M A I N   N E W S

nri meet
Modi takes a dig at PM
Says good days are just 4-6 months away
Ashok Tuteja
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 9
Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was clearly the toast of the Indian diaspora on the concluding day of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) today as he mocked at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the latter’s remark yesterday that the country could look forward to better times.

“The PM said a good thing yesterday that we will witness good days very soon...I agree with him, but we may have to wait for four to six months,” he said in a veiled suggestion that his party could form the next government at the Centre.

Majestic Vigyan Bhavan, the venue of the three-day PBD, was packed to capacity when Modi spoke during the session on “Investment opportunities in states” along with the chief ministers of some other states.

He was mobbed as soon as he entered Vigyan Bhavan with excited non-resident Indians, particularly those from his home state, vying with each other to get photographed with him or have a little chat with him. Some of them placed scarves around his shoulders as the Gujarat CM acknowledged their greetings. His security personnel had a tough time in controlling the NRIs as well as media personnel who tried to get a sound bite from him.

In his 15-minute speech marked by repeated applause, Modi sought to reach out to the NRIs, pointing out that the focus was now shifting from the Centre to states on the issue of development. Hailing the Indian disapora, he said NRIs should not be weighed in just dollars and pounds. The experience gained by them should be invested to give new direction to the nation.

He recalled two major events when the Indian diaspora had joined hands for the sake of the country of their origin. The first occasion was the 1975 Emergency and the second the 1998 nuclear test by the BJP-led NDA government.