to the BJP and NDA's resolution of 400 paar. The atmosphere in Bihar is the same as that of the entire country.”

The NDTV journalist then asked if east India has a BJP upswing.

“If I have to comment while keeping politics aside. I gave a speech in 2013. I wasn’t even a PM candidate then. If you want to develop India, you need to develop east India, make east India a growth engine,” Modi said, adding that his government had focussed on the region over the last decade. As far as the election was concerned, there was a zabardast aandhi (strong wind) in all regions in favour of the BJP, Modi said.

The PM said the results in states like West Bengal, Telangana and Odisha would be unimaginable, and that the BJP will storm new areas this time.

Asked about the situation in Bihar and how he felt coming to the area, he said, “In Bihar, I spoke to our colleagues that we had lost one seat earlier, perhaps this time we will not lose any… I have come here a lot for organisational work and I have been to many areas. I am connected with many old things here.”

Marya Shakil then asked if Modi saw the election as a referendum or as a governance model fight. “The Bharatiya Janata Party has given a model of governance to the country. The country has seen the model of Congress, the country has seen the model of the Left, the country has seen the model of coalition governments and the country has seen the model of BJP and NDA full majority and it has seen a dynamic government and a decisive government, a risk-taking government. And on the basis of that we have been moving ahead,” he said.

The NDTV journalist noted that “the number of women is very high here”. “You have created a constituency for yourself because whatever you have done, Ujjwala scheme, many states also have women-centric schemes, so do you think that women voters are with you,” she asked.

“Empowerment of women is my commitment and I have taken the lead in the G-20 summit on women-led development and for this we should give opportunities to women. Women should rise above the traditional things that we have. Like we initiated drone didi (scheme) in the villages, like we opened the doors of the Army, when we made them pilots in the Air Force, we sent our daughters to the border, our daughters are going to Siachen and protecting the country. So I have succeeded in bringing in a psychological change. And the power of women will become an additional force in the country's development journey and will accelerate the results.”

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