(Image source from: Things we learned from Narendra Modi-Arnab Goswami interview})
The most awaited interview of 2014 election ‘Modi: Frankly Speaking with Arnab’ wasn’t as hot and spicy as one would have loved it to be. While one expected it to be a good contest of words with Arnab Goswami testing the wit and might of BJP's candidate, trapping him in his whirlpool of controversial questions, the show turned out to be pretty much lacked spark where Narendra Modi preached and the interviewer simply did his formality of asking the questions. Though there were a slew of eyebrow raising instances in the interview, it didn’t had much new to offer. Here's some observations from the big interview:
When Arnab lampooned Modi over his recent remark: “Those who observe Durga Ashtami and those who speak Bengali, they’re all Mother India’s children.” Modi fittingly replied, “I’m telling the same thing what the Supreme Court has said. I am saying the same thing what Mamata Banerjee said on 4th August in 2005 in Parliament. I am repeating the same thing what Indrajeet Gupta as a Home Minister said in 1996. And I am restating the same PM Sayeed as a MoS Home had said in 1995.”
When questioned on illegal infiltrations, Modi staunchly replied, “Votes aayenge jayenge, sarkarein aayegi jayegi, Desh sarvapratham hai.” (Votes may come and go, Governments come and go, and it is the nation that is important). This is one of Atal Bihari Vajpayee's oft quoted words from his golden days.
When asked about the involvement of RSS or VHP leader in the 2002 riots, Modi fumbled for a brief moment and shot back “We live it up to you to decide.”
When questioned about Priyanka Gandhi’s daughter-remark controversy, Modi slammed the media saying, “Why didn’t the media show the clip of my interview when the reality came out?” I’m stunned that why did the media brush the matter under the carpet.
When Arnab tried to trap Modi in the same way he did Rahul Gandhi on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Modi cautioned Arnab. “You cannot trap me. Your duty is to ask questions and mine is to answer, but what you’re doing is a wrong way!”
There had been much of muck throwing on Modi relating to Adani land deals, but the most comprehensive answer was, “How can you compare the land rates of Kutch and Ahmedabad?” retorted Modi.
Modi gave a dead rubber interview a new life in the end when he said, “All the credit for Gujarat given to me is not right. I’ve got nothing to work on. It is my team which works, but we have timely meetings to plan forward.”
The lack-luster interview comes ahead of the May 12 polls when Varanasi casts its vote. It however, remains to be seen who has the last laugh in election 2014.
AW: Suchorita Choudhury
