M A I N   N E W S

Emotions get better of ‘strongman’ Modi
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 20
As BJP leaders and allies converged on the Central Hall of Parliament today, what followed was a display of emotions never seen before.

It all started with first-time MP Narendra Modi bowing down in respect as he entered the precincts. It was also the first time that the country’s Prime Minister-elect was entering Parliament. He recalled how he had seen the Chief Minister’s office and the state Assembly for the first time after becoming the Gujarat CM. Remembering former Prime Minister and BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Modi said it would have been an icing on the cake had the ailing leader been present among them today.

Perceived as a “strong” leader with a “56-inch chest” image, Modi turned emotional and broke down while delivering his acceptance speech as the leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party.

He choked and paused while referring to veteran leader LK Advani’s mention that he had done a “favour” to the party by leading it to victory.

Advani had praised Modi saying he had done a favour to the party by taking it to the dizzy heights that no non-Congress had ever achieved. Rajnath offered Modi a handkerchief to wipe off tears. Many in the audience were also seen wiping off tears as Modi took a few seconds before he started speaking again, referring to the use of word “kripa” (favour) by Advani in his speech.

“Advaniji ne ek shabd kahaa aur main Advanji se prarthnaa karoonga ki woh iss shabd kaa istmaal naa karein. Unhone kahaa ki Narendra bhai ne kripa ki.... Kyaa maa ki seva kabhi kripa ho sakti hai? Katai nahin ho sakta hai (I urge Advaniji never to use the word he just said. He said Narendra bhai did a favour.... Can serving your mother be called a favour? Not at all).”

“Jaise Bharat meri maa hai, waise hi BJP bhi meri maa hai. Aur isliye beta kabhi maa par kripa nahin karta, sirf samarpit bhaav se maa ki sewa karta hai. (Like India, BJP is also my mother. A son is only dedicated to serving the mother),” he said.

NDA’s hour of glory Modi entered Parliament’s Central Hall to a loud applause, touched Advani's feet and received an affectionate embrace Amit Shah was indisputably the most sought-after, greeted by both seniors and newcomers. His position in the party is definitely established, second only to Modi and Rajnath Singh Saffron was the colour of the day, with several newly-elected sadhus and sadhvis, including Uma Bharti and Swamy Adityanath, dressed in saffron. Many others carried the colour, such as Poonam Mahajan, who wore a saffron dupatta While most MPs turned up in dhoti-kurta, singer-turned-MP Babul Supriyo wore a blue shirt with jeans. Gurdaspur MP Vinod Khanna sported a check shirt and dark glasses Actor-turned-politician Hema Malini was the star attraction in a beige saree Taking a cue from Modi's “Yes, we can” call during campaigning in Hyderabad on the lines of US President Barack Obama's campaign slogan, BJP chief Rajnath Singh said: “Yes, we will.” Akali Dal patron PS Badal was seated to Modi’s right and was also the first among allies to speak.