AMRITSAR: Hinting at a possible key position for Arun Jaitley in the government if NDA comes to power, Narendra Modi today said the senior BJP leader will be an asset not only to the Centre but also to the Akali Dal-led government in Punjab.
“Arun Jaitley will be of great help to our government in Delhi…If he (Jaitley) comes, it will benefit the Badal government,” the BJP prime ministerial candidate said while addressing his fifth rally in Punjab.
He also told the crowd that that they could expect more from Jaitley than even him.
Modi’s remark comes in the wake of speculation that Jaitley is frontrunner for the Finance Minister’s position if the NDA comes to power at the Centre.
Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had recently said during a campaign that Amritsar people would be voting for a possible Deputy Prime Minister in Jaitley.
Praising Jaitley, Modi said that he had been representing Gujarat in the Parliament for many years and his work was an example of how much a Member of Parliament can contribute to the welfare of an area.
Jaitley contesting the elections from Punjab is a loss for Gujarat as a person of his capabilities is rare, he said.
Claiming that Congress’ defeat in phases of voting so far is ensured, Modi said the foundation stone of an NDA government has already been laid.
“The Akalis and the BJP are going to form a government in Delhi,” Modi said.
Seeking to connect with his audience, Modi said people of Punjab and Gujarat work for progress wherever they go.
Jaitley is locked in a high voltage contest against former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh of Congress. On his equation with Jaitley, Modi said, “It is my pleasure that I have known Arun Jaitley since my student life when he was studying in Delhi University.
“Jaitley has a neat and clean character, a sharp intellect…and his readiness to sacrifice for friends has helped lot to make Gujarat a model state in the field of development. I would call him a diamond,” he said.
Sharing his unique formula for Amritsar, he said, “I have a five ‘T’ formula for Amritsar. And I am not talking about tea because I was a ‘chai-wala’ but the Ts of trade, tradition, talent, technology and tourism. Amritsar has all the five Ts but need to upgrade them.”
“So far the government in Delhi has failed to understand the potential of Amritsar. This city due to its ‘Swaran Mandir’ (Golden Temple) attracts thousands of devotees and for this reason it is a major economic hub of the country,” he said while accusing the Centre of neglecting the tourism sector of not only the city but also that of the country.
“With minimum investment, maximum people get employment and due to tourism every businessman – small or big – makes business. A chai-wala too makes double the business. …India has also immense tourism potential but the central government was never bothered about it,” he said.
He also lashed out at the Congress-led UPA government for not giving employment to youth as promised in its election manifesto in 2009.–PTI
