Chennai: In an interview just weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is an “independent organisation” that takes action only after “various vigilance and investigation departments of the country file cases”, when asked to comment on opposition parties’ claims that the BJP was using the agency to intimidate its rivals.
Asked if the electoral bonds data has given his party a bad name, the PM told Chennai-based news channel Thanthi TV that it is only because of him that the data is now public.
“How many elections were held before 2014? Wasn’t money spent during those elections? Can anyone tell me where the money came from? Modi created electoral bonds, and that’s why you can search for them. Now you know who gave and who bought the bonds. In any scheme, there will be some shortcomings, and once they are rectified, it will be appreciated,” he said.
On questions about the ED, Modi said that of the 7,000 cases handled by the agency, only 3 percent are politically related. “ED is an independent organisation, just that we do not stop it from carrying out its work,” he said.
Asked about the Opposition’s question of why the agency had not acted against any BJP leader, Modi said that irrespective of the political party a person belongs to, the procedure is the same. “ED cannot file any case. Various vigilance and investigation departments of the country have to file cases, only then will ED take action.”
He further said that he is considering legal procedures to return the money seized by the ED to the people from whom it was received. “So far, we have returned Rs 17,000 crore to the people.”
During the interview, the PM also expressed his love for the Tamil language and the people of Tamil Nadu. He recalled his friendship with former chief minister late J Jayalalithaa and said it is the AIADMK workers who should regret not being able to fulfil the dreams of their leader.
“Since 1995, I have had a friendly relationship with Amma Jayalalithaa. When I became chief minister in 2002, there were several allegations against me. But she still attended the swearing-in ceremony. Now we have no reason to regret, and it should be AIADMK workers regretting their decision,” he said, responding to a question on AIADMK severing its ties with the BJP-led NDA alliance.
After Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016, the AIADMK had formed an alliance with the BJP and contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the 2021 assembly elections. In September 2023, the party officially announced that it was severing ties with the BJP-led NDA.
Asked if the BJP would be able to make inroads in Tamil Nadu this time, the prime minister said he didn’t do everything with the intention of getting votes and winning an election.
“If I was working only for the votes, I would not have visited the Northeast. I have visited more of the Northeast region than the other prime ministers combined,” he said, adding that his visits to the state were not driven by a political agenda.
Also Read: In DMK-ruled Tamil Nadu, PM Modi reminisces about Amma, MGR & Ekta Yatra to woo voters for LS polls
‘Angry we have done injustice to this great language’
Asked if he had ever thought about why the people of Tamil Nadu refuse to vote for him, Modi said he had never thought about it and doesn’t hold any grudges against the people of Tamil Nadu. “I love them. I have great affection for them. There is a lot of commitment to their culture. It is that love that draws me there,” he said.
The PM further said that he has been visiting the state for over 50 years, and that he rejected the accusation of trying to appease Tamil Nadu voters for the election.
Asked what he likes the most among the language, food, and culture of Tamil Nadu, he said the state has to be looked at in its entirety. “I am angry that we have done injustice to this great language,” he further said, adding that the language was restricted just to the state because of the politicisation of the language.
He also explained how he got the idea of conducting the Kashi Tamil Sangamam and placing the sengol (sceptre) in the new Parliament.
Asked what is his guarantee to the people of Tamil Nadu if he comes back to power, the prime minister said a developed Tamil Nadu is required for a developed country.
“For a self-reliant India, the largest defence corridor will be located here. This is my biggest guarantee,” he said, adding that he has also laid the foundation stone for a port in Thoothukudi, which would bring a big change to the industry in the future.
‘Vikas Bharat in 2047’
In response to a question about the Opposition’s allegation that he worked for the corporates, Modi said that the Congress party that faced these abuses is now hurling the same at him. Highlighting his Ayushman Bharat, Mudra, Jal Jeevan, and other schemes, he said his government was not one to launch schemes for photo-ops in Delhi and then forget about them.
Asked how confident he was about securing 400 seats and about ‘Modi 4.0’, he said it was decided by the people several days ago. “Count as many as 4,5,6 you feel like. All my thoughts are on 2047, which is Vikas Bharat in 2047,” he said.
To the Opposition’s questions about the Ram Mandir consecration coinciding with the Lok Sabha election, Modi said the temple was built based on the Supreme Court judgement and that if everything can happen correctly and systematically, then it was Lord Ram’s wish.
“Even the apex court justices could not have imagined that all this would happen before the election,” he said.
With regard to international relationships, Modi said that India has a neutral worldview and that “we are working with India’s interests first”.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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