Narendra Modi : We will walk the extra mile to allay fears

New Delhi: Saying "change is in the air", BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has said a government headed by him "will go the extra mile" to give justice to all and a dispensation "where nobody needs to be apprehensive or fearful".

In detailed responses to an e-mail interview with IANS, Modi said a BJP-led NDA government led by him will be "result-oriented", will not hesitate in taking decisions, will work day and night and will be a "truly representative, transparent and sensitive government".

He said he was confident that the "BJP and NDA may end up doing better than the best predictions among all opinion polls", adding that his priority, if he comes to power, will be to "restore confidence in the government, bring back credibility in the system and take effective steps to bridge the trust deficit that exists today".

Modi, seen as a strong contender for the nation's top administrative job, said he expects the party's performance in states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, where it has traditionally not been very strong, to be "the real surprise in these elections".

"We expect to do very well in these states," Modi said in the interview in which he responded to range of questions that were sent to him over two days and on which, his aides said, he personally deliberated and responded, working late in the night on halts in Ahmedabad between cross-country campaign forays.

To a specific question as to how he would address the fears of the minorities, particularly Muslims, about his government, Modi told IANS: "We are committed to provide a government where nobody needs to be apprehensive or fearful. We are committed to go the extra mile to ensure that not only are we fair and just, but that we are also perceived to be fair and just."

To another question about opposition charges that riots may break out during a Modi government's tenure, he riposted that "today's India no longer responds to such fear-mongering" and some people were "spreading insecurity to get votes".

About how different a BJP-led NDA government was going to be from the UPA, Modi said: "Our approach is going to be drastically different from the UPA's approach. The UPA government's approach was a legislation-based approach wherein they would just try to wish away problems by legislating against them. It was wishful thinking at best and lazy governance at worst.

"You cannot solve serious problems of poverty and unemployment by just coming out with pieces of legislation without backing it up with a concrete action plan to implement the provisions," said the Bharatiya Janata Party veteran.

"Our focus is going to be on time-bound implementation of various initiatives, where priority would be given to reviving the economy and growth," Modi told IANS.

He said his government would "revive investor sentiment and start taking decisions to clear various pending investment proposals".

"Our focus is going to be clearly on infrastructure and the manufacturing sector. It will not only encourage investment, but will also produce the required employment opportunities."

To a question on a possible Modi cabinet, he said the BJP had enough talent and experience, particularly naming Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively, in "bringing important issues to the notice of the people".

He said the "single biggest achievement" of the Lok Sabha election campaign has been "to move away from a feeling of cynicism and pessimism to a feeling of hope and optimism".

He blamed the opposition parties "staring at defeat" for indulging "in abusive language which has reduced the discourse of the campaign by several notches" but refused to apportion any blame to his own people.

Modi said: "I think it is their (opposition) single-minded focus on somehow attacking Modi and stopping him which has brought a lot of support from the people of India to me."