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BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Friday came out with a unique solution to decriminalise Indian politics.
He suggested that if he formed the next government at the Centre, he would ask the Supreme Court to develop a mechanism to fast-track pending cases against elected members of parliament.
Modi also wanted the same system to be applicable for members of the legislative assembly, municipal corporations and panchayats.
If voted to power, Modi declared that his priority would be to prevent corruption and device as system to minimise its scope rather than cleaning up the old mess.
Speaking during an interview with a television news channel CNBC Awaz Modi said that he never tried to reach out to Musilms or any one community, as for him 1.25 billion Indians are the same.
“Criminalisation of politics is a big problem in our country. I have thought of a solution for it. The MPs who will be elected have already declared criminal cases against them in the affidavit. We will hand over all these affidavits to Supreme Court and ask it to develop a mechanism to fast-track the pending cases. If one is found guilty he will go to jail. Same thing can be done for MLA, municipal corporation, and panchayat. This will be tribute to Mahatma Gandhi who always wanted politics to be free of criminalisation,” Modi said.
Describing corruption as a ‘disease’, Modi said he would put in place a mechanism by which corruption could be prevented. “My priority will be develop a system by which the scope of corruption is minimised. We have to decide either I should concentrate my efforts on preventing new corruption or to clean up the old mess. My conscience says that my focus should to be ensure that new mess (of corruption) is not created,” he said. “We have to decide whether I should focus my energy on preventing new corruption or waste time on cleaning up old mess,” he added.
On the question of reaching out to Muslims Modi explained, “I never tried to reach out to Muslims and will never do it. I am absolutely opposed to this. If I have to reach out, in Gujarat it was six crore Gujaratis and for India it is 1.25 billion Indians. People are fed up of old terminology of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian. Now, country needs new terminology, youth, poor, farmers, village, city, education, health. Need to run country on these terminology.”
Modi said that he would rather lose elections than be target of divisive politics. “I will not speak to Hindus or Muslims. I will only address 1.25 billion Indians. I would accept defeat in elections, or face total annihilation, but never be target of divisive politics. I believe that nations has been broken in name of secularism. We are all one. I have been successful in Gujarat. And will also succeed at national level,” the Gujarat chief minister said.
Modi also talked on various policy level issues of ranging from pressures of collation politics, governance, Goods and Service Tax (GST), fiscal responsibilities to states, foreign policies and crony capitalism.
“Indian politicians cannot dare to stand with industrialists for a photo. Why? because they have are corrupt. Behind the curtains politicians are always with the industrialists day and night. I have all details. I can sit with them (industrialists) freely because I have nothing to hide. I do not have to pretend before the people,” Modi said on question of crony capitalism and if businessmen can take him for granted.
He batted for technology upgradation, professionalism in functioning of PSUs and larger voice of states in national policies.
He also talked of flexibility in budgets to meet the needs of the states.
Modi favoured decentralization of decision making and more responsibilities on every shoulders for rapid progress of the nation.
