Watch: Modi Hits Out At Opposition, Says Not Afraid Of Publicly Standing Beside Industrialists, Entrepreneurs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the opposition over its accusation that his government was unduly favouring big business.  The Prime Minister was speaking at a programme in Lucknow for the launch of 81 investment projects worth over Rs 60,00 crores for Uttar Pradesh. Over 80 leading industrialists, including Kumar Mangalam Birla, Gautam Adani, Essel group's Subhash Chandra and ITC's Sanjeev Puri, were in attendance.

Modi pointed out the sterling role played by the industrialists in the progress of the country. Visibly concerned over the attempts to demonise traders and business, the Prime Minister pointed out that industrialists deserved respect for they were as much partners in the nation’s growth as were farmers, artisans, bankers, employees and labourers. Modi stated that he was unapologetic about publicly standing beside industrialists and entrepreneurs.

The Prime Minister asked: “Should we insult them? Should we call them thieves and burglars?”. He also added, “But yes, one indulges in wrongdoing, he either has to flee the country or has to spend his life inside a jail.”

He also added that while some people preferred to meet them behind closed doors, he met them publicly. “Agar neeyat saaf ho toh kisi ke saath khade ho, daag nahi lagta (If your conscience is clear, you can stand along anybody without a blot on your name),” he was quoted as saying.

The Prime Minister invoked the reference of Mahatma Gandhi and his close ties with the Birla family. He mentioned that since Gandhi’s conscience was clear, he stood with the Birla family without hesitation.

“Inki bhi bhoomika hoti hai. Apmanit karenge? Kaun sa tariqa hai? Jo galat hain woh toh desh chhod kar chale gaye hain (They also have a role. Will you insult them? Is this the way? Those who were in the wrong have already fled the country),” he said.

“Who knows better than Amar Singh, sitting here, how other parties’ hobnob with industrialists behind closed door,” he pointed out, referring to former Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh known for his close links to big industrialists.

Advocating a dialogue with industry to encourage investment in sectors which are starved of it, the Prime Minister Modi pointed out that investment in agriculture was an abysmal 1 per cent. Modi had made the same appeal in his interaction with leading corporate captains.